Saving for Retirement without Living Like a Pauper or Winning the Lottery

"Award-winning personal finance columnist read by millions of people each week" The "Incredibly Simple, Step-by-Step Guide" to Investing Money for Your Future! "A cover-to-cover must-read for everyone 16 to 60 who wants to live the American Dream. The earlier we choosetosave(R), the sooner we can stop saving, and the later we start saving the more we need to know in order to catch up. What you need to know; where you can find the answers; how you can take action. It is all here." -Dallas Salisbury, CEO, Employee Benefit Research Institute and American Savings Education Council (www.choosetosave.org) "Bookstores are full of tomes advising people how to save for retirement, yet millions of people are still hopelessly confused about what they should do. Gail MarksJarvis breaks it down into simple steps that anyone can do to ensure a more comfortable retirement. Read this book and prosper!"-Liz Pulliam Weston, MSN Money Personal finance columnist and best-selling author of "Your Credit Score" "This book offers a sensible, sophisticated approach for tackling the daunting challenge of saving for retirement. The good news? You can retire-without living on canned food or buying lottery tickets-if you follow Gail's realistic strategies for saving, investing, and ultimately spending money in retirement." -Susan Tompor, "Detroit Free Press" "You can wallpaper a warehouse with all of the awful investment advice offered up every year in newspapers, magazines, and books. One of the most difficult tasks is to separate the get-rich-quick hype from the truly worthwhile knowledge that will make you wealthy over time. I'm thrilled to say that Gail MarksJarvis has cut through the claptrap of investment cacophony and provided not only a solid plan for retirement saving, but a realistic, common-sense approach to personal finance in general. This is a triumph." -John F. Wasik, Bloomberg News personal finance columnist and author, "The Merchant of Power"" "" "Drawn from responses to questions from over 20,000 readers of the author's personal finance columns. Over the years, "Chicago Tribune" financial columnist Gail MarksJarvis has taken the time to listen and respond to thousands of her readers about the issues, questions, and concerns that are most important to them. Saving and investing for retirement has never been more important...and with this book, it's never been clearer what you need to do and how to do it. Don't wait another day! Discover...How much you'll need and how to get there..."even if you've fallen behind"Exactly how to set up IRAs, 401(k)s, or 403(b)s in minutes and pocket your tax moneyHow to harness the money-making power of the stock marketHow to pick the "right" mutual funds confidently with simple strategies and specific recommendationsIncredibly easy, safe investing strategies based on professional money-management techniques"Gimmick-free" investing shortcuts that won't backfire on youHow to keep debt from making you poorHow to get reliable help if you need it...and avoid incompetents or scam artistsHow the new 2006 pension laws affect youMarksJarvis eliminates the insider jargon, confusion, and math...takes the mystery out of the stock market...simplifies investing techniques...answers "all" your questions...clears away "every" obstacle in your way so you make money without taking foolish risks. She's already done it for millions, in the nation's top newspapers and most popular financial radio and TV shows. Now, she'll do it for you, too! Introduction 1 Start Investing Early, or Start Now 12 Know What You'll Need 93 Savings on Steroids: Use a 401(k) and an IRA 394 An IRA--Every American's Treasure Trove 595 IRA Decisions: How to Start, Where to Go 656 Why the Stock Market Isn't a Roulette Wheel 897 What's a Mutual Fund? 1058 Making Sense of Wacky Mutual Fund Names 1159 Know Your Mutual Fund Manager's Job 12710 The Only Way that Works: Asset Allocation 15111 Do This 16312 How to Pick Mutual Funds: Bargain Shop 18113 Index Funds: Get What You Pay For 18914 Simple Does It: No-Brainer Investing with Target-Date Funds 20915 Do You Need a Financial Adviser? 219Index 229