Atlantic Publishing Company Personal Finance Books

How to Repair Your Credit Score Now: Simple No Cost Methods You Can Put to Use Today Your credit score affects every aspect of your financial life including qualifying for loans and mortgages, low interest rates, housing, employment opportunities, and even insurance premiums. Millions of Americans have negative, inaccurate, and unverifiable information on their credit report. Repairing your credit profile is one of the most important financial decisions you can make. You're about to take the important step of taking control of your credit! If you're like the average American, having improved credit will save you thousands of dollars on your loans and credit cards. You do not need a credit repair clinic. Save the money. Everything a credit repair clinic can do for you legally, you can do for yourself at little or no cost using the plan in this new book. There are federal laws in place to make sure that you can repair problems on your credit report and increase your credit score. These laws are found in the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This book will show you how to use your legal rights to increase your credit score. You will learn how to remove questionable items from YOUR credit reports, including: late payments, collections, judgments, liens, charge offs, bankruptcies, foreclosures, repossessions, and identity fraud. This new book will be your road map to credit repair information, and give you tips on how to maintain a stronger credit profile, repair bad credit, improve credit scores, and correct personal information. 978-0-910627-94-8 0-910627-94-0 Item#9780910627948 $21.95
The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future—With Companion CD-ROM Personal financial planning is the process of establishing your own financial goals and creating a way to reach them. The ongoing process involves examining all existing resources, developing a plan to use them, and systematically implementing the plan to achieve your short- and long-term goals. They must be monitored and reviewed periodically to make adjustments to assure that they continue to move you toward your financial goals. Your family's financial future depends in large part on decisions you make and steps you take today. Busy, successful people are often so involved with day-to-day personal and business responsibilities that they don't take the time to plan their own financial future. And unfortunately, financial security and sound investments rarely happen by chance. This new book, written in easy-to-understand terminology, will guide you on the way to financial security for you and your family. You will learn the personal financial basics of budgeting; insurance; marriage, single, and divorce financial solutions; health care possibilities; retirement planning and saving; wills and estate planning; managing and eliminating debt; solving your credit score and credit issues; and home ownership. You will avoid legal issues, obtain documents you need to have, deal with mortgages, taxes, and tax planning. You will invest your money using the latest strategies while responding to life events, starting a small business, getting college financial aid, avoiding debt and bankruptcy, and borrowing money. The new areas of concern are explained: elder issues and identity theft worries. The companion workbook on CD-ROM contains worksheets, charts, and quizzes to help you set financial goals, budget, find how to reach those goals, set retirement planning goals, and determine the best savings and investment strategies that fit your situation. ISBN-10:1-60138-047-X • ISBN-13:978-1-60138-047-0 • Item #9781601380470 • $29.95 2007 DIY Book Festival Awards How-To Honorable Mention: *The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future—With Companion CD-ROM by Teri B. Clark*
How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Wedding Consultant and Planning Business (With Companion CD-ROM) Weddings are big business. The Association of Bridal Consultants estimates that consumers spend a whopping $46 billion on their weddings every year. In 2008 the average wedding cost about $32,000, and many couples spend more than that! Today's bride is spending more money than ever before to ensure that her wedding day the single most important day of her life is planned to perfection. Once reserved only for the very rich, today's brides and grooms-to-be, often busy with dual careers yet wanting to make their wedding uniquely personal, are turning to consultants for help to help save time, money, and considerable stress planning a wedding. More people are finding that a good wedding consultant is a great source of information, ideas, and contacts for the bride-to-be. Hiring a wedding coordinator could help ensure that the wedding day turns out to be far more spectacular than the bride ever envisioned. They provide guidance on etiquette, invitations, planning and directing the rehearsal and ceremony, even arranging transportation and accommodations, and help you manage your time with all the details. Wedding coordinators may also assist in locating a site for the ceremony, shopping for the wedding gown and wedding accessories, and even arranging for childcare. As such, professional wedding consultants are compensated well for their knowledge, talent, time, and expertise. A wedding consulting and planning career makes an ideal home based or part-time business. You don't need an office. Start-up costs are low. And you don't need any costly special equipment. All you need is a calendar, a good organizer, a desire to succeed, and the tips for success in this book. A consultant's primary function is to help a couple learn, implement, and manage all the necessary tasks required to host a successful wedding event. Here is the manual you need to cash in on this highly profitable segment of the service industry. An average wedding using a coordinator costs about $20,000. Some coordinators charge an hourly rate ranging from $50 to $150. According to many wedding coordinators, the average wedding takes about 30 to 40 hours of coordinating, ending up earning between $1,500 and $3,000. Creating a dream wedding requires imagination and energy, a concern for detail, and a love of organization to make certain that things run smoothly. You will help couples decide on a budget and help them stick to it. You will also help them select the wedding dress, set trial hair and make-up appointments, confirm wedding day appointments, prepare and confirm wedding reception toasts or speeches; update life, house, and car insurance policies; complete change of name and change of address paperwork; open joint bank account (if desired), determine who will return groom's formal attire, location, caterer, entertainment, wedding cake, and "going away" wardrobe. You will learn how to prepare for and run a successful wedding including determining realistic costs, helping with the guest list, setting the wedding date, organizing the wedding ceremony and the reception, acquiring bridesmaids' and groom's attire, ordering invitations and other stationery, and dealing with the gifts and "thank-you" messages. This new book is a comprehensive and detailed study of the business side of the wedding planning and consulting. If you are investigating opportunities in this type of business should begin by reading this book, picturing yourself producing the perfect wedding. If you enjoy meeting people and planning parties, this may be the perfect business for you, but keep in mind this business looks easy, but as with any business, looks can be deceiving. This complete manual will arm you with everything you need including sample business forms, contracts; worksheets and checklists for planning, opening, and running day-to-day operations; sample menus; inventory lists; plans and layouts; and dozens of other valuable, timesaving tools of the trade that no consultant should be without. While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through every detail that will bring success. You will learn how to draw up a winning business plan (The Companion CD-ROM has the actual business plan you can use in MS Word™), basic cost control systems, sample floor plans and diagrams, successful food and beverage management, legal concerns, sales and marketing techniques, and pricing formulas. You will learn how to set up computer systems to save time and money, how to hire and keep a qualified professional staff, how to meet IRS requirements for your business, how to manage and train employees, how to generate high profile public relations and publicity, and how to implement low cost internal marketing ideas. You will learn how to build your business by using low and no cost ways to satisfy customers and increase sales and having customers refer others to you. You will get the basics down with accounting and bookkeeping procedures, auditing, successful budgeting, and profit planning development, as well as learning thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. The manual delivers innovative ways demonstrated to streamline your business. Learn new ways to make your operation run smoother and increase performance. Successful wedding planners will appreciate this valuable resource and reference in their daily activities and as a source of ready-to-use forms, Web sites, operating and cost cutting ideas, and mathematical formulas that can be applied easily to their operations. The Companion CD-ROM contains all the forms in the book as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use. 978-1-60138-114-9 1-60138-114-X Item #9781601381149 $39.95
How to Plan Your Own Wedding and Save Thousands Without Going Crazy Congratulations! You are getting married and want a beautiful, memorable event, yet you need to stick to a tight budget. Don't despair! There are hundreds of proven ways to have your dream wedding without breaking your budget. The average cost of a wedding in the United States in 2007 is approaching $30,000, a 73 percent increase since 1992, according to a recent study. What's astonishing is how quickly all the other smaller expenses those you don't immediately think of add up. The stationery, invitations, announcements, thank-you notes, postage, make up, hair stylist, limousines, menus, and so on, not including the cost for an engagement party, rehearsal dinner, gifts, honeymoon, engagement ring, and bridal consultant or wedding planner. Just imagine what you could do if you could save $30,000 as you start out your new life together. Whether your budget is $1,000 or $50,000, in this easy to read and comprehensive new book you will learn hundreds of simple ways to cut down on your wedding expenses without serving a roomful of guests hamburgers and hot dogs at your reception. Reducing your wedding costs doesn't have to mean plastic forks and pitching a tent on your aunt's front lawn. This new book will teach you hundreds of insider secrets to nip the overcharges out of your wedding budget. The author tackles invitations, facility, catering, gifts, bar-liquor, tables and chairs, decorations, napkins, centerpieces, flowers, limousine, dishes and glasses, music, candles, photography, videographer, ring pillow, linens, guest favors, tents, dance floor, cake, matches, place cards, thank you notes, and dozens more - without anyone realizing.• 978-1-60138-007-4 • 1-60138-007-0 ITEM #9781601380074 • $24.95
The Complete Guide to Planning Your Estate: A Step-by-Step Plan to Protect Your Assets, Limit Your Taxes, and Ensure Your Wishes are Fulfilled What happens to an individual's estate after they are gone is very much within their control. Estate planning is not only for the wealthy; it is for everyone. It is simply the process of deciding where your assets are to be distributed after your death. For those people who wish to preserve their assets for designated purposes ‑ such as family or special charities ‑ it becomes necessary to make special advance preparations. Performing these important preparations is commonly referred to as estate planning. For an individual to help ensure that his assets are protected and final wishes carried out, there are some common actions that need to be taken now. Proper estate planning allows you to plan for yourself and your loved ones without giving up control of your affairs. Your estate plan should allow for the possibility of your own disability. It should give what you own to whom you want, at a time of your choosing, the way you want. Your estate plan should include fully disclosed, controlled costs for you and for those you love. The last thing you want to worry about is having it drained of value through taxes and legal costs. The right plan can protect the value of your estate and spare your loved ones unnecessary hassles and legal conflicts. This new book will help you glide through the complicated process. One of the biggest issues you need to consider is estate taxes. For starters, Uncle Sam begins collecting gift taxes at the $1 million level. Married couples with estates over $4 million are subject to estate taxes that soar up to 46 percent and if you wish to leave money to grandchildren, estate taxes can reach as high as 73 percent! Many books on estate planning indicate you do not need the services of an attorney, but we highly recommend an attorney versed in this area to assist you. You should not go through the process alone. What this book will do though is explain the complicated issues, terminology, and planning strategies of estate planning to the lay person (me and you) so that when you do meet with a qualified attorney, you will be well prepared. You will understand legal terms and be ready to discuss issues and strategies with familiarity, saving time and legal fees and ensuring peace of mind. Some of the contents of the book are wills, assets, and settlement costs, probate, guardianship and minor children, executors and trustees, life insurance, living trusts, living wills, durable power of attorney, catastrophic illness, potential long-term care needs, marital deductions, types of trusts, federal and state estate exemptions, irrevocable life insurance trusts, gift splitting, survivorship deeds, charitable remainder trusts, 529 plans, health care proxy, power of attorney, reducing or eliminating estate taxes, avoiding tax on life insurance, using insurance to pay estate taxes, gift tax issues, generation skipping transfer tax, and tax deferred accounts. Estate planning should be a positive experience. It involves reviewing your situation and planning for your future. Although most people also find it unpleasant to think about the possibility of disability or death, advance planning is also a way to show your love and to reduce potential distress later. Get started today. ISBN-10:1-60138-049-6 • ISBN-13:978-1-60138-049-4 • Item #9781601380494 • $24.95
The Complete Guide to Creating Your Own Living Trust: A Step-by-Step Plan to Protect Your Assets, Limit Your Taxes, and Ensure Your Wishes are Fulfilled You worked hard for your money, so it's only natural that you want some control over what happens to your assets in the event of your death. At the very least, you probably want to minimize or avoid potential hassles and headaches for your loved ones. A living trust, created while you're alive, lets you control the distribution of your estate. You transfer ownership of your property and your assets into the trust. You can serve as the trustee or you can select a person or an institution to be the trustee. If you are the trustee, you will have to name a successor trustee to distribute the assets at your death. A living trust is probably the best strategy to avoid probate, protect your financial privacy, and provide long-range planning advantages. If you want to protect your assets and make sure they are distributed according to your wishes, you should think about establishing a living trust. It can be designed to manage your investments now and provide broader financial management later to make provisions for a surviving spouse, children, or other family members, and to reduce the impact of estate taxes or avoid probate. What are the advantages of a living trust? Properly drafted and executed, it can avoid probate because the trust owns the assets ‑ not the deceased. Only property in the deceased's name must go through probate. The potential downside? Poorly drawn or unfunded trusts can cost you money and endanger your best intentions. Many books on estate planning and living trusts indicate you do not need the services of an attorney, while we highly recommend an attorney versed in this area to assist you. We do not recommend going through the process alone. What this book will do is explain the complicated issues, terminology, and planning strategies of living trusts to the layperson (me and you). When you meet with a qualified attorney you will be well prepared, versed in the language, and ready to discuss issues and strategies that you will be familiar with, saving time, legal fees, and ensuring peace of mind. Get started today with the help of this new book. ISBN-10:1-60138-113-1 • ISBN-13:978-1-60138-113-2 • Item #9781601381132 • $24.95
Retire Rich with Your Self-Directed IRA: What Your Broker & Banker Don’t Want You to Know About Managing Your Own Retirement Investments In recent years many smart investors have exited the stock market because they have essentially lost control of their investments. They have relied on the advice and skill of their brokers, bankers, and financial advisors. Many retirement accounts have dwindled or not increased. Fortunately, there is a great but little-understood alternative: the self-directed IRA. This new book will teach you how to turn your IRA into a wealth-building tool that you control 100%! Take control of your investment future, and make sure your investments are performing for YOU, not someone else. Why haven’t your banker and broker ever told you about this new IRA? Because they will no longer make any money on your retirement account! New IRS regulations and the new self-directed IRA make it effortless to build up and keep hold of IRA money. Inside this new book you’ll find out how to benefit from the new IRS rules and how to stay away from problems. With a self-directed IRA you can purchase real estate, buy a business or franchise, invest in high-yield mortgages and notes, invest in tax liens and foreclosed homes, manage property purchased by your retirement, rental property, ocean-front property, lake-front property, probate property, commercial property, REO property, tax-lien property, repossessed property, foreclosed property, apartment communities, and storage facilities. You can invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or virtually any investment allowed by IRS regulations. The self-directed IRA lets you act as your own investment manager. We will show you how to set up your account with a custodian or IRA administrator to deal with the day-to-day activities, such as depositing contributions and executing and settling investment transactions. It’s easy, fun, and puts you back in control of your retirement account. Retire Rich with Your Self-Directed IRA combines essentials, insight, and insider secrets to secure a financial victory after retirement. ISBN-10: 0-910627-72-X • ISBN-13: 978-0-910627-72-6 288 Pages • Item # 9780910627726 • $21.95
Private Mortgage Investing: How to Earn 12% or More on Your Savings, Investments, IRA Accounts and Personal Equity: A Complete Resource Guide with 100s of Hints, Tips & Secrets from Experts Who Do It Every Day (REVISED SECOND EDITION) In recent years, stock market investing has been proven unstable and not very rewarding. In fact, many people have seen their retirement and personal holding accounts dwindle. This new book provides an alternate to investors. It provides detailed information on how to put money to work in a relatively safe private mortgage investment with a high return of 12 to 15 percent (or more) in most cases. Private mortgages have grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. This market allows investors to earn substantially higher yields—while offering the security of real property to back the loan. Private mortgages have become an important fixed income vehicle for many investors with their personal funds, equity, and self-directed IRA accounts. Private mortgage investing isn’t for the get-rich-quick type of person. However, you can comfortably double your money every 4 to 6 years. For example, should you invest in your self-directed IRA and re-invest as notes pay off? $100,000 at 12 percent grows to over $200,000 in six years, to $500,000 in 13 years and to over $1 million in 19 years. Private mortgage loans are backed by real property. Generally, you would not lend more than 55 percent on the value of the property, thus the investment is again relatively safe. Instead of concentrating on the borrower’s credit history, private mortgage lenders concentrate their investment decisions on the real property itself. However, like any business or investment, there are a lot of details to learn, and you do not need to learn them on your own. Learning them on your own can be costly. In this economic environment of very low interest rates, you can still earn high yields with virtually little or no risk to your investment. 288 Pages • Item #9781601382740 • $29.95 ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards Finalist: Mortgage Investing by Teri Clark and Matthew Stewart Tabacchi
The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading and Futures: How to Earn High Rates of Returns Safely Many people have become very rich in the commodity markets. It is one of a few investment areas where an individual with limited capital can make extraordinary profits in a relatively short period of time. Commodities are agreements to buy and sell virtually anything that is harvested except onions. (A 1958 federal law prohibits trading onions.) Such goods are raw or partly refined materials whose value mainly reflects the costs of finding or gathering them. They are traded for processing or incorporation into final goods. Examples are crude oil, cotton, rubber, grains, and metals and other minerals. Since it is impractical to transport these bulky, often perishable materials, what is actually traded are commodities futures contracts, or options, that are agreements to buy or sell at an agreed upon price on a specific date. Trading in futures and options is speculative in nature and there is a substantial risk of loss. These investments are not suitable for everyone, and only risk capital should be used. As with many other business segments, the Internet and technology have opened up this attractive marketplace to a new breed of individual investors and speculators working part-time. You and I can now stand on an even playing field with the largest banks, wealthiest individuals, and trading institutions from the comfort of home. Commodity trading can provide you with very high, secure rate of return, in some cases as high as 12%, 18%, 24%, or even 300% or more per year. If performed correctly, commodity trading will far outpace all other investments. The key is to know how to perform this process correctly. This all sounds great, but what is the catch? There really is none, except you must know what you are doing! This groundbreaking and exhaustively researched new book will provide everything you need to know to get you started generating high investment returns from start to finish. In this easy to read and comprehensive new book you will learn what commodity trading and futures are, how to set up your account online, how to choose software to use in trading, how to invest in commodities, evaluate their performance, and handle fees and taxes. This book explores numbers of investing strategies and tactics, charting techniques, and position trading. You will pick up the language of a trader so that you recognize terminology and know how to use leverage, call options, put options, advancing and declining issues, advancing and declining volume, the Commodity Channel Index (CCI), and commodity charts, among others. Like the pros who have been trading commodities for years, you will learn how to pinpoint entry, exits, and targets for your trades, and use insider secrets to help you double or even triple your investment - all while avoiding the common traps and pitfalls. In addition, we took the extra effort and spent an unprecedented amount of time researching, interviewing, e-mailing, and communicating with hundreds of today's most successful commodity Investors. Aside from learning the basics of commodity and futures trading you will be privy to their secrets and proven successful ideas. Instruction is great, but advice from experts is even better, and the experts chronicled in this book are earning millions. If you are interested in learning essentially everything there is to know about commodity and futures investing in addition to hundreds of tactics, tricks, and tips on how to earn enormous profits in commodity trading while controlling your investments, then this book is for you. 978-1-60138-003-6 •1-60138-003-8 ITEM #9781601380036 • $24.95
The Complete Guide to Investing in Short-Term trading: How to Earn High Rates of Returns Safely Short-term trading refers to the practice of buying and selling financial instruments within the same trading week or, at most, a few weeks. Short-term traders buy and sell stocks over a few days or weeks in the hope that their stocks will continue climbing in value for the time they own them, making for quick and, often, huge profits. Some of the more commonly traded financial instruments are stocks, stock options, currencies, and futures contracts such as equity index futures, interest rate futures, and commodity futures. Short-term trading was once the preserve of banks, financial firms, and professional investors. Many traders are bank or investment firms' employees working in equity investment and fund management. As with many other business segments, the Internet, technology, and legislative changes have opened up this attractive marketplace to a new breed of individual investors and speculators working part-time. You and I can now stand on an even playing field with the largest banks, wealthiest individuals, and trading institutions from the comfort of home. Short-term trading can provide you with very high and secure rate of return as high as 12%, 18%, 24%, or even 300%. If performed correctly, short-term trading can far outpace all other investment techniques. The key is to know how to perform this process correctly. This all sounds great, but what is the catch? There really is none, except you must know what you are doing! This groundbreaking and exhaustively researched new book will provide everything you need to know to get you started generating high-investment returns with low risk from start to finish. In this easy to read and comprehensive new book you will learn how to set up your online account, how to choose the correct software to use in trading, how to get started in short-term trading, how to invest in short-term stocks, evaluate performance, and handle fees and taxes. This book delves into trading tactics for swing trading, position trading, leveraging the stock market, selling short, and pinpointing entry, exits, and targets for your trades. You will pick up the language of a trader so that you recognize candlestick patterns, advancing and declining issues and volume, call options, and put options. You will know how to find the very best stocks every day, how to read and prosper with stock charts, how to use the New York Stock Exchange tick indicator and trading index (TRIN), the Commodity Channel Index (CCI), the moving average convergence/divergence (MACD), the Dow 30-Day Moving Average. As you read this book, the mysteries of short-term trading will unfold so that you can double or even triple your investment - all while avoiding the common traps and pitfalls. In addition, we took the extra effort and spent an unprecedented amount of time researching, interviewing, e-mailing, and communicating with hundreds of today's most successful investors. Aside from learning the basics of mutual fund trading you will be privy to their secrets and proven successful ideas. Instruction is great, but advice from experts is even better, and the experts chronicled in this book are earning millions. If you are interested in learning essentially everything there is to know about short-term investing as well as hundreds of hints, tricks, and tips on how to earn enormous profits in short-term investing while controlling your investments, then this book is for you. • 978-1-60138-002-9 • 1-60138-002-X ITEM #9781601380029 • $24.95
The Mutual Funds Book: How to Invest in Mutual Funds & Earn High Rates of Returns Safely Over the past decade, American investors increasingly have turned to mutual funds to save for retirement and meet other financial goals. Mutual funds can offer the advantages of diversification and professional management. It pays to understand both the upside and the downside of mutual fund investing and how to choose products that match your goals and tolerance for risk. As with other investment choices, investing in mutual funds involves risk, fees, and taxes. This new book explains the basics of mutual fund investing - how mutual funds work, what factors to consider before investing, and how to avoid common pitfalls. Mutual funds are not guaranteed or insured by the FDIC or any other government agency. - even if you buy through a bank, and the fund carries the bank's name. You can lose money investing in mutual funds. In addition, there are more than 10,000 mutual funds to choose from. The combined assets of the nation's mutual funds increased by $132.8 billion, or 1.3 percent, to $10.414 trillion in December 2006, according to the Investment Company Institute's (ICI's) official survey of the mutual fund industry. In the survey, mutual fund companies report actual assets, sales, and redemptions to ICI. Why should you consider investing in a mutual fund? One reason is simply the high potential returns. Many funds have earnings in the triple digits. This all sounds great, but what is the catch? There really is none, except you must know what you are doing! This groundbreaking and exhaustively researched new book will provide everything you need to know to get you started generating high investment returns with low risk from start to finish. You will learn what mutual funds are, the various types and advantages of each, how to evaluate their risk against other types of investments, how to and how not to invest in them, how to allocate your assets, how to set up your account online, how to choose when to sell, and how to cash them in. This is your source for understanding investment funds: open end, exchange traded funds, equity funds, index funds, bond funds, money market funds, funds of funds, hedge funds, growth stock funds, value stock funds, income stock funds, sector mutual funds, enhanced index funds, sector mutual funds, closed end funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and many others. You will pick up the language of mutual fund investing and what the lingo means to you: net asset value, load versus no load, turnover, expenses and total expense ratios, capitalization, share classes, growth versus value, dollar cost averaging and many more. We have also included a history of mutual funds (including their scandals), and we have disclosed the mysteries of documents you will encounter in mutual fund investing, such as their ratings, share classes, fees, annual reports, and indexes. We show you how to compare your fund to the competition, how to compare it to other types of investments, and how to compare various funds on an after-tax basis. We make it easy for you to grasp strategies for expanding your investments into different market sectors and among various classes of stocks, such as small and micro-cap stocks, mid cap and large cap companies, defensive stocks, and mixtures of stock types. You will develop your own expertise in reading the economy both nationally and globally, handling taxes, devising investment tactics for portfolio allocation whether interest rates are rising or falling, with down-to-earth instructions to help you bring in a high and steady income, all the while evading losses and downfalls. In addition, we took the extra effort and spent an unprecedented amount of time researching, interviewing, e-mailing, and communicating with hundreds of today's most successful mutual fund investors. Aside from learning the basics of mutual fund trading, you will be privy to their proven, successful ideas. Instruction is great, but advice from experts is even better, and the experts chronicled in this book are earning millions. If you are interested in learning essentially everything there is to know about mutual fund investing and in getting hundreds of hints, tricks, and tips for earning enormous profits in mutual fund investing while controlling your investments, then this book is for you. • 978-1-60138-001-2 • 1-60138-001-1 ITEM #9781601380012 • $24.95
The Hedge Funds Book: How to Invest in Hedge Funds & Earn High Rates of Returns Safely Money managers have traditionally used hedge funds as they would mutual funds: to pool investors' money and place it in financial instruments in an effort to make a high positive return. Hedge funds have typically been available only to the very affluent or to investors with inside contacts, but today that has changed. Almost any investor can now participate in a hedge fund and earn high returns. Why should you consider investing in a hedge fund? One reason is simply the high potential returns. Since January 1990, as measured by the HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index, which accounts for more than 1,600 funds listed on the internal Hedge Fund Research (HFR) Database, hedge funds have returned 14 percent per year through October 2005. Many funds have earned triple digit returns. As with many other business segments, the Internet and technology have opened up this attractive marketplace to a new breed of individual investors and speculators working part-time. You and I are now on an even playing field with the largest banks, wealthiest individuals, and trading institutions from the comfort of our own homes. Hedge funds can provide you with very high, secure rate of return 12%, 18%, 24%, or even 300% per year. If performed correctly, hedge fund trading will far outpace all other investments. This all sounds great, but what is the catch? There really is none, except you must know what you are doing! The key is learning how to proceed. This groundbreaking and exhaustively researched new book will provide everything you need to know to get you started generating high-investment returns with low risk from start to finish. In this easy to read and comprehensive new book, you will find out how to invest in hedge funds, evaluate their performance, and employ investing strategies and tactics, deftly using the latest technology to set up your account online. You will be able to handle fees, taxes, and risks, and you will get little known data to help you double or even triple your investment - all while avoiding the common traps and pitfalls. In addition, we took the extra effort and spent an unprecedented amount of time researching, interviewing, e-mailing, and communicating with hundreds of today's most successful hedge fund investors. Aside from learning the basics of hedge fund trading, you will be privy to investors' "closed club" secrets and proven successful ideas. Instruction is great, but advice from experts is even better, and the experts chronicled in this book are earning millions. If you are interested in learning essentially everything there is to know about hedge fund investing along with hundreds of hints, tips, strategies, and inside advice, then this book is for you. • 978-1-60138-000-5 • 1-60138-000-3 ITEM #9781601380005 • $24.95
The Complete Guide to Investing in Index Funds-How to Earn High Rates of Return Safely Long kept a secret by financial insiders, index funds are rapidly growing in popularity. Index funds are unit trusts that track the performance of an index. An investor can buy shares comprising the index or buy a sample of shares that make up the index. A fund's value is linked to the index, meaning that if the index rises, the value of the fund also rises. Index funds outperform 80 percent of managed funds, and more and more investors are turning to these funds to reduce the anxiety and expense of trying to beat the market and predict what stocks, bonds, or mutual funds will perform well. In this book you will find out why insiders have kept these funds a secret and how you can benefit from them. In this new, comprehensive book, you will learn the different indexing methods, including traditional indexing, synthetic indexing, and enhanced indexing, and you will learn the advantages of index funds, among them low costs, simplicity, and lower turnovers. You will read about diversification, asset allocation, capital gains tax considerations, enhanced index funds, and the common mistakes investors make with index funds. Furthermore, you will learn how to achieve balance, how individual funds perform, how to use exchange traded funds for effective asset allocation, how to choose the right fund, how to develop a portfolio, how to gauge portfolio risk, and how to determine your risk capacity. We will provide you with a list of funds, specific strategies, and step-by-step guidance on active indexing. We will explain the efficiency of indexing, the flexibility of active portfolio management strategies, and the benefits of index funds compared to traditional mutual funds. Whether you are a first time investor or a stock market pro, you will discover valuable information about how index funds work, what factors to consider before investing, and how to avoid common pitfalls. By reading The Complete Guide to Investing in Index Funds you will ultimately learn how to maximize your return while minimizing your risk. Item# 9781601382054 $24.95 PRE-ORDER ONLY - YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL THE PRODUCT SHIPS. RELEASE DATE: SPRING 2008
How to Get Credit after Filing Bankruptcy: The Complete Guide to Getting and Keeping Your Credit Under Control According to the United States Bankruptcy Courts, the number of bankruptcies filed each year is on the rise. People file bankruptcy for a variety of reasons, such as preventing foreclosure on their homes, preventing repossession of property, loss of employment, or reducing or eliminating debts. The most common types of bankruptcy for which individuals file are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 involves the surrender of property to pay debts, while a Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows for the retention of property but requires payments over the next three to five years. A person who finds himself or herself in this undesirable situation may wonder how they are ever going to repair their credit. How to Get Credit after Filing Bankruptcy: The Complete Guide to Getting and Keeping Your Credit under Control provides the answers in a clear-cut, easy-to-read manner. The author tells you how to take charge of your credit so you can apply for loans and mortgages and obtain low interest rates. In addition, you will learn how to order a copy of your credit report, how to check your credit report for accuracy, how to read it, how to avoid discrimination and credit repair scams, how to apply for an unsecured credit card, how to report your good work to bureaus if creditors do not, how to maintain good relationships with your bank and creditors, how to consolidate all your debt, how to lessen your reliance on credit cards, and how to decide if lawyer-assisted credit repair is right for you. You will also learn simple strategies for making payments on time and for rebuilding your credit. Whether you have just declared bankruptcy or you have been living with the stigma for years, this new book will provide you with all the information you need to take a step in the right direction. Item# 9781601381378 $24.95
The Complete Guide to Personal Finance: For Teenagers Advertisers are well-known for targeting teenagers and have a firm reason for doing so: Teenagers spent close to $190 billion in 2006, and that figure is expected to jump to approximately $209 billion by 2011. It seems quite obvious that teenagers know how to spend money, but do they know how to save? Personal financial planning is the process of establishing your own financial goals and finding a way to reach them. It is an ongoing process that involves examining all existing resources, developing a plan to use them, and systematically implementing the plan to achieve your goals. While teenagers yield immense spending power, many lack the financial knowledge necessary to manage their money wisely. The Complete Guide to Personal Finance: For Teenagers is a reliable and relevant source of financial information in which teenagers will find a wealth of useful information. In this new book, you will learn how to get and manage credit, how to make and stick to a budget, how to save for college, how to determine your needs versus your wants, how to pay for a car, how to finance college, how to manage risk, how to open a bank account, how to write a check, how to balance a checkbook, how to avoid the pressures of consumerism, and how to avoid financial mistakes. You will also learn about investment options, taxes, checks, debit cards, credit cards, and basic budget tips. This book is filled with helpful suggestions from financial and family counselors, and you will discover creative ways to get a jumpstart on your financial future and use money responsibly. Even if you have had a few missteps along the way, you will be able to learn from your mistakes and get on the path to financial well-being. Item# 9781601382078 $21.95 PRE-ORDER ONLY - YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL THE PRODUCT SHIPS. RELEASE DATE: SPRING 2008
When You Have to File for Bankruptcy: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future According to the United States Bankruptcy Courts, the number of bankruptcies filed each year is on the rise. People file bankruptcy for a variety of reasons, such as preventing foreclosure on their homes, preventing repossession of property, loss of employment, or reducing or eliminating debts. The most common types of bankruptcy for which individuals file are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 involves the surrender of property to pay debts, while a Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows for the retention of property but requires payments over the next three to five years. This book is divided into three sections: evaluating your need to file for bankruptcy, how to file for bankruptcy, and what to do after you have filed. In the first section, you will be provided with evaluation tools, determine your eligibility, learn how to check your credit report for accuracy, and learn about the different types of bankruptcy for which you can file. In the second section, you will learn about the major changes in bankruptcy law, bankruptcy lawyers, alternatives to filing for bankruptcy, bankruptcy code, collection agencies, exempt property, nondischargeable debts, what bankruptcy can and cannot accomplish, the automatic stay provision, foreclosure, tax levies, bankruptcy fees, the 341 meeting, bankruptcy myths, the initial consultation with your lawyer, and bankruptcy timelines. You will learn the answers to some of the most common questions about bankruptcy, such as: "Will creditors stop harassing me?" "Will my spouse be affected?" "Who will know about my filing?" "Will I ever get credit again?" "What does it cost?" The final section will provide a brief overview of what to do after you have gone through the bankruptcy process. We will address the issues of how to get car loans and home loans and how to build credit after bankruptcy. Whether you are filing for bankruptcy for the first time or, unfortunately, you have been through it before, When You Have to File for Bankruptcy will provide insight into the complex and burdensome process. Item#: 9781601382092 $24.95
The Complete Guide to Working for Yourself: Everything the Self-Employed Need to Know about Taxes, Recordkeeping, and Other Laws—With Companion CD-ROM Many people dream of starting and running a business of their own but often do not know HOW to start. Entering the small business field as an independent contractor, freelancer, sole proprietor, or consultant is not a single decision but a series of steps, each one bringing you closer to the day your enterprise is up and running, competing for customers, and making money. How will you organize and register your business? What are the regulatory considerations? How will you protect your intellectual property? Is your business plan adequate? Where can you find financing? What are your obligations as an employer? Do you understand your tax responsibilities? This brand new book includes the most current tax rates and changes in IRS regulations such as, "Is it a business or a hobby?" You will learn all about business operations: selecting a business structure, licensing and permits, employer identification number (EIN), business taxes, recordkeeping, self-employment taxes, paying estimated taxes (and calculating how much to pay), dealing with independent contractors and 1099-miscellaneous forms, client agreements, insurance, workers' compensation insurance, rights and intellectual property law, accounting periods, selecting an accounting method, checklist for starting a business plan, choosing a name, business plans, forms of business structures, financing, location, marketing and advertising, In addition, new entrepreneurs will appreciate this valuable resource and reference in their daily activities and as a source of ready-to-use forms, Web sites, operating and cost cutting ideas, and mathematical formulas to apply to their operations. The Companion CD-ROM contains all the forms in the book as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use. ISBN-10:1-60138-048-8 • ISBN-13:978-1-60138-048-7 • Item #9781601380487 • $29.95
Your Complete Guide to Leaving An Inheritance For Your Children and Others: What You Need to Know Explained Simply While more than 50 percent of Americans feel it is important to leave an inheritance for their children and other beneficiaries, the majority have not yet made any plans for their estate. This new book will serve as an aid in your planning, providing you with indispensable information and the necessary tools. Whether you choose to arrange a trust or a will, you will learn how to do so, as well as how to manage and alter your plans. You will be able to choose which trust is right for you, be it living, incentive, Qualified Terminable Interest Property, charitable remainder, children's, support, family, or generation-skipping tax-exempt. You will decide which will - holographic, nuncupative, self-proving, statutory, simple, joint, living, mutual, ethical, electronic, or video - best fits your needs. Furthermore, you will learn about income only trusts, the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, 529 plans, and Coverdell accounts. In this book, you will learn tips for distributing inheritance among children and what an appropriate inheritance is, as well as about inheritance taxes, exempt beneficiaries, disinheritance, durable power of attorney, and advance health care directives. Additionally, you will learn tips for distributing inheritance among children; what an appropriate inheritance is; how to prevent fights over inherited property; how to deal with adopted children, stepchildren, and children from a second marriage; how to select trustees and guardians; how to protect your money from a financially immature child, a child's spouse, and creditors; how to divide valuables and non-cash assets; and how to deal with the family home. Your Complete Guide to Leaving an Inheritance for Your Children and Others makes this difficult process easy to understand by using simple, every day language. If you are one of the many people who want to leave an inheritance but do not know where to begin, it is time to pick up this book and start planning. Item# 9781601382108 $24.95
The Complete Guide to Managing Your Parents' Finances When They Cannot: A Step-by-Step Plan to Protect their Assets, Limit Taxes, and Ensure their Wishes Are Fulfilled Every year, millions of Americans transfer their finances to their children or other family members because they reach a point at which they can no longer manage them alone. More than $95 million in 2006 alone was lost due to confusion in transferring these finances and the elderly are the ones who end up suffering. For those who are about to start managing the finances of their parents, it is important to know exactly how to protect their assets, manage their taxes, and live up to their wishes. This book has been written to do just that, providing a comprehensive walkthrough of what you can expect and how to successfully handle your parents' finances. To start, you must learn the basics of managing money that is not your own. You will be provided with a step-by-step chapter on how to keep track of funds, maintain the same accounting methods your parents have used for decades, and keep everything organized and separate from your own. You will learn how to evaluate sources of income - including how to receive and manage Social Security, 401(k), and other retirement plans as payments are made. Additionally, you will learn how to balance their expenses, including a budgeting sheet to help you maintain the same level of expense they expect. You will learn how to budget accordingly, depending on where your parents are living and what their medical expenses might be. A chapter on insurance and medical coverage is included to help you understand how much money you can expect to set aside for these expenses and how much should be covered by programs such as Medicaid. Learn how to maintain housing for your parents as well, whether they are in assisted living or staying with you. A guide on how to talk to your parents about fraud and keep them away from potentially dangerous opportunities will make it easier for you to keep a handle on their finances without taking away their freedom. Dozens of men and women who have gone through this same situation, and also professional finance managers, have added their expertise to this book, providing firsthand accounts of how they were able to manage their own parents' accounts and what you can expect. You will learn the difference in tax laws for the retired and what you will be required and not required to pay as a result of their age. It can be daunting when you first take control of your parents' finances, but with this book in your hands, you should be able to quickly and efficiently take the reins and maintain the quality of life they have grown accustomed to. 978-1-60138-313-6 1-60138-313-4 Item#9781601383136 $24.95 PRE-ORDER ONLY - YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL THE PRODUCT SHIPS. RELEASE DATE: FALL 2008
How to Survive and Prosper After a Financial Misfortune: A Complete Guide to Your Legal Rights After Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, Repossession, and Eviction Every year, it is estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau that more than 700,000 people file for bankruptcy. Another 1-2 million must deal with foreclosure, repossession, or eviction. In 2007 alone, it is estimated that a record number of homeowners were subject to foreclosures and the light has not yet appeared at the end of the tunnel. For these individuals and millions more who are on the brink of financial misfortune, this book has been written to provide that light, a guide that will help you make the financial and life decisions necessary to come out the other side and rebuild your life. Included in this book you will find not only detailed descriptions of the bankruptcy, foreclosure, and eviction laws in the United States; you will learn exactly what you can do to come through the process as gracefully as possible. By hiring the right attorney, filing the right paperwork, and knowing your rights throughout the process, it is possible to not only survive, but to prosper after a catastrophic financial shortfall. You will learn how to start rebuilding your credit immediately, without needing to wait the full term that a bankruptcy remains on your record. You will learn how to shuck the social stigma and what your rights are coming out of a repossession or foreclosure. More than ten major financial hardships are provided through the chapters in this book with detailed instructions on how each one will affect your finances, life, and family, and then what you can do to bounce back. You will learn what housing options are at your disposal following a foreclosure and how to negotiate with the bank to make the process less damaging. You will learn how to relocate your family and how take advantage of government and municipal programs designed specifically to help people who have fallen to hardship. You will learn what options you have at your job and in the community and finally, the different ways you can start overcoming the black marks on your record in rebuilding your credit, finding a new home, and acquiring hard to find financial assistance. Dozens of interviews were conducted with experts in the field of debt management, bankruptcy law, and social work in the hopes of providing a comprehensive perspective of what millions of individuals have gone through before you and how they managed to survive the tumultuous aftermath of their financial hardships. In this book, you will not only learn how to survive your downturn in financial standing; you will learn how to rebound and retake your life. 978-1-60138-298-6 1-60138-298-7 Item#9781601382986 $24.95 PRE-ORDER ONLY - YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL THE PRODUCT SHIPS. RELEASE DATE: FALL 2008
Living Life After Divorce & Widowhood: Financial Planning, Skills, and Strategies for When the Unthinkable Happens The massive change in your life after a spouse leaves can be overwhelming, both emotionally and financially. With a divorce rate holding steady at .36 percent per capita, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and the wide range of individuals stricken by their spouse's early death, the dilemma of having to handle your own finances and relearn the single lifestyle can be a heavy blow. With this book, you will learn not only how to pick up the pieces and once again live alone, but how to successfully organize your finances, run your life, and keep yourself afloat. The first step in rebuilding and returning to the lifestyle you have not lived in years is to analyze how you saved and ran your finances during marriage. You will learn how to sort through your existing finances and how to redefine what kind of financial risk you present - whether you are a saver or a spender, and how you can use this knowledge. You will learn when, and if, you should seek professional help in outlining your financial options and putting everything in order and how to do so. Every situation in which you find yourself alone again will affect your finances differently and so, a chapter has been provided that details how each different form of divorce and the death of a spouse directly affects you and your financial standing. You will learn how to reassess your assets and liabilities and what will have carried over from your spouse. The process of assessing your finances and looking at cash flow statements will be provided alongside a detailed walkthrough of the process involved in deciding how your future finances will be managed. The complex process of filing and filling out the necessary paperwork will be broken down into easy steps for every situation you might find yourself in, including the reallocation of powers of attorney, wills, and insurance coverage. You will learn how to reassess your career and how to restart your savings successfully, regardless of what happened. The reduction of debt and the management of existing investments are discussed in depth along with the detailed interviews and professional opinions of financial and legal experts in the field who provide tips and strategies for anyone trying to rebuild when single again. Finally, you will be shown how your restructuring can and will affect your children and why you should start planning as quickly as possible for their needs. If you have recently gone through a divorce or suffered the loss of your spouse, it can be a rough experience trying to rebuild your life, but this book will help you through the most meticulous and nerve wracking aspects step-by-step. 978-1-60138-289-4 1-60138-289-8 Item#9781601382894 $24.95 PRE-ORDER ONLY - YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL THE PRODUCT SHIPS. RELEASE DATE: FALL 2008
The Complete Guide to Currency Trading & Investing: How to Earn High Rates of Return Safely and Take Control of Your Investments In recent years many smart investors have exited the stock market and other investment areas because they have essentially lost control of their investments. They have relied on the advice and skill of their brokers, bankers, and financial advisors. Many investment and retirement accounts have dwindled. Fortunately, there is a wonderful but little-understood alternative: currency trading and investing. As with many other business segments, the Internet and technology have opened up this attractive marketplace to a new breed of individual investors and speculators working part-time. You and I can now stand on an even playing field with the largest banks and trading institutions from the comfort of home. Currency trading is the practice of exchanging one country's currency for another country's currency. The foreign exchange (Currency or Forex or FX) market is the largest trading market in the world – exceeding $1.9 trillion every single day! Essentially there are four variables involved: currencies, exchange rate, time, and interest rate. The relationships of these variables create opportunities for small investors to obtain investment returns that are generally unheard of in the traditional investment world. You owe it to yourself and your family to begin to learn about currency trading. You can get started with just $100 or less, and the investment can easily be managed in a part-time capacity, usually requiring a few hours on the Internet a week from your home or your office. Currency investments can provide you with very high and secure rate of return, in some cases as high as 12%, 18%, 24%, or even 1,000% or more per year. If performed correctly, currency trading will far outpace all other investments. The key is to know how to perform this process correctly. This all sounds great, but what is the catch? There really is none, except you must know what you are doing! This groundbreaking and exhaustively researched new book will provide everything you need to know to get you started generating high-investment returns with low risk from start to finish, and you can start with less than $100. You will learn what currency trading is; how to invest in foreign currency; trading strategies and tactics; technological considerations; how to set up your account online; purchase currency online; day trader insights; current trends; Pivot Programs; price projectors; futures predicting; trading software; insider secrets to help you double or even triple your investment – all while avoiding traps and pitfalls. In addition, we took the extra effort and spent an unprecedented amount of time researching, interviewing, e-mailing, and communicating with hundreds of today’s most successful currency traders. Aside from learning the basics of currency trading you will be privy to their secrets and proven successful ideas. Instruction is great, but advice from experts is even better, and the experts chronicled in this book are earning millions. If you are interested in learning hundreds of hints, tricks, and secrets on how to earn enormous profits in currency trading while controlling your investments, then this book is for you. ISBN-10:1-60138-119-0 • ISBN-13:978-1-60138-119-4 • Item #9781601381194 • $ 24.95 Best Business Book: The Complete Guide to Currency Trading & Investing: How to Earn High Rates of Return Safely and Take Control of Your Investments by Jamaine Burrell (ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-119-4, Atlantic Publishing Group) - FPA 2008 President's Book Awards