Investing in Your 20s & 30s For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

Start investing in your future now! Millennials have witnessed a miserable market during most, if not all, of their adult lives. But going forward, the opposite is more likely to be true. In order to build a retirement portfolio that is capable of covering expenses in your golden years, it's necessary to start saving while you're young. Many individuals realize the importance of investing early in life, but simply don't know where to begin. Investing in Your 20s & 30s For Dummies provides emerging professionals, like yourself, with the targeted investment advice that you need to establish your own unique investment style. Covering everything from the latest tax laws to new and improved investing funds, this latest edition helps you evaluate assets and manage risk to invest money wisely, and monitor your progress. Start building a nest egg for retirement Invest based on your own financial situation Understand investment lingo Have the confidence to manage your money for life Determine your investment timeline and goals There's no time like the present to start investing. So, get started today! Title Page......Page 9 Copyright Page......Page 10 Table of Contents......Page 13 About This Book......Page 21 Icons Used in This Book......Page 22 Where to Go from Here......Page 23 Part 1 Getting Started with Investing......Page 25 Growing Your Money in Ownership Investments......Page 27 Profiting from real estate......Page 28 Keeping Money in Lending Investments......Page 29 Understanding risks......Page 30 Managing risks......Page 32 Making sense of returns......Page 33 Finding the best fund companies and brokers......Page 34 Finding an acceptable advisor......Page 35 Setting and Prioritizing Your Shorter-Term Goals......Page 37 Saving for large purchases......Page 38 Investing for a small business or home......Page 39 Investing in Retirement Accounts......Page 40 Grappling with retirement account concerns......Page 41 Surveying retirement account choices......Page 43 Assessing Your Risk-Taking Desires......Page 46 Chapter 3 Setting Your Return Expectations......Page 49 Money market funds and savings account returns......Page 50 Bond returns......Page 51 Real estate returns......Page 52 The value of getting a few extra percent......Page 54 Considering your goals......Page 56 Chapter 4 Minimizing Your Taxes When Investing......Page 57 Tracking taxation of investment distributions......Page 58 Determining your tax bracket......Page 59 Devising tax-reduction strategies......Page 60 Weighing nontax issues......Page 62 Tuning in to tax considerations......Page 63 Part 2 Preparing Your Investing Foundation......Page 67 Chapter 5 Laying Out Your Financial Plans......Page 69 Paying off high-cost consumer debt......Page 70 Establishing an emergency reserve......Page 71 Assessing student loans......Page 72 Sorting Out Your Financial Plans......Page 74 Considering your investment options and desires......Page 75 Assessing your savings rate......Page 76 Investing regularly with dollar cost averaging......Page 77 Knowing the Impact of Investing for College Costs......Page 78 Considering educational savings account options......Page 79 Securing Proper Insurance......Page 81 Chapter 6 Starting Out with Bank and Credit Union Accounts......Page 83 Investing in Banking Account and Savings Vehicles......Page 84 Bank checking accounts and debit cards......Page 85 Savings accounts and certificates of deposit......Page 86 Negotiating with Bankers......Page 87 Evaluating any bank......Page 88 Protecting yourself when banking online......Page 89 Credit union accounts and benefits......Page 91 Brokerage accounts......Page 92 Money market mutual funds......Page 93 Defining Money Market Mutual Funds......Page 95 Making sense of the appeal of money market funds......Page 96 Understanding the drawback of money market funds......Page 97 Understanding Money Market Fund Holdings......Page 98 Protecting your money......Page 99 Accessing your money......Page 100 Using Money Market Funds in Your Investment Plan......Page 101 Understanding traits of leading money funds......Page 102 Naming good money funds......Page 103 Alternatives to Money Market Mutual Funds......Page 105 Part 3 Investing in Stocks, Bonds, and Funds......Page 107 Chapter 8 Getting Your Slice of Capitalism with Stocks......Page 109 What Are Stocks?......Page 110 Understanding the importance of corporate profits......Page 111 Making sense of how you profit with stocks......Page 112 Following market indexes......Page 113 Using price/earnings ratios to value stocks......Page 115 Avoiding temptations and hype......Page 116 Sidestepping common investing minefields......Page 117 Investing in stock mutual funds and exchange-traded funds......Page 119 Picking your own stocks......Page 120 Maximizing Your Stock Market Returns......Page 123 Chapter 9 Securing Investment Income and Principal with Bonds......Page 125 Understanding bond issuers......Page 126 Making sense of bond maturities......Page 129 Using Bonds in a Portfolio......Page 130 Comparing other lending investments with bonds......Page 131 Choosing between bond funds and individual bonds......Page 135 Investing in Treasury bonds......Page 136 Investing in non-Treasury individual bonds......Page 137 Evaluating individual bonds you currently hold......Page 138 Chapter 10 Investing in Funds: Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds......Page 139 Understanding the Advantages of Funds......Page 140 Understanding the importance of performance and risk......Page 142 Keeping costs down......Page 143 Understanding and using index funds......Page 144 Understanding exchange-traded funds: Index funds that trade......Page 145 Creating and Managing a Fund Portfolio......Page 146 Investing in the best ETFs......Page 148 Picking the best stock funds......Page 150 Balancing your act: Funds that combine stocks and bonds......Page 152 Finding the best bond funds......Page 153 Unit investment trusts......Page 158 Hedge funds for the wealthier......Page 159 Getting Your Money’s Worth: Discount Brokers......Page 161 Assessing the high-commission salespeople’s arguments......Page 162 Selecting a discount broker......Page 163 Examining your online trading motives......Page 165 Looking at service quality......Page 166 Listing the best online brokers......Page 167 Part 4 Investing in Real Estate, Small Business, and Other Investments......Page 169 Chapter 12 Seeking Shelter and Appreciation in Real Estate......Page 171 Weighing financial considerations......Page 172 Considering costs and your time frame......Page 173 Deciding when to buy......Page 174 Determining your down payment......Page 175 Doing lenders’ calculations......Page 176 Understanding your housing options......Page 178 Researching communities......Page 180 Investing in Investment Real Estate......Page 181 Understanding real estate investment’s appeal......Page 182 Sizing up real estate investment options......Page 183 Conducting real estate investing research......Page 187 Financing Your Real Estate Deals......Page 189 Achieving loan approval......Page 190 Debating fixed-rate versus adjustable-rate mortgages......Page 193 Deciding between fixed and adjustable mortgages......Page 194 Finding your best fixed-rate mortgage......Page 196 Landing an appropriate adjustable-rate mortgage......Page 197 Understanding other mortgage fees......Page 200 Finding the best lenders......Page 201 Refinancing for a better deal......Page 203 Working with Real Estate Agents......Page 204 Recognizing agent conflicts of interest......Page 205 Selecting a good agent......Page 206 Negotiating basics......Page 208 Inspecting the property......Page 209 Selling Real Estate......Page 210 Negotiating real estate agents’ contracts......Page 211 Selling without an agent......Page 212 Chapter 14 Taking Your Talents to the Small-Business Arena......Page 213 Investing in Your Career......Page 214 Weighing your options......Page 215 Drawing up your business plan......Page 216 Plotting to leave your job......Page 219 Financing your business......Page 220 Buying an existing business......Page 222 Investing in someone else’s business......Page 223 Looking at franchises......Page 224 Beware the pitfalls of multilevel marketing companies......Page 225 Considering Gold and Other Precious Metals......Page 227 Contemplating Collectibles......Page 229 Seeing the realities of collectibles and their returns......Page 230 Considering advice on buying collectibles......Page 233 Considering cash-value life insurance......Page 234 Part 5 The Part of Tens......Page 237 Get Educated to Discern the Best from the Rest......Page 239 Beware “Free”......Page 240 Value Quality over Quantity......Page 241 Know How to Check Out a Resource......Page 242 Investigate Gurus’ Claims......Page 243 Don’t Believe Investment- Newsletter Claims......Page 244 Check Out and Keep Up with My Favorite Resources......Page 245 Regularly Save and Invest 5 Percent to 10 Percent of Your Income......Page 247 Thoroughly Research Before You Invest......Page 248 Avoid Making Emotionally Based Financial Decisions......Page 249 Trust Yourself First......Page 250 Invest in Yourself and Others......Page 251 Chapter 18 Ten Things to Know about Investing Apps......Page 253 Use Apps Only from Proven Companies with Good Reputations and Longevity......Page 254 Use the Best Personal Finance Apps to Have More to Invest......Page 255 Be Skeptical of Investing Apps Offering “Free” Trading......Page 256 Invest with Leading Fund Providers......Page 257 Seek out Good Small-Business Apps......Page 258 Personal Finance in Your 20s & 30s......Page 259 Bonus Chapter The Lowdown on Health Insurance......Page 261 Transitioning your coverage......Page 262 Seeing how the 2010 healthcare laws (Obamacare) changed your coverage......Page 263 Trumpcare?......Page 264 Selection of doctors and hospitals......Page 265 Shopping for Health Insurance......Page 266 Uncovering the best policies......Page 267 Handling insurance rejection......Page 268 Health Savings Accounts: Tax Reduction for Healthcare Costs......Page 269 Index......Page 271 EULA......Page 291 Getting started with investing. Making sense of your investing options ; Using investments to accomplish your goals ; Setting your return expectations ; Minimizing your taxes when investing Preparing your investing foundation. Laying out your financial plans ; Starting out with bank and credit union accounts ; Managing money market funds Investing in stocks, bonds, and funds. Getting your slice of capitalism with stocks ; Securing investment income and principal with bonds ; Investing in funds: mutual funds and exchange-traded funds ; Understanding investment brokers Investing in real estate, small business, and other investments. Seeking shelter and appreciation in real estate ; Financing and putting together real estate investments ; Taking your talents to the small-business arena ; Exploring other investment vehicles The part of tens. Ten things to know about investing resources ; Ten essential tips for investing success ; Ten things to know about investing apps Personal finance in your 20s & 30s. The lowdown on health insurance. **Start investing in your future now!**__Investing in Your 20s & 30s For Dummies__Start building a nest egg for retirement Invest based on your own financial situation Understand investment lingo Have the confidence to manage your money for life Determine your investment timeline and goals There's no time like the present to start investing. So, get started today! The easy way to make sense of investing when you're just starting out. Today's 20- and 30-somethings have witnessed a miserable investment market during most, if not all, of their adult lives. But going forward, the opposite is more likely to be true