Break Down Your Money: How to Get Beyond the Noise to Profit in the Markets

Introduction.

Acknowledgments.

Part I. Be An Owner, Not an Employee.

Chapter 1. To Market To Market, to Buy a… What?

So What Exactly Is the Stock Market?

Buy a Stock and Become a Restaurateur.

Look to the Indexes for the Scoop Market Scoop.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 2. The Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster: A Lifetime of Dividends.

The Derivation of Dividend.

Dissecting a Dividend's Date.

Rev the Engine with Some Ratios.

Drive through the Financials.

It's All About the Little Things.

Get To Know a DRIP (Dividend Reinvestment Program).

What's a DRIP?

Of Course, the Company Benefits, Too.

So How Do You Find a DRIP?

DRIP Downers.

Wrap Up.

Chapter 3. Bond, James Bond.

Bond with the Family.

The Mature Bond.

A Bond's Yield.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 4. Mutual Funds and ETFs: For Folks on the Go.

Mutual Funds: Funds for Kegs.

Mixing in Exchange-Traded Funds.

Wrap-Up.

Part II. Look under the Hood.

Chapter 5. Navigating the Financial Statement: Your “Just Get to the Good Stuff” Guide.

Find the Financials (Hint: They're in the Annual Report).

Where to Begin.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 6. Auditing Your Potential Investment.

Open the Company Checkbook: The Balance Sheet.

Check the Company Report Card: The Income Statement.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 7. Cash Is the Real Deal. Earnings Reports Are Not.

Find Your Two Dollars on the Cash Flow Statement.

Earnings Release: The Ultimate Optimist.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 8. Breakfast with the Federal Reserve: Getting the Economic Porridge “Just Right”.

Where Did the Fed Come from, and Why Do We Need It?

Inflation: Bad for the Porridge and the Economy.

Recession: Bad for Your Hairline and the Economy.

How the Fed Keeps the Porridge “Just Right”.

Adjusting Interest Rates: The Long, Slow Simmer.

Testing the Porridge.

Wrap-Up.

Part III. Decisions, Decisions.

Chapter 9. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?: Growth, Value, and Momentum Stocks.

Growth Stocks: Hidden Gems.

Value Stocks: Till Death Do Us Part.

Momentum Stocks: One Night Stands.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 10. Evaluating Cars and Stocks.

Price-to-Earnings Ratio.

Price-to-Book Ratio.

Growth Rate.

Knowing What's Important: A Case-by-Case Decision.

Hard to Get Good Help.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 11. The Ins and Outs of IPOs.

Pop Goes the IPO.

A Beneficial Blow.

Knowing When to Make the Move from Public to Private.

Take That IPO on the Road.

Sorting through the S-1.

Getting a Ticket to the Hottest Party in Town.

Leave the Stock, Take the Fund.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 12. Options and Futures.

An Introduction to Options.

Check the Expiration Date: Options Expiration Week.

Use the Futures Market to Foresee Market.

Wrap-Up.

Chapter 13. Bringing It All Together.

1. Be Specific About Your Goals.

2. Spread the Risk Around.

3. Don't Marry Your Holdings.

4. Do Your Homework.

5. Don't Forget to Pay Uncle Sam.

Wrap-Up.

Appendix.

About the Author.

Index.