Detailed item info | Synopsis | Drawing on a wealth of questions submitted by her "Newsday" readers, Brenner presents detailed questions to guide the consumer in eight key areas of planning: insurance, investing, real estate, prenuptial and divorce agreements, tax planning, estate planning, retirement planning, and coping with job loss.
| | Details | | Series: | Bloomberg Personal Bookshelf | | Illustrator: | Mark Matcho |
| | Size | | Length: | 271 pages | | Height: | 8.0 in. | | Width: | 5.0 in. | | Thickness: | 0.8 in. | | Weight: | 12.8 oz. |
| | Publisher's Note | While many books on personal finance focus on hard-to-grasp theories, "Smart Questions to Ask Your Financial Advisors" gets right to the heart of successful financial planning with smart, practical questions everyone needs to ask to assure themselves of getting the best return on their money. Author Lynn Brenner is a veteran personal-finance columnist.
| | Industry reviews | Personal finance columnist for Newsday and author of two other books on personal finance, Brenner organizes her new book around questions that would be asked of various financial advisers. She doesn't just give a single answer, however; in response to a question of which investments to make for college, for example, she explains the benefits and drawbacks of various popular college investments such as EE bonds. The book covers a lot of ground, but omissions occur. Life insurance is thoroughly covered, while auto insurance is left out completely; the cost of credit card interest is mentioned several times, but establishing and controlling credit is not discussed. Nevertheless, the clear explanations recommend the book for public libraries and for academic libraries where students are preparing for careers in financial services. Lawrence Maxted, Gannon Univ., Erie, Pa.
Moore
Brenner, a columnist for Newsday and author of Building Your Nest Egg with Your 401(k), offers a different approach to gaining control over personal finances. Focusing on eight key areas of concern investing, marriage, buying and selling a house, insurance, loss of a job, estate planning, tax issues and planning for retirement she includes all the questions readers need to understand in order to make responsible choices and decisions. While many questions are the familiar ones How will my mutual funds be taxed? Do we need a will? How much should I spend on a house? Brenner also includes questions you might not think of If I get a mortgage from a family member, how can I make sure it counts for tax purposes? and offers other useful insights. Included are icons highlighting which professional (i.e., tax accountant, financial planner, attorney, broker) should be consulted. Helpful sidebars include the cautionary "Notes" that serve as reminders, for example, to keep track of reinvested stock dividends so that shareholders don't pay taxes twice, or, for couples, to coordinate their 401(k) investments. Overall, this is a first-rate guide for people who are serious about managing their money and want to work with their advisers as partners rather than simply relying on the experts to make all the decisions. (Nov.) FYI: Like others in the Bloomberg Personal Bookshelf, this edition is 43/8"? 8" and has a bookmark.
Lopate
Brenner, a columnist for Newsday and author of Building Your Nest Egg with Your 401(k), offers a different approach to gaining control over personal finances. Focusing on eight key areas of concern investing, marriage, buying and selling a house, insurance, loss of a job, estate planning, tax issues and planning for retirement she includes all the questions readers need to understand in order to make responsible choices and decisions. While many questions are the familiar ones How will my mutual funds be taxed? Do we need a will? How much should I spend on a house? Brenner also includes questions you might not think of If I get a mortgage from a family member, how can I make sure it counts for tax purposes? and offers other useful insights. Included are icons highlighting which professional (i.e., tax accountant, financial planner, attorney, broker) should be consulted. Helpful sidebars include the cautionary "Notes" that serve as reminders, for example, to keep track of reinvested stock dividends so that shareholders don't pay taxes twice, or, for couples, to coordinate their 401(k) investments. Overall, this is a first-rate guide for people who are serious about managing their money and want to work with their advisers as partners rather than simply relying on the experts to make all the decisions. (Nov.) FYI: Like others in the Bloomberg Personal Bookshelf, this edition is 43/8"¿ 8" and has a bookmark.
Publishers Weekly (10/13/1997)
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