Generation debt Take control of your money : a how-to guide

Carmen Wong Ulrich

Book - 2006

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Subjects
Published
New York : Warner Business Books 2006.
Language
English
Main Author
Carmen Wong Ulrich (-)
Edition
1st ed
Physical Description
xvi, 254 p. ; 21 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9780446695435
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1. Why Do We Have So Much Debt, Anyway?
  • Why and How a College Education Has Become a Must
  • The Rising Costs of Education
  • Internships: aka Indentured Servitude
  • The Competition Choke
  • Memo to Creditors: Stop Throwing Money at Us!
  • The Stigma Is Gone: Why Big Debt Has Become the Norm
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 2. Get a Grip. Set Goals. Make a Plan
  • Identifying Needs vs. Wants
  • Final Round in the Battle of Expenses vs. Income
  • Delayed Gratification and the B-Word
  • Do Your Deal Homework
  • Automate, Automate, Automate
  • Creating and Sticking to a Master Plan
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 3. Master Your Student Loans
  • Types of Education Loans, the Rules of Engagement, and Your Rights as a Borrower
  • Payback Options and What to Do if You Can't Pay
  • How to Consolidate, Again and Again, Pronto
  • Graduate School?
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 4. The Potential Prison of Credit Card Debt
  • What Credit Card Companies Think of You (Hint: "Sucka")
  • Plastic Has Become the Norm
  • Get Savvy or Get Screwed
  • Caution!
  • The Report Card for Grown-Ups
  • "But What if I'm Drowning?"
  • Invasion of the ID Snatchers
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 5. To Rent, Perchance to Buy
  • Where Should I Live?
  • Renting
  • Time to Buy?
  • Mortgages
  • Home Shopping
  • Down Payments and Piggybacks
  • Closing Costs: They're a Doozy
  • Homeowners Love the Tax Man
  • Ready to Be a Landlord?
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 6. The Need for Wheels
  • First the Money, Then the Car
  • What Should I Buy?
  • The Lowdown on Leasing
  • The Advent of Pre-Owned and the Shock of Depreciation
  • Buying Used and Trading In
  • Dealing with Dealers
  • Getting Rid of What You've Got
  • Maintenance and Warranties
  • Auto Insurance
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 7. Honor the Tax Man
  • How Your Pay Gets Played
  • Tax Time: Rules, Options, and Papers
  • Even You Get Tax Breaks
  • Time to Get an Accountant?
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 8. The Golden Net of Insurance
  • Health Insurance: What You Need and How to Find It
  • Group Health Coverage Options
  • Individual Health Insurance and Health Care
  • Pills, Teeth, Eyes, etc.
  • Life Insurance and Disability Coverage
  • Renter's and Homeowner's Insurance: Protect What You Have
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 9. The Magical 401 (k)
  • First, Get Steady
  • The Workings Behind "Growing" Money
  • The Magical 401 (k) and Other Tax-Friendly Plans
  • Investing Basics: Diversification and the Markets
  • Web Links
  • Chapter 10. A Pricey Future
  • Debt for Diplomas: College Trends and Loan Reform
  • Credit Card Nation: Will It Only Get Worse?
  • And the Solutions Are ...?
  • In Parting
  • Web Links
  • Index
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

When the average college student graduates with $18,560 of debt, almost all of it in tuition loans, and is lucky to find a job that will pay even $28,000 a year, how is he or she supposed to make ends meet? Ulrich, a former projects editor for Money, offers a step-by-step guide on how to budget your monthly expenses, make judicious use of credit cards while avoiding the pitfalls of high interest rates, and find the best way to pay off those student loans. Later sections cover situations like choosing whether to rent or buy a home, getting a car and saving for retirement, and each chapter has links to Web sites with additional resources. Ulrich's advice is simple and to the point, but her efforts to reach a young audience with sarcasm and hip lingo occasionally risk the appearance of talking down to her readers. There's also a slight but uncomfortable strain of resentment aimed toward peers from wealthier families who don't have to grapple with these issues. Ulrich does argue for some big nationwide initiatives, like a higher minimum wage and increased credit card regulation, but she's much more concerned with providing basic solutions to individual financial crises-and delivers the goods effectively. (Jan. 5) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved