Product Description

Financial security begins with a conversation . . .

And that’s why Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz has teamed up with her father, internationally respected investing pioneer and bestselling author Charles R. Schwab, to produce this excellent family financial primer. This book will help investors succeed whether the stock market is going up or down, both in the present and in the long term. Throughout the book, the authors stress the importance of having regular and effective conversations about money—with a spouse or partner, young children and teenagers, and aging parents—and offer the perfect roadmap for starting and continuing those conversations, including:

• understanding the basics: stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
• building wealth over time, understanding your tolerance for risk, and developing and maintaining the right investment portfolio
• investing for your children’s future and for your secure retirement
• estate planning for you and your older parents
• preparing for life’s unexpected events

“A practical book for men and women, young and old ...It’s smartly written, earnest without being preachy, and offers down-to-earth advice on how to forge productive conversations about money between spouses and partners, parents and children, and adult children and aging parents.”—Chicago Tribune

“Most families don’t talk about money. Personal finance ranks with sex and drugs as one of the least-discussed topics and one fraught with emotional baggage....Bottom line: You have to fend for yourself when it comes to money, and the way to do that is to talk about it with parents, spouses, and children....We all have to take care of ourselves financially. This book is a good place to start.”—USA Today

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #963064 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-23
• Released on: 2003-12-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Schwab-Pomerantz, a registered stockbroker, has teamed up with her dad to share their insights on money, investing and the conversations that need to accompany these. Their focus is on the importance of conducting different life-stage conversations (e.g., how to financially approach being single, getting married, raising children, helping parents), and this well-rounded primer provides one-stop shopping for the many phases of financial understanding and planning. It delivers comprehensive investment particulars with the necessary charts, graphs and illustrative anecdotes. Schwab-Pomerantz often uses her own life as an example, and while she has far more experience with money and investing than the average person, she wears the same personal hats-parent, child, spouse-as readers. To her concise and thorough explanations of family financial planning, father Chuck adds his two cents, e.g., "money is always an issue, even when it doesn't seem like it." Most families, whether balancing a checkbook or investing for retirement, would likely agree. This educational volume provides a useful framework that a family can refer to when approaching those often difficult but necessary conversations about finances.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Charles Schwab is the well-known founder, chairman, and co-CEO of the Charles Schwab Corporation, one of the nation's largest and most well respected financial services firms. His daughter Carrie is the primary author of this financial-planning guide, which includes a smattering of dad's comments throughout contained in sidebars labeled "Chuck's Two Cents." Much of the rhetoric touts the industry line of the advantages of staying invested in the stock market over long periods of time, with examples of the compound growth potential of investing early and often at a theoretical 10 percent return (which is awfully hard to come by these days). They also emphasize the importance of diversification into bonds and cash equivalents, a fundamental that was all but forgotten during the heady days of the 1990s bull market. The sensible advice and confidence in the long-term health of the U.S. economy are pretty much what you'd expect from this family, but what sets this book apart is the predominant theme of how to discuss and formulate specific financial plans with your family and loved ones. Even if the topic leaves you feeling uncomfortable, confused, or bored, the Schwabs insist that your financial future is too important not to get the conversation going well before it's time to pay for college, a home, or retirement. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap
Financial security begins with a conversation . . .

And that?s why Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz has teamed up with her father, internationally respected investing pioneer and bestselling author Charles R. Schwab, to produce this excellent family financial primer. This book will help investors succeed whether the stock market is going up or down, both in the present and in the long term. Throughout the book, the authors stress the importance of having regular and effective conversations about money?with a spouse or partner, young children and teenagers, and aging parents?and offer the perfect roadmap for starting and continuing those conversations, including:

? understanding the basics: stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
? building wealth over time, understanding your tolerance for risk, and developing and maintaining the right investment portfolio
? investing for your children?s future and for your secure retirement
? estate planning for you and your older parents
? preparing for life?s unexpected events

?A practical book for men and women, young and old ...It?s smartly written, earnest without being preachy, and offers down-to-earth advice on how to forge productive conversations about money between spouses and partners, parents and children, and adult children and aging parents.??Chicago Tribune

?Most families don?t talk about money. Personal finance ranks with sex and drugs as one of the least-discussed topics and one fraught with emotional baggage....Bottom line: You have to fend for yourself when it comes to money, and the way to do that is to talk about it with parents, spouses, and children....We all have to take care of ourselves financially. This book is a good place to start.??USA Today

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
The authors make many good points about the need to have
conversations with your family about money and investing.

However, the book includes far too many personal stories of random people and in particular of the Schwab family.
The information is not particularly interesting or pertinent.

A Helpful Book
I was always afraid of investing. This book is a great guide. It does a wonderful job of demystifying money issues that always have intimidated and scared me. A friend of mine recommended this book (her book club is reading it). I've read some of it out loud to my husband. We've talked about things we should have discussed years ago. It's an easy read, and a necessary one (at least for me). FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY!!

Excellent Book!
This book goes way beyond it's title... it is a great primer on financial planning and investing. In addition, it gives you a lot of ideas on how to open up the dialog with your family about money matters.