Break Down Your Money How to Get Beyond the

Wall Street speaks in tongues - and it does it on purpose! The pundits have their own "language" and they like it that way because it allows them to control the markets. Well, no more! Break Down Your Money will decode Wall Street's gibberish, help investors understand what the pros are talking about and allow them to use that information to make smart investing decisions. Filled with funny anecdotes, simple strategies, and quick tips, Break Down Your Money offers savvy financial advice for both beginners and those with some investing experience. Written by well-known financial columnist and Fox Business Correspondent Tracy Byrnes, this book covers a wide range of topics, including the ins and outs of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs; how to read a financial statement; how mergers and acquisitions affect your positions; how to react (or not react) to external factors that affect the markets; and how to build your own portfolio. With this book as their guide, people looking to invest for success will discover exactly what it takes to make it in today's markets.

Tracy Byrnes has been a financial journalist for over ten years, covering tax, accounting, and personal finance issues. She is currently an on-air reporter for the FOX Business Network. Prior to that, she wrote weekly finance columns for the New York Post and TheStreet.com, where she also did daily videos for the Web site, and was a regular guest on numerous financial television shows. Before diving into journalism, Byrnes spent five years as a senior accountant with Ernst & Young LLP. Byrnes has an MBA in accounting from Rutgers University and a bachelor of arts in economics and English from Lehigh University.

Foreword	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Be An Owner, Not an Employee	p. 1
To Market to Market, to Buy a ... What?	p. 3
So What Exactly Is the Stock Market?	p. 3
Buy a Stock and Become a Restaurateur	p. 7
Look to the Indexes for the Market Scoop	p. 10
Wrap-Up	p. 16
The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster: A Lifetime of Dividends	p. 19
The Derivation of Dividend	p. 21
Dissecting a Dividend's Date	p. 23
Rev the Engine with Some Ratios	p. 25
Drive through the Financials	p. 25
It's All About the Little Things	p. 26
Get To Know a DRIP (Dividend Reinvestment Program)	p. 28
What's a DRIP?	p. 28
Of Course, the Company Benefits, Too	p. 30
So How Do You Find a DRIP?	p. 31
DRIP Downers	p. 32
Wrap-Up	p. 33
Bond, James Bond	p. 35
Bond with the Family	p. 36
The Mature Bond	p. 37
A Bond's Yield	p. 38
Wrap-Up	p. 39
Mutual Funds and ETFs: For Folks on the Go	p. 41
Mutual Funds: Funds for Kegs	p. 41
Mixing in Exchange-Traded Funds	p. 53
Wrap-Up	p. 59
Look under the Hood	p. 61
Navigating the Financial Statement: Your "Just Get to the Good Stuff" Guide	p. 63
Find the Financials (Hint: They're in the Annual Report)	p. 64
Where to Begin	p. 66
Wrap-Up	p. 68
Auditing Your Potential Investment	p. 69
Open the Company Checkbook: The Balance Sheet	p. 69
Check the Company Report Card: The Income Statement	p. 77
Wrap-Up	p. 85
Cash Is the Real Deal. Earnings Reports Are Not	p. 87
Find Your Two Dollars on the Cash Flow Statement	p. 87
Earnings Release: The Ultimate Optimist	p. 93
Wrap-Up	p. 99
Breakfast with the Federal Reserve: Getting the Economic Porridge "Just Right"	p. 101
Where Did the Fed Come from and Why Do We Need It?	p. 102
Inflation: Bad for the Porridge and the Economy	p. 103
Recession: Bad for Your Hairline and the Economy	p. 104
How the Fed Keeps the Porridge "Just Right"	p. 106
Adjusting Interest Rates: The Long, Slow Simmer	p. 108
Testing the Porridge	p. 113
Wrap-Up	p. 115
Decisions, Decisions	p. 117
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?: Growth, Value, and Momentum Stocks	p. 119
Growth Stocks: Hidden Gems	p. 120
Value Stocks: Till Death Do Us Part	p. 122
Momentum Stocks: One Night Stands	p. 123
Wrap-Up	p. 125
Evaluating Cars and Stocks	p. 127
Price-to-Earnings Ratio	p. 127
Price-to-Book Ratio	p. 130
Growth Rate	p. 132
Knowing What's Important: A Case-by-Case Decision	p. 135
Hard to Get Good Help	p. 136
Wrap-Up	p. 136
The Ins and Outs of IPOs	p. 139
Pop Goes the IPO	p. 140
A Beneficial Blow	p. 143
Knowing When to Make the Move from Public to Private	p. 146
Take That IPO on the Road	p. 147
Sorting through the S-1	p. 149
Getting a Ticket to the Hottest Party in Town	p. 152
Leave the Stock, Take the Fund	p. 156
Wrap-Up	p. 157
Options and Futures	p. 159
An Introduction to Options	p. 159
Check the Expiration Date: Options Expiration Week	p. 165
Use the Futures Market to Foresee Market	p. 167
Wrap-Up	p. 172
Bringing It All Together	p. 175
Be Specific about Your Goals	p. 176
Spread the Risk Around	p. 176
Don't Marry Your Holdings	p. 179
Do Your Homework	p. 181
Don't Forget to Pay Uncle Sam	p. 184
Wrap-Up	p. 186
Appendix	p. 189
About the Author	p. 193
Index	p. 195
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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

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