Getting an Investing Game Plan : Creating It, Working It, Winning It

Over the years, countless investors have lost far more than they should have during a variety of market downturns. Events such as the bursting of the tech bubble and the wave of corporate scandals have led to investor woes, but it's the absence of an investing game plan that has made things even worse. This lack of personal financial guidance leaves many investors scrambling to figure out what they should do after the fact, instead of planning ahead of time.

<b>VERN C. HAYDEN</b> is a Certified Financial Planner in private practice with thirty-five years of experience. Hayden specializes in portfolio management with mutual funds and retirement planning. Active in financial planning circles, Hayden has been a board member of the CFP Board of Standards and has chaired the National Endowment for Financial Education, former parent organization of the College for Financial Planning, which created the CFPTM (Certified Financial Planner) designation. He also conducts financial education programs on behalf of many companies and charities. Hayden regularly appears as an expert on leading national news and financial television programs. He has been a regular contributor to the financial press, including CNBC.com and TheStreet.com.<br> <b>MAURA WEBBER</b> is a freelance journalist who regularly writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. She co-edited Recipes from America&#8217;s Small Farms: Fresh Ideas for the Season&#8217;s Bounty, a cookbook focused on community-supported agriculture. Maura has worked as a staff reporter for Bloomberg News and the Philadelphia Business Journal and as a correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She lives in Chicago with her husband Carlos Sado vi and their daughter Kyra.<br> <b>JAMIE HELLER</b> is a New York-based journalist. She has been a reporter at SmartMoney magazine, an editor at TheStreet.com, and a contributing columnist to CBS MarketWatch.com. Most recently, she joined the Wall Street Journal Online as an assistant managing editor. She lives in lower Manhattan with her husband Jed Weissberg and their son Chet.