Morningstar's 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances

Foreword xi

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xix

Part one: Find your baseline 1

Chapter 1: Calculate Your Net Worth 5

Chapter 2: See Where Your Money Goes 11

Chapter 3: Set Your Financial Goals 17

Chapter 4: Create a Budget 23

Part two: Get organized 29

Chapter 5: Create a Bill-Paying System 33

Chapter 6: Create a Filing System 37

Chapter 7: Create a Master Directory 43

Part three: Find the best use of your money 47

Chapter 8: Determine Whether to Pay Down Debt or Invest 51

Chapter 9: Decide Where to Invest for Retirement 59

Part four: Get started in investing 65

Chapter 10: Create an Emergency Fund 69

Chapter 11: Find the Right Stock/Bond Mix 75

Chapter 12: Create an Investment Policy Statement 81

Chapter 13: Invest for Short- and Intermediate-Term Goals 89

Chapter 14: Create a Hands-Off Long-Term Portfolio 97

Part five: Invest in your company retirement plan 105

Chapter 15: Determine How Good Your Company Retirement Plan is 109

Chapter 16: Decide between a Traditional and Roth 401(k) 117

Chapter 17: Select the Best Investments for Your Company Retirement Plan 125

Chapter 18: Make the Most of a Subpar 401(k) Plan 131

Part six: Invest in an IRA 137

Chapter 19: Determine What Type of IRA is Best for You 143

Chapter 20: Identify the Best Investments for Your IRA 147

Chapter 21: Determine Whether to Convert Your IRA 155

Chapter 22: Roll Over Your Retirement Plan into an IRA 163

Part seven: Invest for college 169

Chapter 23: Find the Right College Savings Vehicle 173

Chapter 24: Find the Right 529 Plan 181

Chapter 25: Select the Right Investments for Your College Savings Plan 187

Part eight: Invest in your taxable account 197

Chapter 26: Identify the Best Investments for Taxable Accounts 201

Chapter 27: Manage Your Portfolio for Tax Efficiency 209

Chapter 28: Harvest Tax Losses 215

Part nine: Invest during retirement 223

Chapter 29: Determine Your Portfolio Withdrawal Rate 227

Chapter 30: Build an In-Retirement Portfolio 233

Chapter 31: Find the Right Sequence of In-Retirement Withdrawals 241

Part ten: Monitor your investments 245

Chapter 32: Conduct a Portfolio Checkup 249

Chapter 33: Rebalance Your Portfolio 257

Part eleven: Cover your bases on estate planning 263

Chapter 34: Get Started on Your Estate Plan 269

Chapter 35: Handle Beneficiary Designations 275

Chapter 36: Create a Personal Legacy 281

About the author 285

Index 287