By unlocking the mortgage industry's trade secrets, this indispensable book will help readers understand credit scoring and learn how to obtain-and improve-their credit reports. Many consumers don't understand the basics of credit reporting and scoring or how this information is used by lenders and service providers today. This book was written to remedy that. A no-nonsense guide, it teaches readers about credit reports and scores, shows them how to obtain and read their credit reports, and outlines ways to remove negative and inaccurate items. Readers will also learn about the latest consumer protection legislation concerning credit and lending and about changes in lending practices that can impact their financial well-being. The book details credit's impact on nearly every aspect of life, including employment; insurance; love relationships; services such as mobile phones and utilities; apartment leases; and auto, business, and home mortgage loans. It walks readers through the process of disputing negative items on credit reports and includes letter templates that can be used for that purpose. Finally, it provides readers with credit- and debt-management tips and describes state-of-the-art tools that can be used to foster better money- and credit-management habits. With this book in hand, a consumer should be able to achieve the higher credit score that is a person's greatest financial asset. Includes the latest information on banking and lending requirements in the post-credit-crisis environment Explains how new regulations and guidelines, such the Dodd-Frank Act, are impacting banks, credit, and lending Shows readers what will improve a consumer's credit score and what will damage it Spells out debt management strategies and debt solutions and shares tips on technologies that help with credit and money management Exposes common credit reporting and lending myths and secrets

Basic financial knowledge is one of the most important educational and training needs in South Africa, but thousands of people enter the working world without this knowledge. Financial skills are the best skills you can acquire, since you will be able to use them to your benefit throughout your life. Learn how to draw up a budget, use debt wisely and escape debt, borrow money from a micro-lender, provide for your family, buy your own car and home and make good investments. It also teaches you to protect yourself and your assets, plan your retirement wisely, protect your job and start your own business, use a bank's services and products, and create a positive financial future.

How did an investment advisory firm in obscure Elkhart, Indiana, find the antidote to remain rational in the highly contagious speculative pandemic of the late 1990s? At that time the crowd of true believers, in what was to become the Great Bubble, was swelling exponentially to number in the millions as irrational exuberance reached full flower. From the ill-equipped wage earners on the factory floor deluded by slick pitches evoking images of 401(k) financial independence to the institutional investors, the fate was often the same-except for the parasites who were knowingly complicit. When the Great Bubble inevitably imploded, few were spared the financial fallout. Speculative Contagion is an insider's riveting real-time and real-money account of the inflating Bubble, accented with the genuine suspense to be found only in real-life drama. The epidemic of tech-driven lunacy gradually affected more and more feverish investors all too prone to be infected by the insidious absurdity of the times. In the midst of it all, Frank Martin found sanctuary in the treasure trove of history. As he reflected on the unremitting succession of other departures from reality in the past, along with the madness of crowds, he was able to grasp shreds of sanity, at least partially muting the Sirens' call of speculative contagion. Spared the emotional devastation and accompanying paralysis that shocking losses inevitably and cruelly visit upon the unprepared, Martin commanded the capital and the conviction to be able to step up to the plate and lay wood to the fat pitches that at last came floating his firm's way. While the path to investment success is arduous at best and assured for no one, the eye-strained yet battle-hardened reader-from student to amateur or seasoned investor to rattled professional-is forearmed by this book to face the future with a short list of foundational antidotes. Rationality is their common thread. We can thus combat the ill effects of whatever may yet come at us from the perilously unorthodox and persistently unrepentant current episode, as well as those that lie in wait beyond the horizon. With both colorful anecdotes and timely antidotes coming as thick and fast as baseballs to a hitter in batting practice, the reader is in for a delightful and eye-opening romp through an extraordinary era in U.S. financial history.

Do terms like "stock market volatility," "bond bubble," "hyperinflation," "government debt," "unemployment," "low interest rates," "rising tax rates," "disappearing company pension plans," "nursing home care," and "the uncertainty of Social Security and Medicare," make you feel stress-free and happy? More than likely, they make you feel full of stress and unhappy. That's why it's crucial to learn the simple steps that can lead to a stress-free, happy retirement, no matter what the economy has in store. This book will lead you through simple yet powerful concepts that, if applied, could lead to a more stable, happy retirement.

"This book is easily one of the best and most readable investment primers I've come across during my 45 years in the business. It's a great way to learn about basic investment concepts and how they can be applied to almost anyone's situation. - William B. Frels, CFA Chairman and CEO, Mairs and Power "Dean Junkans has been a key thought leader for us on investment strategy and asset allocation for many years. Now everyone can benefit from his well thought out views on investing. The Anatomy of Investing is a terrific resource for anyone interested in learning more about the foundation of successful investing. Ignore the promises made by those who advocate the home run trades to riches approach. This book will equip the reader with the understanding and right tools to build a sound and diversified investment decision making approach which has been the hallmark of the industry's best money managers." - Jay Welker, Executive VP and Head of the Wealth Management Group Wells Fargo "Using the anatomy analogy, Junkans is able to clearly explain serious investment truths in a creative and entertaining way to the benefit of novices and pros. This is excellent teaching from a real leader in the investment profession." - Kevin D. Freeman, CFA, CEO Freeman Global Investment Counsel co-author of Investing in Separate Accounts "The Anatomy of Investing is a full-bodied tour of the ins and outs of planning for one's financial future and avoiding the vast number of pitfalls that face individual investors every day. Uncluttered by finance-speak and thoughtfully organized, Dean brings to his subject a wealth of experience and practical advice. From beginning to end, it's clear that he cares deeply about both his subject and the everyday investors he's trying to help." - Tony Carideo, CFA, President, The Carideo Group, Inc. Publisher's website: http://sbpra.com/DeanAJunkans