The questions every investor should ask before parting with their hard-earned cash This book serves as an advocate of the consumer and brings to light what insiders know about the side of the sales pitches that consumers don't, but need to hear. Stop the Investing Rip-Off reveals the questions every investor should ask during a financial sales pitch before they pull the trigger and buy the next mutual fund, stock, advisory service, or other investment product. Based on David Loeper's nearly twenty-five years of experience of seeing the inner workings of the industry, this updated edition of his classic book offers new strategies based on the performance of the stock market over the past two years. Sheds light on the oft unseen deceit of the financial services industry An updated and revised edition of the bestselling Stop the Investing Rip-Off Written by David Loeper who is regularly quoted in Kiplinger's Money and Investment News and regularity contributes to Forbes Intelligent Investing Stop the Investing Rip-Off, Revised and Updated is filled with advice for investors who want to avoid becoming victims of smooth talking salespeople and the effective advertising and marketing campaigns designed to evade reality and prey on your emotional desires.

A detailed guide for avoiding the pitfalls of retirement funding In Stop the Retirement Rip-Off, author David Loeper provides the necessary tools for investors to take action and make the most of their retirement plans. It offers a road map for employees to understand the fees and costs associated with their plans; document the excesses in a presentation to management; then organize themselves to protest and, if necessary, bring the documentation to the Labor Department in a complaint. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this book is filled with sensible strategies for making the most of retirement funds and putting future retirees back on the right financial track. Filled with strategies that can help employees stand up and secure their financial future Addresses how to make the most of your money, and your life, after fixing your retirement plan Outlines a practical approach to understanding your organization's retirement plan and overcoming its potential inefficiencies This important book contains the much-needed information that employees need to plan for retirement and ensure a secure financial future.

True stories of crime and punishment that will inform and educate anyone who wants to find out how to identify and avoid becoming entangled in an investment fraud.

New York Times bestselling author of Gotcha Capitalism and MSNBC.com "Red Tape Chronicles" columnist Bob Sullivan strikes again to help you evade the financial traps big businesses set for unwary consumers—and shows you how to get the best possible deals every single time. Today's marketplace is full of hidden fees, fine print, and other booby traps designed to trip you up and take your money. You may be losing big even when you think you're getting a steal! But with Sullivan's keen guidance and sensible advice, you can save money and regain control of your financial life. Clearly and concisely, Sullivan reveals • why American consumers make such easy targets for corporate America (you'll be stunned, for example, at how poor our math skills are) • how Wall Street will skim off one third of your retirement money (avoid this trap with Sullivan's new "Pitfall-Proof Pyramid") • the myths behind credit-card reward programs and "the 21st-Century Bank Account" • the real numbers to focus on when buying a new car • why you should spend more time shopping for your mortgage than your home • the key questions you must ask before buying life insurance • the secrets to saving for college and paying off student loans the right way • the best deals on cell phones and pay-TV service With Sullivan's empowering message, financial savvy, and knowledge of consumers' wants and needs, you can outsmart the system, keep your hard-earned cash, and finally stop getting ripped off. And you'll become part of a growing grass-roots movement to rein in the abuses of corporate America before consumers get hurt by another boom-and-bust cycle. From the Trade Paperback edition.

o How would you spend an extra $4,000 a year for the next twenty-five years?o How much more secure would your retirement be with an extra $100,000 or more?o How much more time could you spend at your family dinner table if you could work an hour less each day?o What would you do in retirement if you could retire three years earlier?Your 401(k) plan is probably one of your most important future sources of financial security. This book makes it easy for you to take the five steps needed to add more than $100,000 to your retirement nest egg without taking more risk or saving more money. This can allow you to improve your lifestyle, increase your benefits, identify the hidden costs and also improve your standing within your company by proactively helping your employer to take needed action.A popular industry speaker and writer, DAVID B. LOEPER is the founder and CEO of Financeware, Inc. in Richmond, VA. He has appeared on CNBC and Bloomberg TV, served on the Investment Advisory Committee of the $30 billion Virginia Retirement System, and was chairman of the Advisory Council for the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). He earned the CIMA? designation (Certified Investment Management Analyst) from Wharton Business School in 1990 in conjunction with IMCA.

The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and BusinessWeek bestseller Bank On Yourself: The Life-Changing Secret to Growing and Protecting Your Financial Future reveals the secrets to taking back control of your financial future that Wall Street, banks, and credit card companies don’t want you to know. Can you imagine what it would be like to look forward to opening your account statements because they always have good news and never any ugly surprises? More than 100,000 Americans of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds are already using Bank On Yourself to grow a nest-egg they can predict and count on, even when stocks, real estate, and other investments tumble. You’ll meet some of them and hear their stories of how Bank On Yourself has helped them reach a wide variety of short- and longterm personal and financial goals and dreams in this book.

While investing theories introduced decades ago have been repeatedly validated and have stood the test of time, our understanding of the financial markets has made huge advances in recent years. To benefit from these advances, however, most investors will need to unlearn much of what they think they know about investing. They will also need to learn to ignore most of the "wisdom" that spews from the hallowed halls of Wall Street, its salesmen posing as "advisors," and its agents in the media. Contrary to popular "wisdom," investing isn't about P/E ratios, or technical patterns, or momentum plays, or "5 star ratings," or the latest conflict in the Middle East. Investing is about probabilities and statistics: It's about maximizing the probability of meeting the goals you have set for the only life you have to live on this planet; it's about avoiding the (many) risks that have negative expected payoffs; and it's about exposing yourself only to those risks that have positive expected payoffs - and then, only to the extent that taking those risks buys you something of value (like a secure retirement, or a cabin in the woods). In investment management, there "IS" a right answer. There "IS" a best way to invest. There "IS" a proven methodology based on objective research which can vastly improve your odds of investment success. Most who take the time to review the research will significantly increase the probability of achieving their most valued financial goals, significantly decrease the level of risk in their portfolios and, ultimately, get more out of this grand experiment called life.