Charles Schwab's New Guide to Financial Independence Completely Revised and Updated : Practical Solutions for Busy People [Paperback]

Charles Schwab (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2004

“There are dozens of primers on investing, but Schwab’s is straightforward and carefully organized. . . . The glimmers of his personal life are gems. . . . By now, Schwab is a financial brand name, and the lessons from his rich life make for good reading—and good investing.” —Suze Orman, author of The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom

The biggest risk in investing is doing nothing. In the updated edition of this New York Times bestseller, Charles Schwab presents clear and simple lessons that will give readers the confidence they need to start down the road to financial independence. Schwab, one of the most trusted gurus in American investing, explains all the basics in a clear, easy-to-understand way.

This revised edition completely updates the book to take into consideration the substantial changes and fluctuations in the market in recent years. A significant amount of new material has been added, including a valuable section on performance monitoring, a key strategy that enables investors to measure the performance of their portfolios against objective benchmarks.

Using this excellent book, investors will learn how to:

• Define and set investment goals
• Prepare an investment plan, put it into action, and update it regularly
• Plan for their children’s education
• Cope effectively with the ups and downs of the market
• Plan for a comfortable retirement

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

“There are dozens of primers on investing, but Schwab’s is straightforward and carefully organized. . . . The glimmers of his personal life are gems. . . . By now, Schwab is a financial brand name, and the lessons from his rich life make for good reading—and good investing.” —Suze Orman, author of The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom

The biggest risk in investing is doing nothing. In the updated edition of this New York Times bestseller, Charles Schwab presents clear and simple lessons that will give readers the confidence they need to start down the road to financial independence. Schwab, one of the most trusted gurus in American investing, explains all the basics in a clear, easy-to-understand way.

This revised edition completely updates the book to take into consideration the substantial changes and fluctuations in the market in recent years. A significant amount of new material has been added, including a valuable section on performance monitoring, a key strategy that enables investors to measure the performance of their portfolios against objective benchmarks.

Using this excellent book, investors will learn how to:

• Define and set investment goals
• Prepare an investment plan, put it into action, and update it regularly
• Plan for their children’s education
• Cope effectively with the ups and downs of the market
• Plan for a comfortable retirement

About the Author

CHARLES R. SCHWAB started investing in 1957, and in 1974 he became a pioneer in the discount brokerage business, guided by a vision of empowering Americans with information, investment tools, and easy, low-cost access to the stock market. Today, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., is one of the nation’s largest full-service financial services firms. The father of five children, Schwab lives with his wife, Helen, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; Rev Upd edition (June 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400046793
• ISBN-13: 978-1400046799
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reading for New Investors!, April 25, 2005

By 

Rachel "Rachel" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charles Schwab's New Guide to Financial Independence Completely Revised and Updated : Practical Solutions for Busy People (Paperback)

I am 30 and completely new to the investment world. This book offered excellent investment advice for even beginning investors. I totally disagree with the first reviewer who said this book is for the rich. Even if some of the book speaks to people with a lot of money, it clearly explains what the different types of investments are, defines terms throughout in case you forget what the key terms are so you don't have to flip back through the book when you forget what he's talking about, and offers insite from someone who's very successful at what he does. It's a great guide to start with. I would recommend this book to all beggining investors. It's excellent!

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars personal finance, February 8, 2005

By 

M. Nowacki "bocamick" (mentor, ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charles Schwab's New Guide to Financial Independence Completely Revised and Updated : Practical Solutions for Busy People (Paperback)

This is a great book on personal finance. When most people think of Charles Schwab, one of the biggest names in finance, they think of investing in equities. However, Schwab has chapters on mutual funds, fixed-income securities, and taxes. He talks about how to get started in investing, the importance of it, and how to invest to meet your goals and needs.

I use his services to manage my family's portolios online and it is cheaper than other services, unless you are a day trader. Other services require a minimum amount of trades per month, that is how they charge less for their trades. Schwab's services are ideal for anyone managing their IRA. You also get free S & P stock reports for companies, which gives you all of the historical data you need to make a wise decision. The previous reviewer didn't review the book, he reviewed the policies at Charles Schwab. If you are investing less than $10,000 and are trading more than a few times a year, taxes and transaction fees are going to eat up your returns no matter what. And since when is having $10,000 in savings rich?

This is a great book for beginners and people who need some guidance with respect to their retirement investments. Definitely worth reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book :), December 2, 2007

By 

D. Hunley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charles Schwab's New Guide to Financial Independence Completely Revised and Updated : Practical Solutions for Busy People (Paperback)

I'm not sure that is accurate about needing $10,000 to open a brokerage account with Schwab. Maybe in the past, but I was inspired to open one after reading this book and I had no problem doing so, and did not see mention of a minimum start anywhere...I did see that no load mutual funds that are performing well are being offered at minimums of only $100(!)

I had no idea you could even begin investing for such a small amount...which might say something about my investment knowledge prior to this book, but I am glad I am reading this and getting started. I am definatley picking up some valuable insights out of this book.