What are the two key questions to consider before investing in real estate?
> Explain why lease payments for a new vehicle are lower than loan payments for the same vehicle.
> James Canter of Auburn, Alabama, is a good shopper. He always comparison shops and uses coupons every week. James figures he saves at least $40 a month as a result. Assuming an interest rate of 2 percent, what is the future value of this amount over ten
> Summarize what is involved in comparison shopping for a safe vehicle.
> What is the goal of comparison shopping?
> What is a service contract and what is its disadvantages?
> Explain the difference between an implied warranty and an express warranty, and how do they relate to the term as is?
> What are some pitfalls of leasing?
> What are your action steps to dispute an error on a billing statement?
> What is the liability for a lost or stolen credit card?
> How does a penalty rate work on a credit card?
> Distinguish between transaction and posting dates on a credit statement.
> Distinguish between a statement date and a payment due date on a credit statement.
> Allison Jones of Flagstaff, Arizona, is considering paying $400 a year for an extended warranty on several of her major appliances. If the appliances are expected to last for five years and she can earn 2 percent on her savings, what would be the future
> Explain what happens if you choose to retire earlier than your full retirement age, which is probably 67.
> Distinguish between the benefits provided under Social Security for a worker who is fully insured and a worker who is currently insured.
> Summarize how workers become qualified for retirement Social Security benefits.
> How do public corporations use stocks and bonds?
> Distinguish between common stocks and bonds in investments.
> What average investment returns from stocks do you anticipate in the future?
> What are the two parts of an investor’s total return?
> How does savings differ from investing?
> Offer some suggestions on where to get money to invest.
> What two factors in the process of calculating life insurance needs are likely to be the most expensive to replace?
> James Sprater of Grand Junction, Colorado, has been shopping for a loan to buy a used car. He wants to borrow $18,000 for four or five years. James’s credit union offers a declining-balance loan at 9.1 percent for 48 months, resulting in a monthly paymen
> Identify periods in a typical person’s life when the need for life insurance is low and one when it is high.
> Explain why the multiple-of-earnings approach is less accurate than a needs-based approach to life insurance planning
> List five types of needs that can be addressed through life insurance.
> Distinguish between the dying-too-soon problem and the living-too-long problem and the best ways to address each.
> If you choose a “silver” health insurance plan, how much of your out-of-pocket medical costs will be paid by the plan?
> Summarize how subsidies reduce the price of insurance premiums under the ACA.
> List three of the 10 essential benefits of all new health care plans.
> Who does the ACA impact and who does it not?
> Summarize what the Affordable Care Act is supposed to accomplish.
> What does the book say about why the USA has such an expensive health care system?
> Alexis Monroe, a biologist from Dyersburg, Tennessee, is curious about the accuracy of the interest charges shown on her most recent credit card billing statement, which appears as Figure 7-1. Use the average daily balances provided to recalculate the in
> When considering likelihood of loss and severity of loss, explain which one of these two concepts is more important when deciding whether to buy insurance and why.
> List, describe, and give an example of each of the five ways to handle risk of loss.
> Explain the distinctions between risk and odds.
> Distinguish between pure risk and speculative risk.
> When shopping for a vehicle what are three things you need to know about when conducting preshopping research?
> Distinguish between needs and wants, and explain why it may be better to act as if no needs exist.
> What is planned buying?
> Summarize the process to determine whether you can afford a particular purchase.
> Distinguish between an unsecured line of credit and a home equity credit line.
> Explain the basic features of bank credit cards..
> The Hernandezes’ older son, Jacob, has reached the age at which it is time to consider purchasing a car for him. Victor and Maria have decided to give Maria’s old car to Jacob and buy a later-model used car for Maria. Required: (a) What sources can Vict
> What is open-end credit and give three examples.
> Distinguish between capital improvements in real estate investing and repairs.
> Distinguish between the price-to-rent ratio and the rental yield as measures of current income.
> Name two things investors should consider doing before investing in real estate.
> Name five services that are unique to mutual funds.
> List five advantages of investing in mutual funds.
> Explain how net asset value is calculated and how it is used by mutual funds.
> Illustrate how housing buyers can pay less than renters when taxes and appreciation of housing values are considered.
> Identify three ways that home buyers can save on their income taxes.
> After several years of riding a bus to work, Belinda finds that she can no longer do so because her employer moved to a location that is not convenient for public transportation. Thus the Johnsons are in the market for another car. Harry and Belinda esti
> Distinguish between periodic tenancy and tenancy for a specific time when renting housing.
> Explain the purpose and value of a lease for both the renter and the landlord.
> Now that you have read the chapter on estate planning, what do you recommend to Chrisanna and Fernando on the subject of retirement and estate planning regarding: 1. How much in Social Security benefits can each expect to receive? 2. How much do they eac
> Now that you have read the chapter on real estate and high-risk investments, what do you recommend to Brittany on: 1. Investing in real estate? 2. Putting some money into collectibles or gold? 3. Investing in options and futures contracts?
> Now that you have read the chapter on mutual funds, what do you recommend to Helen and David Lilienthal in the case at the beginning of the chapter regarding: 1. Redeeming their CDs and investing their retirement money in mutual funds? 2. Investing in gr
> Now that you have read the chapter on stocks and bonds, what do you recommend to Ariya Jutanugarn in the case at the beginning of the chapter regarding: 1. Investing for retirement in 18 years? 2. Owning blue-chip common stocks and preferred stocks rathe
> Now that you have read the chapter on investment fundamentals, what do you recommend to Shanice and Sarena on the subject regarding: 1. Portfolio diversification for Sarena? 2. Dollar-cost averaging for Shanice? 3. Investment alternatives for Sarena?
> Shopping for life insurance?
> Coordinating their retirement savings and other investments with their life insurance program?
> What types of life insurance they should consider.
> Lauren Rowland is a dentist in Hebron, Kentucky, who recently entered into a contract to buy a new automobile. After signing to finance $38,000, she hurriedly left the office of the sales finance company with her copy of the contract. Later that evening,
> Now that you have read the chapter on protecting loved ones through life insurance, what would you recommend to Stephanie and Will Bridgeman in the case at the beginning of the chapter regarding: 1. Their changing need for life insurance now that they ha
> Now that you have read the chapter on health care planning, what do you recommend to Danielle DiMartino in the case at the beginning of the chapter regarding: 1. Choosing among the four alternatives available to her? 2. Danielle’s concerns about providin
> Now that you have read the chapter on risk management and property liability insurance, what would you recommend to Nick and Amber in the case at the beginning of the chapter regarding: 1. The risk-management steps they should take to update their insura
> They are considering trading their car in for a newer used vehicle so that Harry can have dependable transportation for commuting to work. The couple still owes $5,130 to the credit union for their current car, or $285 per month for the remaining 18 mont
> Zachary Porter of Abilene, Texas, is contemplating borrowing $10,000 from his bank. The bank could use add-on rates of 6.5 percent for 3 years, 7 percent for 4 years, and 8 percent for 5 years. Use Equation 7.1 to calculate the finance charge and monthly
> Kimberly Jensen of Storm Lake, Iowa, wants to buy some living room furniture for her new apartment. A local store offered credit at an APR of 16 percent, with a maximum term of four years. The furniture she wishes to purchase costs $4,800, with no down p
> Kayla Sampson, an antiques dealer from Mankato, Minnesota, received her monthly billing statement for April for her MasterCard account. The statement indicated that she had a beginning balance of $600, on day 5 she charged $150, on day 12 she charged $30
> Miguel Perez of Pamona, California, obtained a two-year installment loan for $1,500 to buy a television set eight months ago. The loan had a 12.6 percent APR and a finance charge of $204.72. His monthly payment is $71.03. Miguel has made eight monthly pa
> What is the likelihood of average people paying estate or inheritance taxes?
> Distinguish between an irrevocable living trust and testamentary trusts?
> What topics go into a properly drafted will?
> Now that you have read the chapter on buying housing, what do you recommend to Shelby Clark regarding: 1. Buying or renting housing in the Denver area? 2. Steps she should take prior to actively looking at homes? 3. Finding a home and negotiating the pur
> Distinguish between probate and nonprobate property.
> What is probate, and give three examples of how people should transfer assets by contract to avoid probate.
> Offer some positive and negative observations on the wisdom of buying an annuity with some of your retirement nest egg money when you retire.
> Summarize how long one’s retirement money will last given certain withdrawal rates.
> Name two types of penalty-free withdrawals from retirement accounts.
> What are some negative impacts of taking early withdrawals from retirement accounts?
> Offer reasons why futures contracts are not appropriate for the long-term investor.
> Explain how a speculative options investor can make a lot of money.
> Summarize one way a person with a conservative investment philosophy can profit in options.
> Distinguish between a call and a put for the options investor.
> Now that you have read this chapter on vehicle and other major purchases, what do you recommend to David and Lisa Cosgrove regarding: 1. How to search for a vehicle to replace Alyssa’s? 2. Whether to replace Alyssa’s vehicle with a new or used vehicle? 3
> Review Figures 13-1 and 13-2, and record in writing an investment plan to fund your retirement, presumably one of your own long-term goals. Figures 13-1: Figures 13-2: Figure 13-1 Long-Term Rates of Return on Investments (Annualized returns since 1
> What does a health care proxy achieve?
> What is a living will and what does it try to accomplish?
> Offer some reasons why people should create advance directive documents.
> What does a durable power of attorney provide, and can it be changed?
> Describe the term release and explain why signing a release too soon might work to your disadvantage.
> Describe what you should do to file a claim most effectively when involved in an automobile accident.
> What is the best way to establish documentation for potential losses to your personal property?
> Who would use a Keogh rather than a SEP-IRA to save for retirement?
> List two differences between a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA.
