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1 | (70) |
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Personal Finance: The Stuff They Didn't Teach You in College |
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3 | (8) |
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Exactly What Is Personal Finance? |
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4 | (1) |
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Why Don't I Already Know This Stuff? |
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5 | (1) |
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Whatever Happened to Personal Finance 101? |
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5 | (1) |
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But I Don't Think I'll Be Able to Understand It |
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6 | (1) |
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6 | (1) |
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Personal Finance Is for My Parents |
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7 | (4) |
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You're Out Here--Now What Are You Gonna Do? |
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11 | (8) |
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Hey! Nobody Told Me It Was Gonna Be Like This! |
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12 | (2) |
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Mom and Dad, Where Are You? |
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12 | (1) |
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It's a Big, Cold World Out Here |
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13 | (1) |
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14 | (1) |
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A Look at Where You're Going |
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15 | (4) |
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Taking a Look at Your Bank Accounts |
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19 | (10) |
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Do You Have the Accounts You Need? |
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20 | (4) |
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20 | (2) |
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22 | (1) |
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23 | (1) |
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All Banks Are Not Created Equal |
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24 | (2) |
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26 | (1) |
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Stop at the ATM, I Need More Cash |
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26 | (3) |
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Automated Teller Machines or Automated Theft Machines? |
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27 | (1) |
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27 | (2) |
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29 | (14) |
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Everybody Wants a Credit Card---Until They Have One |
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30 | (3) |
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Getting a Card If You Don't Have One |
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31 | (1) |
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Co-Signers and Secured Cards |
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32 | (1) |
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How Many Credit Cards Does One Person Need? |
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33 | (1) |
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Keep It (Your Credit Card) in Your Pants |
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34 | (2) |
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Knowing When to Use Your Credit Card |
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35 | (1) |
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35 | (1) |
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Advantages of Debit Cards or Prepaid Credit Cards |
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36 | (1) |
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Keeping Your Credit and Debit Cards Safe |
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37 | (1) |
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Finding a Better Deal on Your Credit Cards |
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38 | (3) |
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38 | (1) |
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39 | (1) |
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40 | (1) |
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Timeliness Is Next to Godliness: Paying Off Your Debt |
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41 | (2) |
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Finding a Place with the Right Zip Code |
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43 | (12) |
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Doing the Apartment Thing |
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44 | (5) |
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44 | (1) |
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45 | (1) |
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Knowing What You Can Spend |
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46 | (1) |
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47 | (1) |
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Three's Company---Or a Crowd |
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48 | (1) |
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49 | (1) |
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50 | (1) |
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What Am I Gonna Sleep On? |
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51 | (1) |
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I Gotta Pay for That, Too? |
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52 | (3) |
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52 | (1) |
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52 | (1) |
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53 | (1) |
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The Cost of Staying In Touch |
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53 | (2) |
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55 | (16) |
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Cruising the Auto Industry Landscape |
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56 | (1) |
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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles |
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57 | (2) |
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Not Everybody Needs a Car |
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57 | (1) |
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Renting a Car When You Need One |
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58 | (1) |
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The Great Debate: Buying or Leasing |
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59 | (6) |
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59 | (2) |
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61 | (1) |
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62 | (1) |
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62 | (3) |
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New or Used, Big or Small? |
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65 | (2) |
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Car Buying and Social Responsibility |
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65 | (1) |
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Taking a Look at Hybrid Cars |
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66 | (1) |
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Remembering That Safety Counts |
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67 | (1) |
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Best Places---Online and Off---To Shop for a Car |
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67 | (1) |
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Your Car Costs More Than You Think |
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68 | (3) |
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Part 2: On Your Own and Loving It |
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71 | (60) |
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73 | (12) |
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Living With the Job You've Got |
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73 | (1) |
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74 | (4) |
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75 | (1) |
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76 | (2) |
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78 | (1) |
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There's More to a Job Than the Money |
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78 | (1) |
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79 | (4) |
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83 | (2) |
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85 | (8) |
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86 | (1) |
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Evaluating Your Expectations |
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87 | (1) |
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Looking at What You Need and What You Don't |
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88 | (5) |
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89 | (1) |
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90 | (3) |
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93 | (16) |
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Why Budgets Have Such a Bad Rep |
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94 | (1) |
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94 | (1) |
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What Your Budget Should Include |
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95 | (5) |
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98 | (1) |
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99 | (1) |
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Trimming the Fat: Analyzing Your Expenses |
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100 | (4) |
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103 | (1) |
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One Job, Two Jobs, Three Jobs, Four |
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104 | (1) |
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105 | (1) |
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Software and Websites for Budgeting |
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106 | (3) |
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Getting Into the Swing of Savings |
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109 | (8) |
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Are You a Saver or a Spender? |
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109 | (3) |
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Evaluating Your Financial Personality |
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110 | (1) |
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Savers Have It Made (Almost) |
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110 | (1) |
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Spenders Have to Work a Little Harder |
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111 | (1) |
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A Penny Saved Is More Than a Penny Earned |
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112 | (2) |
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Getting Into a Savings Mindset |
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114 | (1) |
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Saving Money on Almost Everything |
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115 | (2) |
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Your Credit: Use It, Don't Abuse It |
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117 | (14) |
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Building a Credit History |
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118 | (1) |
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Knowing When Enough Is Enough |
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118 | (1) |
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Oops! I Think I'm in Trouble |
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119 | (4) |
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Recognizing Credit Trouble |
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120 | (1) |
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Preventing and Recognizing Identity Theft |
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120 | (1) |
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121 | (1) |
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122 | (1) |
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Reputable and Not-So-Reputable Sources of Help |
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123 | (1) |
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Your Credit Report and Credit Score |
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124 | (7) |
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How to Get a Copy of Your Credit Report |
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128 | (3) |
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131 | (60) |
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133 | (10) |
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134 | (1) |
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135 | (1) |
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136 | (3) |
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M.B.As, Ph.Ds, M.C.Ps, M.Archs, and Sc.Ds |
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137 | (1) |
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Online Degrees---How Do They Measure Up? |
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137 | (1) |
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Finding Loans to Help Finance Your Education |
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138 | (1) |
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Life Is Better in the Tropics |
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139 | (1) |
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Aren't These Computers Cool? |
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140 | (1) |
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141 | (2) |
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What's All This Talk About Investments? |
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143 | (16) |
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144 | (2) |
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How Much Do You Have to Invest? |
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145 | (1) |
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146 | (1) |
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146 | (3) |
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149 | (1) |
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150 | (1) |
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CDs---We're Not Talking Compact Discs |
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151 | (2) |
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153 | (5) |
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153 | (1) |
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154 | (1) |
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Tax Advantages of 401 (k) Plans |
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155 | (1) |
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Getting Money Early from Your 401 (k) |
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156 | (1) |
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157 | (1) |
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Money Purchase and Cash Balance Plans |
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158 | (1) |
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159 | (16) |
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How Did Taxes Happen, Anyway? |
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160 | (1) |
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What's Your Taxable Income? |
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160 | (2) |
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How to Make Less of Your Income Taxable |
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162 | (1) |
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163 | (5) |
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163 | (1) |
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164 | (4) |
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168 | (1) |
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Preparing Your Tax Returns |
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169 | (3) |
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170 | (1) |
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Help! I Need Somebody (Not Just Anybody) |
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171 | (1) |
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Websites and Software To Help You Prepare Your Taxes |
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172 | (1) |
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173 | (2) |
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Looking Out for What You Have |
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175 | (16) |
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Welcome to the Insurance Jungle |
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176 | (1) |
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176 | (1) |
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Sometimes You Need It, Sometimes You Don't |
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177 | (9) |
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179 | (2) |
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181 | (2) |
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183 | (1) |
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183 | (2) |
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185 | (1) |
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186 | (1) |
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My Mama Told Me: You Better Shop Around |
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187 | (1) |
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What Do You Mean, I'm Not Covered? |
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188 | (3) |
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Part 4: To Everything There Is a Season |
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191 | (78) |
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193 | (12) |
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Can 20 Million Americans Be Wrong? |
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194 | (1) |
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Working at Home for Somebody Else |
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195 | (1) |
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196 | (1) |
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196 | (4) |
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Zoning and Other Legal Issues |
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197 | (1) |
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197 | (1) |
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Getting the Equipment You Need |
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198 | (1) |
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Financing the Stuff You'll Need |
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199 | (1) |
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Challenges and Opportunities for the Self-Employed |
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200 | (5) |
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200 | (2) |
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202 | (2) |
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Insurance Is Especially Important |
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204 | (1) |
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205 | (12) |
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206 | (1) |
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She (Gulp!) Wants Me to Move In with Her! |
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207 | (2) |
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207 | (1) |
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208 | (1) |
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Breaking Up Is Hard to Do |
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209 | (1) |
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209 | (2) |
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Uh, Could You Sign Here, Please? |
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211 | (1) |
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Goin' to the Chapel and We're Gonna Get Married |
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212 | (2) |
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212 | (1) |
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Ouch! Here Comes the Bill |
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213 | (1) |
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Filing Jointly or Separately? |
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214 | (1) |
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And Then There Were Three |
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214 | (3) |
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How a Baby Affects Your Life |
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215 | (1) |
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How a Baby Affects Your Pocketbook |
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215 | (2) |
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Not Your Father's Pension Plan: Retirement Funds in the Modern World |
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217 | (14) |
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Is Retirement Planning Your Top Priority? It Should Be |
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218 | (2) |
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218 | (1) |
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Little Savings Can Mean a Lot |
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219 | (1) |
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220 | (4) |
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Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) |
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220 | (2) |
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The Importance of Timing Your IRA Contributions |
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222 | (1) |
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223 | (1) |
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224 | (3) |
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224 | (1) |
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225 | (1) |
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226 | (1) |
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226 | (1) |
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So Where Should My Retirement Money Go? |
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227 | (1) |
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Early Withdrawal Penalties |
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228 | (3) |
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Investing Beyond Retirement Accounts |
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231 | (12) |
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When Is the Best Time to Start Investing? |
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232 | (1) |
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What Are You Investing For? |
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232 | (1) |
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What Kind of Investor Do You Want to Be? |
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233 | (2) |
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233 | (1) |
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234 | (1) |
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234 | (1) |
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Your Timetable Is Important, Too |
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234 | (1) |
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You Can't Tax That! Can You? |
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235 | (4) |
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Show Me the Way to the Investment Store |
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239 | (4) |
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239 | (2) |
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Understanding Index Funds |
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241 | (1) |
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242 | (1) |
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243 | (14) |
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How Does the Stock Market Work? |
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244 | (4) |
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246 | (1) |
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247 | (1) |
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248 | (2) |
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250 | (2) |
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Understanding Asset Allocation |
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252 | (1) |
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Where to Invest Your Money |
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252 | (5) |
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Safe, but Not Too Exciting |
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253 | (1) |
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Exciting, but Just How Safe? |
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254 | (1) |
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Is Investing in Baseball Cards a Good Idea? |
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254 | (3) |
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We All Need Somebody to Lean On |
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257 | (12) |
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Know Thy Finances, Know Thy Advisor |
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258 | (1) |
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Do I Need a Financial Advisor? |
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258 | (1) |
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The Who's Who of Financial Advisors |
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259 | (2) |
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259 | (2) |
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Finding a Reputable Financial Advisor |
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261 | (2) |
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Finding a Financial Advisor Online |
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262 | (1) |
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263 | (1) |
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Places and People to Avoid |
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263 | (3) |
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263 | (1) |
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264 | (1) |
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I Know What You Did Last Summer |
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265 | (1) |
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Things Your Investment Advisor Should Never Do |
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266 | (3) |
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266 | (1) |
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Taking Custody of Your Money |
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266 | (1) |
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Ignoring Your Wishes or Neglecting to Keep You Informed |
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267 | (2) |
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Part 5: So You're Thinking of Buying a House |
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269 | (88) |
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There's No Place Like Home |
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271 | (16) |
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It's the American Dream---But Is It Right for Everyone? |
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272 | (1) |
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How Much House Can You Afford? |
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273 | (4) |
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274 | (1) |
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275 | (1) |
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Your Monthly Mortgage Payment |
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275 | (2) |
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The All-Important Down Payment |
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277 | (2) |
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Choosing the Right Real Estate Agent |
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279 | (1) |
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The Great House Hunt Begins |
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280 | (4) |
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Building a House vs. Buying a House |
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281 | (1) |
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282 | (1) |
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Single, Double, Townhouse, Duplex, or Condo? |
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282 | (1) |
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There Goes the Neighborhood |
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283 | (1) |
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Don't Forget to Check Out the Schools |
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283 | (1) |
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Time to Buy Some Furniture |
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284 | (3) |
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The Least You Need to Know |
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285 | (2) |
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We'd Like to Borrow Some Money, Please |
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287 | (16) |
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Just What Exactly Is a Mortgage? |
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288 | (1) |
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Getting the Mortgage That's Best for You |
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289 | (7) |
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290 | (1) |
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Adjustable-Rate Mortgages |
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290 | (2) |
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Which Is Better: Fixed-Rate or Adjustable? |
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292 | (1) |
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Knowing When to Refinance Your Mortgage |
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293 | (1) |
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294 | (1) |
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Thirty-Year Versus Fifteen-Year Mortgages |
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295 | (1) |
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296 | (1) |
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Alternative Types of Mortgages |
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296 | (2) |
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Federal Housing Administration Loans |
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297 | (1) |
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Veteran's Administration Loans |
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297 | (1) |
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Community Home Buyer's Program |
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297 | (1) |
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297 | (1) |
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Where to Go to Get Your Mortgage |
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298 | (1) |
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299 | (1) |
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Getting Your Mortgage Approved Faster |
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300 | (1) |
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What Happens at Settlement? |
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300 | (3) |
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Paying It Off, Little by Little |
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303 | (14) |
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How Quickly Should You Pay Your Mortgage? |
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304 | (5) |
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How Much Extra Do I Have to Pay? |
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307 | (1) |
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What About Biweekly Payments? |
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307 | (2) |
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Put Your Money Where Your Mortgage Is |
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309 | (1) |
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What If I Can't Make a Payment? |
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310 | (3) |
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310 | (1) |
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Private Mortgage Insurance |
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311 | (2) |
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Putting Money in an Escrow Account |
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313 | (4) |
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How Owning a Home Affects Your Taxes |
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317 | (8) |
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Tax Benefits of Owning a Home |
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318 | (3) |
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318 | (2) |
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320 | (1) |
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You Wanna Play House? You Gotta Pay Taxes |
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321 | (1) |
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Home-Equity Loans and Lines of Credit |
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322 | (3) |
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325 | (32) |
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Nobody Should Be Without Homeowners Insurance |
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326 | (2) |
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How Much Homeowners Insurance Do You Need? |
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327 | (1) |
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Look for a Guaranteed Replacement Provision |
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327 | (1) |
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Personal Property Coverage |
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328 | (2) |
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Exactly What Should You Insure? |
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329 | (1) |
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Make Sure You Know What You Have |
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330 | (1) |
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330 | (1) |
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Insuring Against Natural Disasters |
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331 | (2) |
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The Government Will Take Care of Us |
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332 | (1) |
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The Best Places to Buy Homeowners Insurance |
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333 | (2) |
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335 | (4) |
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B Show Me the Money Glossary |
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339 | (18) |
| Index |
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357 | |
Other versions by this Author