Stock Investing For Dummies, 6th Edition

Stock Investing For Dummies, 6th Edition

by Paul Mladjenovic
Released May 2020
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119660767

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Book description

New ideas, strategies and resources to help you prosper in both up and down markets

This new edition of Stock Investing for Dummies gives you proven strategies for selecting the stock of solid, winning companies and help you build your portfolio for either growth, cashflow (dividends) or both. Long-term stock investing has been a reliable and foundational part of most wealth-building plans for over a century and you can benefit from profitable, actionable tactics, tips and successful strategies in this edition.

You will be able to navigate confidently through the post-pandemic period and through the market's rollercoaster ride and end up more prosperous than most stock investors. You'll also learn which types of stocks are best in a recession or stagnant economy.

With the help of this guide, you'll quickly learn how to profit despite the turbulence and uncertainty with plain-English tips and information on both stocks and ETFs, new tax rules, exchanges, and investment vehicles, as well as the latest guidance on the global market landscape.

Find out...

  • The best approaches for investing in stocks (chapter 3)
  • How to successfully invest in stocks with less than $100 (chapter 19)
  • How to make your stock portfolio a "cash flow machine" for retirement (chapter 9)
  • Learn how to minimize losses and maximize gains (chapter 17)
  • The 10 features of a great stock to buy for long-term success (chapter 22)
  • 10 ways to successful invest when the market is down (chapter 23)
  • See the "right numbers" inside the company for safer stock choices (chapter 11)
  • Need more income? Find out how to choose solid dividend-paying stocks (chapter 9)
  • Explore new investment opportunities (chapter 13)
  • Don't just make gains & income…learn how to keep more after taxes (chapter 21)

Stock Investing for Dummies is an essential guide for anyone looking for trusted, comprehensive guidance to ensure their stock investments keep growing.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  3. Part 1: The Essentials of Stock Investing
    1. Chapter 1: Surveying the World of Stock Investing
      1. Understanding the Basics
      2. Preparing to Buy Stocks
      3. Knowing How to Pick Winners
    2. Chapter 2: Taking Stock of Your Current Financial Situation and Goals
      1. Establishing a Starting Point by Preparing a Balance Sheet
      2. Funding Your Stock Program
      3. Setting Your Sights on Your Financial Goals
    3. Chapter 3: Defining Common Approaches to Stock Investing
      1. Matching Stocks and Strategies with Your Goals
      2. Investing for the Future
      3. Investing for a Purpose
      4. Investing for Your Personal Style
    4. Chapter 4: Recognizing Risk and Volatility
      1. Exploring Different Kinds of Risk
      2. Getting the Scoop on Volatility
      3. Minimizing Your Risk
      4. Weighing Risk against Return
    5. Chapter 5: Stock Investing through Exchange-Traded Funds
      1. Comparing Exchange-Traded Funds and Mutual Funds
      2. Choosing an Exchange-Traded Fund
      3. Taking Note of Indexes
  4. Part 2: Before You Start Buying
    1. Chapter 6: Gathering Information
      1. Looking to Stock Exchanges for Answers
      2. Grasping the Basics of Accounting and Economics
      3. Staying on Top of Financial News
      4. Reading (And Understanding) Stock Tables
      5. Using News about Dividends
      6. Evaluating Investment Tips
    2. Chapter 7: Going for Brokers
      1. Defining the Broker’s Role
      2. Distinguishing between Full-Service and Discount Brokers
      3. Choosing a Broker
      4. Discovering Various Types of Brokerage Accounts
      5. Judging Brokers’ Recommendations
    3. Chapter 8: Investing for Long-Term Growth
      1. Becoming a Value-Oriented Growth Investor
      2. Choosing Growth Stocks with a Few Handy Tips
    4. Chapter 9: Investing for Income and Cash Flow
      1. Understanding the Basics of Income Stocks
      2. Analyzing Income Stocks
      3. Exploring Some Typical Income Stocks
      4. Covered Call Writing for Income
      5. Writing Puts for Income
    5. Chapter 10: Understanding Technical Analysis for Stock Investors
      1. Comparing Technical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis
      2. Staying on Top of Trends
      3. Getting the Scoop on Technical Charts
      4. Surveying the Relative Strength Index
  5. Part 3: Picking Winners
    1. Chapter 11: Using Basic Accounting to Choose Winning Stocks
      1. Recognizing Value When You See It
      2. Accounting for Value
    2. Chapter 12: Decoding Company Documents
      1. A Message from the Bigwigs: Reading the Annual Report
      2. Dig Deeper: Getting a Second Opinion
      3. Do It Yourself: Compiling Your Own Research Department
    3. Chapter 13: Emerging Sector and Industry Opportunities
      1. Telling the Difference between a Sector and an Industry
      2. Interrogating the Sectors and Industries
      3. Outlining Key Sectors and Industries
    4. Chapter 14: Small Cap Stocks, IPOs, and Motif Investing
      1. Exploring Small Caps
      2. Investigating IPOs
      3. Getting the Scoop on Motif Investing
    5. Chapter 15: The Big Economic and Political Picture
      1. Tying Together Politics and Stocks
      2. Poking into Political Resources
  6. Part 4: Investment Strategies and Tactics
    1. Chapter 16: Discovering Screening Tools
      1. Understanding the Basics of Screening Tools
      2. Touring a Stock Screening Tool
      3. Checking Out an ETF Screening Tool
      4. A Few Final Points to Keep in Mind
    2. Chapter 17: Understanding Brokerage Orders and Trading Techniques
      1. Checking Out Brokerage Orders
      2. Buying on Margin
      3. Going Short and Coming Out Ahead
    3. Chapter 18: International Stock Investing Opportunities
      1. Investigating the Basics of International Stock Investing
      2. International Stock Investing via Exchange-Traded Funds
      3. Checking Out International Investing Resources
    4. Chapter 19: Getting a Handle on DPPs, DRPs, and DCA … PDQ
      1. Going Straight to Direct Purchase Programs
      2. Delving into Dividend Reinvestment Plans
      3. The One-Two Punch: Dollar Cost Averaging and DRPs
    5. Chapter 20: Corporate and Government Skullduggery: Looking at Insider Activity
      1. Tracking Insider Trading
      2. Looking at Insider Transactions
      3. Considering Corporate Stock Buybacks
      4. Stock Splits: Nothing to Go Bananas Over
      5. Keeping a Close Eye on Congress
    6. Chapter 21: Keeping More of Your Money from the Taxman
      1. Paying through the Nose: The Tax Treatment of Different Investments
      2. Sharing Your Gains with the IRS
      3. Discovering the Softer Side of the IRS: Tax Deductions for Investors
      4. Taking Advantage of Tax-Advantaged Retirement Investing
  7. Part 5: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 22: Ten Indicators of a Great Stock
      1. The Company Has Rising Profits
      2. The Company Has Rising Sales
      3. The Company Has Low Liabilities
      4. The Stock Is at a Bargain Price
      5. Dividends Are Growing
      6. The Market Is Growing
      7. The Company Is in a Field with a High Barrier to Entry
      8. The Company Has a Low Political Profile
      9. The Stock Is Optionable
      10. The Stock Is Benefiting from Favorable Megatrends
    2. Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Profit in a Bear Market
      1. Find Good Stocks to Buy
      2. Hunt for Dividends
      3. Unearth Gems with Bond Ratings
      4. Rotate Your Sectors
      5. Go Short on Bad Stocks
      6. Carefully Use Margin
      7. Buy a Call Option
      8. Write a Covered Call Option
      9. Write a Put Option to Generate Income
      10. Be Patient
    3. Chapter 24: Ten Investments and Strategies That Go Great with Stocks
      1. Covered Call Options
      2. Put Options
      3. Cash
      4. EE Savings Bonds
      5. I Bonds
      6. Sector Mutual Funds
      7. Motif Investing
      8. Bearish Exchange-Traded Funds
      9. Dividend Yield Exchange-Traded Funds
      10. Consumer Staples Exchange-Traded Funds
    4. Chapter 25: Ten Investing Pitfalls and Challenges for 2020–2030
      1. Trillion-Dollar Pension Shortfalls
      2. European Crises
      3. The Bond and Debt Bubble
      4. A Demographic Upheaval
      5. Federal Deficits and Debt
      6. A Social Security Reckoning
      7. Terrorism
      8. A Potential Currency Crisis
      9. A Derivatives Time Bomb
      10. Socialism
  8. Part 6: Appendixes
    1. Appendix A: Resources for Stock Investors
      1. Financial Planning Sources
      2. The Language of Investing
      3. Textual Investment Resources
      4. Investing Websites
      5. Investor Associations and Organizations
      6. Stock Exchanges
      7. Finding Brokers
      8. Fee-Based Investment Sources
      9. Exchange-Traded Funds
      10. Dividend Reinvestment Plans
      11. Sources for Analysis
      12. Tax Benefits and Obligations
      13. Fraud
    2. Appendix B: Financial Ratios
      1. Liquidity Ratios
      2. Operating Ratios
      3. Solvency Ratios
      4. Common Size Ratios
      5. Valuation Ratios
  9. Index
  10. About the Author
  11. Advertisement Page
  12. Connect with Dummies
  13. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Stock Investing For Dummies, 6th Edition
  • Author(s): Paul Mladjenovic
  • Release date: May 2020
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119660767