Introduction to Personal Finance

JOHN GRABLE teaches and conducts research in the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. undergraduate and graduate programs at the University of Georgia where he holds an Athletic Association Endowed Professorship. Prior to entering the academic profession, he worked as a pension/benefits administrator and later as a Registered Investment Adviser in an asset management firm. Dr. Grable has served the financial planning profession as the founding editor of the Journal of Personal Finance and co-founding editor of the Journal of Financial Therapy and Financial Planning Review. He is best known for his work in the areas of financial literacy and education, financial risk-tolerance assessment, behavioral financial planning, and evidence-based financial planning. He has been the recipient of numerous research and publication awards and grants, and is active in promoting the link between research and financial planning practice where he has published over 150 refereed papers, co-authored several textbooks, co-authored a financial planning communication and counseling book, and co-edited a financial planning and counseling scales book and a personal finance handbook. Since earning his doctorate degree, Dr. Grable has served on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants (IARFC), as Treasurer and President for the American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI), and as Treasurer and board member for the Financial Therapy Association. He has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Cato Award for Distinguished Journalism in the Field of Financial Services, the IARFC Founders Award, the Dawley-Scholer Award for Faculty Excellence in Student Development, and the ACCI Mid-Career Award. He currently writes an economics and investing column for the Journal of Financial Service Professionals and provides research and consulting services through the Financial Planning Performance Lab. LANCE PALMER received his bachelor's and MBA degrees from The University of Utah and his doctorate degree from Utah State University. He is a co-founder of the University of Georgia (UGA) financial planning program where he continues to teach and conduct research with a focus on tax planning and financial behavior change. Dr. Palmer holds the Janette McGarity Barber Distinguished Professorship and teaches both undergraduate and graduate financial planning and personal finance courses within the UGA financial planning program. He is active in research-based financial education throughout Georgia and the country, and collaborates on the design, implementation, and evaluation of personal finance education interventions delivered in a variety of settings. He is a Certified Financial Planner professional and a Certified Public Accountant (UT). He has served on multiple editorial boards and as President of the Academy of Financial Services. He was selected as a Lilly Teaching Fellow, and received the Richard B. Russell Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, the Engaged Scholar Award, and the Service-Learning Research Excellence Award. Working closely with Georgia United Credit Union and UGA Cooperative Extension, Dr. Palmer has helped to expand the service-learning Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program throughout Georgia. Under this program, students studying financial planning and accounting complete thousands of tax returns for families in the local community each year and provide thousands of hours of financial education and planning assistance to tax filers during the tax preparation process. Dr. Palmer is a co-founder of the UGA Financial Resiliency Lab, which seeks to build wealth among low-income individuals and families through financial education, coaching, goal development, and tax-time savings interventions.

1 Beginning Your Financial Journey: The Interior Finance Point of View 1

2 Tools for Your Financial Journey 46

3 Earnings and Income: The Building Blocks of Your Financial Journey 113

4 Personal Taxation 160

5 Checking Accounts, Credit Scores, and Credit Cards 217

6 Loans and Housing Decisions 272

7 The Foundation of Savings 339

8 Investments 395

9 Risk Management: The Role of Insurance 490

10 Planning for the Future: Retirement and Estate Planning 553

INDEX 608