Acknowledgments

Over the past decade, thousands of readers have called me or sent e-mails asking questions about the financial issues they struggle to solve. They have pulled me deeply into their lives, sharing their hopes and sometimes tears about their future and the role of money in life’s challenges. I have been struck by the common questions and misconceptions that arise as people try to do what’s right with their money. And I thank my readers for providing this insight. Their frustrations, both in interpreting financial advice and in using it, have had a major impact on how I have written my columns and this book.

I am grateful to the many sources of information that have been available constantly to me during 20 years as a financial journalist, especially to The Leuthold Group, Ibbotson Associates, Morningstar, Lipper, and the Employee Benefits Research Institute. Their research has enhanced my columns and also this book. I also want to thank the CFA Institute for introducing me to provocative thinkers ranging from John Neff and John Bogle to Robert Arnott and Jeremy Grantham. And I want to thank Harry Markowitz for explaining to me how modern portfolio theory has been misunderstood and misapplied.

I must also thank money managers, financial planners, and certified public accountants who have spent hours with me explaining how they make decisions for clients. Because they have helped me understand both the science and art behind their work, it is possible for me to give you the principles you need to help yourself. Special thanks are due to Gary Greenberg, Paul Lewis, Marc Hadley, Matthew Hanson, and Beverly DeVeny. In particular, Gary Greenberg must receive extraordinary thanks. He has been a friend and mentor for more than a decade, critiquing my columns and reviewing my manuscript.

As I look back at more than a decade of personal finance writing, I must thank my former managing editor, Chris Worthington, for nudging me to start my first personal finance column in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, editor Sue Campbell for encouraging me to write a book, plus Michael Lev, Chicago Tribune associate managing editor, and Pete Reinwald, Chicago Tribune Money and Real Estate Editor, for their continuous support. I also feel great appreciation for the team at Pearson FT Press, who enthusiastically welcomed the idea of helping everyday Americans handle their money and who piloted this book to publication for a first and second edition. My thanks go to Executive Editor Jim Boyd, Development Editor Russ Hall, Project Editor Jovana Shirley, and Copy Editor Krista Hansing.

Finally, my family has been extraordinary. I would not be writing this book in the first place if it hadn’t been for my dear father, Jerry Marks, who taught me to write and, along with my devoted mother, Helen Marks, laid the groundwork for seeking answers and using them to make the world a better place. No thanks are enough for my cherished husband, Jim, and daughters, Lauren and Rebecca. They have been my editors, coaches, and friends. All cheered me on and graciously gave me space as I committed more hours to this book than any of us anticipated. Finally, I must thank my late brother-in-law and statistician, Tom Jarvis, for touting the power of compounding as a 20-year-old, while most of his generation was “living for today.”