Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere

If you don't actively resist America's culture of debt, you'll end up precisely where the government, banks, and big business want you to be: indentured servitude. The mistakes people make with their money are basic, and avoidable, and unless you understand what they are, you're probably going to repeat them. What you need is someone who can shed light on the obstacles we face and show you how to avoid getting tripped up by them.

Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere shows how society is rigged to take as much of your wealth as possible, and simple ways you can resist. It investigates, explains, and offers advice for all those who have fallen into debt, taken a second mortgage, been trapped by credit cards, or found themselves unable to get ahead.

• Discusses what you can do to stop the destructive cycle of borrowing and spending
• Illustrates the four major tenets of getting money right
• Highlights how to avoid the many ways that government, banks, and big business try to trap you with debt

To secure your financial future, you must break the dangerous cycle of borrowing and spending, and learn how to guard your wealth against corporate ploys. Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere leads you down the only proven path to financial freedom.

Introduction Life as a Sucker 1

Chapter 1 The First Rule of Finance 7

Chapter 2 Credit, Cars, and Castles 13

Chapter 3 Toxic FSP in the Alphabet of Idiocy 27

Chapter 4 The Society You’re Up Against 47

Chapter 5 Government of the Corporations, by the Corporations, for the Corporations 63

Chapter 6 How Money Is Power 89

Chapter 7 Financial Freedom 147

Chapter 8 Guarantee Your Own Well-Being 159

Chapter 9 On the Front Lines of Freedom 169

Conclusion In Yourself You Trust 185

Appendix A Smart Scenarios 189

Appendix B Getting Out of Debt 191

Appendix C Keep Current 195

Notes 197

Acknowledgments 201

About the Author 203

Index 205

Jason Kelly is editor of The Kelly Letter and author of eight books, including the bestseller The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing. He graduated in 1993 from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He currently lives in Sano, Japan, north of Tokyo. Find his latest ideas and join his free e-mail list at www.jasonkelly.com.

If you don't actively resist America's culture of debt, you'll end up precisely where the government, banks, and big business want you to be: indentured servitude. The mistakes people make with their money are basic, and avoidable, but unless you understand what they are, you're probably going to repeat them.

What you need is someone who can shed light on the obstacles you face and show you how to avoid getting tripped up by them. That's why Jason Kelly—bestselling author of the acclaimed Neatest Little Guide series of financial books and Editor of The Kelly Letter—has created Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere.

Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this reliable resource reveals how society is rigged to take as much of your wealth as possible and outlines the simple ways to resist this. It investigates, explains, and offers honest advice for all those who have fallen into debt, taken a second mortgage, been trapped by credit cards, or found themselves unable to get ahead. Page by page, Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere:

• Discusses why following the First Rule of Finance—spending no more than 80 percent of your take-home pay—is essential to get you headed in the right direction
• Introduces you to the Three Cs—credit cards, cars, and castles—and shows how controlling them can make a significant difference in your financial life
• Explores non-financial-sector threats to your wealth and what can be done to protect yourself against them
• And much more

To secure your financial future, you must break the dangerous cycle of borrowing and spending, and learn how to guard your wealth against corporate ploys. Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere will help you achieve this goal and lead you down the only proven path to financial freedom.

If you don't actively resist America's culture of debt, you'll end up precisely where the government, banks, and big business want you to be: indentured servitude. The mistakes people make with their money are basic, and avoidable, but unless you understand what they are, you're probably going to repeat them.

What you need is someone who can shed light on the obstacles you face and show you how to avoid getting tripped up by them. That's why Jason Kelly—bestselling author of the acclaimed Neatest Little Guide series of financial books and Editor of The Kelly Letter—has created Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere.

Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this reliable resource reveals how society is rigged to take as much of your wealth as possible and outlines the simple ways to resist this. It investigates, explains, and offers honest advice for all those who have fallen into debt, taken a second mortgage, been trapped by credit cards, or found themselves unable to get ahead. Page by page, Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere:

• Discusses why following the First Rule of Finance—spending no more than 80 percent of your take-home pay—is essential to get you headed in the right direction
• Introduces you to the Three Cs—credit cards, cars, and castles—and shows how controlling them can make a significant difference in your financial life
• Explores non-financial-sector threats to your wealth and what can be done to protect yourself against them
• And much more

To secure your financial future, you must break the dangerous cycle of borrowing and spending, and learn how to guard your wealth against corporate ploys. Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere will help you achieve this goal and lead you down the only proven path to financial freedom.