The dumb things smart people do with their money: thirteen ways to right your financial wrongs

"Do you have a "friend" who is super smart, has a great career, holds a graduate degree, has even saved a chunk of money for retirement, but who keeps making the same dumb mistakes when it comes to money? Is this "friend" you? After decades working as a Wall Street trader, investment adviser, and money expert for CBS, Jill Schlesinger reveals thirteen costly mistakes you're probably making right now with your money without even knowing it. Drawing on heartfelt personal stories (yes, money experts screw up, too), Schlesinger argues that it's not lack of smarts that causes even the brightest, most accomplished people among us to behave like financial dumb-asses, but simple emotional blind spots. By breaking bad habits and following Jill's pragmatic and accessible rules for managing your finances, you can save tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention avoid countless sleepless nights. Practical, no-nonsense, and often counterintuitive, The Dumb Things Smart People Do with Their Money tells you what you really need to hear about retirement, college financing, insurance, real estate, and more. It might just be the smartest investment you make all year"--;You buy financial products that you don't understand -- You take financial advice from the wrong people -- You make money more important than it is -- You take on too much college debt -- You buy a house when you should rent -- You take on too much risk -- You fail to protect your identity -- You indulge yourself too much during your early retirement years -- You saddle your kids with your own money issues -- You don't plan for the care of your aging parents -- You buy the wrong kinds of insurance, or none at all -- You don't have a will -- You try to "time" the market -- Appendix: Thirteen smart things smart people should do.