Book Description
"This book is designed for realty investors who want to profit from buying below market, making cosmetic improvements to add value, and then quickly reselling. But real estate agents and home buyers should also study it because of the valuable insights offered by a longtime, very successful real estate broker. On my scale of one to 10, this superb book rates an off-the-chart 12."
—
Robert Bruss
You've probably seen TV shows like Flip This House and Flip That House, in which Real estate investors buy, renovate, and sell a house in a matter of weeks for tens of thousands of dollars in profit. They make flipping houses look so easy that you want to jump out of your recliner (during the next commercial, of course), run down the street, find a house for sale, flip it for a 50 percent profit, and run back home to continue watching the show.
I, Ralph Roberts, have flipped hundreds of houses, and it's never as easy as it looks on TV. People don't generally line up at your front door begging you to buy their house for 30-50 percent below market value. Renovation expenses always exceed estimates. And you can't always sell a house for what you think it's worth.
Flipping houses for a profit requires time, money, and what I like to call sticktoitism—dogged determination in the face of overwhelming uncertainty.
Not just another house flipping book
You can find plenty of books about flipping houses that claim "anyone can do it" and make flipping look easy and risk-free. Flipping Houses For Dummies takes a different approach—honesty. We don't claim that flipping houses is "easy" or "simple" or "risk-free," because, quite frankly, it isn't.
Flipping Houses For Dummies reveals the risks and rewards of flipping properties; helps you determine whether you have the time, energy, cash, and other resources to be successful; and then conveys the expert knowledge that those who wish to pursue house flipping need in order to minimize risk and maximize potential profits in a very competitive market.
Did you know?
Most books on flipping houses gloss over the key factors that that make or break the novice house flipper. These are the very items we focus on in Flipping Houses For Dummies. For example, did you know:
A flipping book for real people
Flipping Houses For Dummies speaks to the mom and pop investor, steering you clear of the gray areas, which tend to carry high-risks and low-returns, into safer, more potentially profitable areas. We encourage you invest in your comfort zone and take on bigger, riskier projects with higher profit potential only when you're ready.
In Flipping Houses For Dummies we stress that the first flip is the most important one, and we take the guesswork out of the first transaction, to lead you through a positive first experience on which to build a promising real estate investment portfolio.
Flipping Houses For Dummies provides plenty of examples of successful and not-so-successful property flips, presenting the total investment (in time and money), the work involved, and the net profit. Before-and-after photos visually illustrate the positive transformations from run-down-shacks to showcase homes.
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2007-10-03
I have not finished the book but what I have read makes since and points you in the right direction. I'm looking forward to finishing the book and flipping my first house.
superb technique in detailed explanations.......2007-09-12
The writers of this book do everything for you except the actual manual labor. They make what seems scary and overwhelming seem normal,what to expect and how to even deal with it, smart tips, locating investors, the works, its all inside this book.
Good Arrival.......2007-08-31
My husband was waiting for this and it came just before the weekend, It gave him all the details he needs in order to start up this new venture in understandable terms. We love books "for dummies".
Good advice.......2007-07-25
I read this book after getting caught up in the TV frenzy of house flipping. I soon realized that I do not have the time required to put into house flipping for now. There is a lot of other good advice in this book that will better prepare for flipping(or not in my case). Very worthy purchase.
Flipping Houses for Dummies.......2007-05-09
I have started reading this and it seems to have some very helpful hints. I have not read it all the way through yet, but this is something that I plan to do in the future, so the book will be a reference guide when I get ready to invest.
Amazon.com
Personal Finance for Dummies offers sound and practical advice for those who want to get control over their personal financial lives. Author Eric Tyson points out the most common mistakes that we all make in our approach to money and prescribes ways to save and invest for a secure future. Using worksheets, the book helps you to measure your own financial health by looking at factors such as how much debt you carry, your savings rate, as well as investment and insurance checkups. The book looks at how you should invest your retirement account, approach taxes, and provides a good overview on how to buy real estate.
Book Description
Too many personal finance consultants offer financial advice that ignores the big picture and instead focuses on investing. You need much more than that to plan your future. You need a broader understanding of personal finance that includes all areas of your financial life in order to become financially sound.
Personal Finance for Dummies, 5
th Edition is full of detailed, action-oriented financial advice that will show you how to lower expenses and tame debts as well as invest wisely to achieve your financial goals! Now in its 5
th edition, this up-to-date guide covers all the latest trends to ensure your financial stability. Just some of the updates and revisions include:
- Reviews of the new and revised tax laws and how to take advantage of them
- The latest scoop on Medicare and Social Security and what it means for you
- Updated investment advice on mutual funds and other managed investments
- Enhanced smart spending tips
- Coverage of new bankruptcy laws and how to eliminate consumer debt
- Smart ways to use credit and improve credit scores
- Expanded coverage on educational savings options
This hands-on, straightforward guide features ways to survive life changes such as starting your first job, getting married, having children, and retiring, as well as helpful tactics for preventing identity theft and fraud. With Personal Finance for Dummies, 5
th Edition, you’ll be able to achieve financial strength and start concentrating on the more important things in life!
Customer Reviews:
Definitely worth a read if you're struggling financially.......2007-10-05
I got this book right after purchasing my first house, because I knew I needed help with several things: 1) staying on top of my money so I could pay the mortgage on time every month, 2) understanding all my options regarding things like refinancing my home and so on, 3) starting a savings account, and 4) some sort of retirement account sometime in the future. This book has helped me with all of those. The author seems somewhat conservative at certain points, and advises a few things I wouldn't do (or advises against things I don't think are as big of a risk as he does)--but hey, he's a finance guy, of course he's conservative! Overall, this book is very clearly and simply written, and exhaustive in what it covers. I feel like I'm well on my way toward much better financial health as a result of reading it.
Best Gift for Children - of all ages.......2007-08-25
Ive given away too many of my copies of this book. Now each of my three children have their own copy. It is making them much more responsible for their finances. And that is a parent's best gift- to ourselves.
comprehensive and concise.......2007-07-27
No matter how old you are or how much money you make, you can use the advice in this book. This book is not sensationalist in any way; the author does not try to apply one formula to everyone's financial situation. Instead, this book helps you realize on paper what your current financial picture looks like, and then helps you to form and plan sensible goals.
It comprehensively yet succinctly addresses banking, saving, investing, spending, debt management, taxes, real estate, and insurance.
10 years and the book is still useful.......2007-07-19
I bought this book in 1999 after my husband and I graduated and got jobs. We still use this book extensively. From getting the right type of insurance coverage to help planning our portfolio, this book has been invaluable.
The book is very practical - my husband and I have strong theoretical training in finance but needed this book to translate that knowledge into action.
This book will pay for itself in no time. Buy it!
I really like it.......2007-06-30
I have been clueless and careless about financial responsibilities. I have always had my parents to provide for me. After starting a family of my own, buying a house, and realizing I can't rely on my parent to provide for my retirement, I needed to learn about money. This book has been so informative and so on target. We have met with a financial advisor that has set up things for us before I even bought the book. So while reading, I'm realizing I could have done this on my own with the help of this book. It is very simple to read and understand (I'm not a genius or corporate world savy...just a suburban mom) and I enjoyed reading this and learning all sorts of ways to save and invest and pay off our many debts. I wish they supplied this book during high school before everyone starts racking up their debt.
Amazon.com
This may be the best comprehensive guide for home buyers. Home Buying for Dummies is coauthored by Eric Tyson, author of several other books in the For Dummies series, and Ray Brown, a long-time real estate professional. Like other books in the series, this one is an easy and even entertaining read. But it does not gloss over details in pursuit of simplicity. Home Buying for Dummies covers all the bases, providing clear explanations and reasonable judgments on how to select a mortgage, hire a real estate agent, find the right house, and negotiate a good deal. The book goes further than most in providing helpful, specific information. For example, in discussing ways to save money for a future down payment, Home Buying for Dummies even includes the phone numbers for various mutual funds appropriate to different investment time frames. --Barry Mitzman
Book Description
Though fun and exciting, buying a home can also be complicated and confusing—and most people learn the hard way that a wrong move can cost dearly. In order to find the perfect home at the best price, you must have skill, foresight, and a little guidance from experienced professionals.
Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition provides just that! Packed with invaluable advice in an objective, down-to-earth style that will have you sitting in your dream home in no time, this friendly guide contains everything you need to know to play the home buying game. It has the tools you need to:
- Improve your credit score and select a mortgage
- Choose a time and place to buy
- Determine the price you want to pay
- Assemble an all-star real estate team
- Make use of the wonderful world of the Internet
- Negotiate your best deal
- Inspect and protect your home
- Handle and become responsible for the title
- Cope with buyer’s remorse
Featured in this guide are tips and tricks on things you should do after you seal the deal, as well as things you ought to know about real estate investing. Also included is advice on how to sell your house, as well as a sample real estate purchase contract and a good inspection report. Don’t get chewed up by the real estate market—Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition will lead you to the home you want!
Customer Reviews:
Obvious Find for Practical Advice.......2007-09-27
This text is an excellent primer for those of us who are novices in the terminology and techniques involved in what could possibly be the most important financial decisions of our lives. And aren't afraid to admit it.
Slow delivery.......2007-09-21
Still have not received this product as of today 9/21. Item was needed to give as gift for 9/22.
Informative and Useful Book..........2007-08-14
This book fully explains the process of deciding when and how to buy a home. I plan to purchase a home within the next three years, and feel that I will well-prepared.
Very helpful.......2007-08-06
We picked this up when we were going to buy our first home. It helped us to make the right decision and not feel stupid by asking questions.
Informative.......2007-07-13
I was hoping that by reading this book I would be able to buy a home on my own without a realtor, however, although truly informative, I doubt that it provided me with enough information to be that independent. Definitely a good book, but needs to be back up with other sources.
Amazon.com
Investing for Dummies is a good, all-around investment guide for the rest of us. Author Eric Tyson covers all aspects of investing, from stocks and bonds to real estate and collectibles. Tyson points readers towards investments that actually work and raises warning flags about strategies you should avoid. The book also considers whether starting and running your business can be a good investment option. If you're looking for a good place to start building a secure financial future, this is it.
Book Description
Do you have a few investments that you would like to develop into a full investment plan? Would you like to know how to strengthen your portfolio? Perhaps you want to roll your 401(k) into a new plan? Whatever your agenda is, nowadays it’s hard to find good advice on where to invest your money.
Now you’ll have the ultimate one-stop, no-nonsense guide to investing with Investing for Dummies, Fourth Edition! This updated bestseller provides fresh data and analysis on where to put your money and how to improve returns on IRAs and 401(k)s, as well as investing fundamentals like examining your investment options and considering risks and returns. You’ll have all the tools you need to:
- Investigate and purchase individual stocks
- Buy bonds and other lending investments
- Select the right mutual fund
- Invest in the best stock, bond, and money market funds
- Choose a worthy brokerage firm
- Know when to invest in real estate
- Start and run your own small business
- Gather a collection of reliable investment resources
This handy reference is packed with tips and advice on how to conquer important investment obstacles and what to consider when selling an investment, as well as how to invest in a down market. With Investing for Dummies, Fourth Edition, you’ll soon have the power to turbo-charge your investment and maximize your returns!
Download Description
Revised and updated to keep up with the rapidly changing world of investing, Investing For Dummies, Fourth Edition is back and more informative than ever. A Wall Street Journal bestseller, this friendly guide has helped tens of thousands of Americans get into stock investing without risking their shirts. This trustworthy, no-nonsense guide shows readers how to be their own investment expert even in a down market and helps them get the most from retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs. Readers will learn how to spot good and bad investments, how to tell hype from real information, how to maximize investment for college or other family expenses, and how to diversify their portfolio. Addressing the questions and concerns of both new and seasoned investors in a positive, straightforward manner, Eric Tyson offers the basic advice novices need and the expert analysis experienced investors rely on. Plus, expanded information on a number of topics is included, such as how to recognize good and bad investing environments; tips on evaluating individual securities; advice on port-folio risk allocation; new investment products on the market; and the evolution of the Internet as an investment tool. As always, the Fourth Edition updates all the new tax laws and regulations that affect investing, and keeps up with the latest in technology and online trading. Investing For Dummies, Fourth Edition offers tried-and-true advice that every investor can use. Eric Tyson, MBA, is the author or coauthor of three bestselling personal finance books, including Personal Finance For Dummies (0-7645-2590-5), Mutual Funds For Dummies (0-7645-7191-5), and Home Buying For Dummies (0-7645-5331-3) with Ray Brown. He is a nationally recognized personal finance counselor, writer, and lecturer who has been widely featured in such media outlets as Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, ABC, CNBC, Bloomberg Business Radio, and NPR's Sound Money, among many others.
Customer Reviews:
Buyer beware.......2007-08-31
Tyson's not just financially conservative, but lets his personal and political bias slip in at times when it's not appropriate. He decries the entire Social Security system, indulges in the favorite right-wing hobby of bashing the New York Times's journalistic credibility (everyone else who makes incorrect predictions is simply honestly mistaken, but the NYT is an evil liberal machine, apparently), and urges parents NOT to pay for Junior's college education because "kids don't appreciate it."
As it's a "Dummies" book, there are many sections that just scratch the surface. None of it is really explained satisfactorily, and Tyson's poor narrative skills don't help. At one point he references the "facts you bring to bare [sic]" on your financial situation. Investing for the Nude would be a catchy title indeed.
Money management.......2007-06-15
Second time around. I bought one of the first editions of this book back in 1997 or 1998. The 4 th edition is a little more up to date as far as the mutual funds/bond funds. This is the best book out there for someone who is about to be in charge of there financies(ie. graduating from school or getting married). If you can discipline your spending this will help you accumalate assets.
un libro sencillo.......2007-05-08
es una obra con un lenguaje sencillo, no altamente tecnificado, donde el autor ofrece un particular punto de vista de la planificación financiera personal, haciendole opocision a otros autores como r kiyosaki.
lo recomiendo altamente,
A great primer for Investing newbies!.......2007-04-28
Like many of the Dummies books, Investing for Dummies really provides a great overview into the market, and various securities. A great starting book for people interested in expanding their knowledge of how the market works. I highly recommend, especially paired with the Wall Street Journals Guide to Understanding Money and Investing...
A True Textbook.......2007-04-19
I received the book at the library. I have never read a "Dummie" book. I certainly obtained a real education. I have been an investor for many years but in todays world there are so many new "Words" and jargon I thought it would be a good read. As I progressed I realized the book was older and ordered a up to date from Amazon. I will always use it for reference and will read it again as I have this one. I would suggest anyone wanting to understand how to purchase stock and operate in the market read this book. You will understand a lot when you do.
Book Description
Stock Investing For Dummies, 2
nd Edition covers all the proven tactics and strategies for picking the right stocks. Packed with savvy tips on today’s best investment opportunities, this book provides a down-to-earth, straightforward approach to making money on the market without the fancy lingo. Soon you’ll have the power to optimize your returns by:
- Recognizing and minimizing the risks
- Gathering information about potential stocks
- Dissecting annual reports and other company documents
- Analyzing the growth and demand of industries
- Playing with the politicians
- Approaching uncertain markets
- Using corporate stock buybacks to boost earnings
- Handling the IRS and other obligations
With a different strategy for every investor—from recent college grad to married with children to recently retired—this valuable reference is a must-have. It also features tips and tricks on how to tell when a stock is on the verge of declining or increasing, how to protect yourself from fraud, and common challenges that every investor must go through, along with resources and financial ratios.
Download Description
The Dummies way to score big in the stock market Stock Investing For Dummies, Second Edition covers the basics of investing for individuals and households that want to watch their savings grow. Simple, straight-forward, and honest, this friendly guide covers all the categories of stocks, teaches readers how to analyze stocks, and offers invaluable resources for developing a portfolio. Investing consultant Paul Mladjenovic offers wise advice and proven tactics for beginners who want to get in the game without risking their shirts. Whether the market is up or down, readers will benefit from sound, practical investing strategies and insights that have helped generations of investors profit from the markets. Paul Mladjenovic (Englewood Cliffs, NJ) is the owner of PM Financial Services and a Certified Financial Planner and investing consultant with nineteen years of experience in investing.
Customer Reviews:
Not Just for Dummies.......2007-10-06
I've read about a dozen books on stock investing in the last 6 months or so and this is probably my favorite. It's detailed, interesting, and very easy to read. It's perfect for dummies, or those new to the stock market, but also so loaded with great info that even the "experts" would probably pick up a few things here and there. Since I just finished reading it, cover to cover, for the second time, I thought I ought to give the author a well-deserved good review.
A good start.......2007-09-30
Like all the "Dummies" this is great groundwork. If you can not get through this book you should not be investing.
Good beginner book.......2007-09-02
My husband loved learning more about investing. This book repeats a lot throughout it, but it is very good information.
Not too hot.......2007-07-22
Easy read and good flow, but this book spends a lot of pages stating the obvious (even obvious or me, and I'm a novice to investing). Some of the early chapters discuss whether or not you're really ready to invest... well, duh! I would not have gotten this book if I was not ready to invest! Anyway, too many pages wasted on that. The real sin with this book is that the author dodges one of the most important things that needs to be talked about with stock investing-- rating the various broker firms. Ok author, I know you can't endorse one over the other directly, but how about helping your readers to find out how they can find out for themselves instead of leaving them stranded. If you're like me and you already know what companies you want to invest in, then one of the main things you need to find out about is which brokers would be the best for you and your needs, and this book never gave any hints.
BOOK LOOKS BRAND NEW.......2007-05-21
HAVENT HAD A CHANCE TO READ THE BOOK IN DETAILS, BUT I LIKE JUST HAVING IT WHEN I HAVE A QUESTION, I KNOW HAVE A RESOURCE TO FIND THE ANSWER.
Book Description
You'll need to wear many hats in the business of property management: advertiser/promoter (in seeking tenants), host (in showing your property), handyman (in keeping up with and arranging repairs), bookkeeper (in maintaining records), and even counselor (in dealing with tenants and their problems). But Property Management For Dummies will help you maintain your sense of humor – and your sanity – as you deal with these challenges and more.
You may become an unintentional property owner – someone who inherited a house from a relative and didn't want it to sit idle, or someone who transferred to a job in another city and decided to rent your home rather than sell it – or you may have entered the world of property ownership intentionally. Either way, real estate offers one of the best opportunities to develop a steady stream of residual income.
Property Management For Dummies is organized by specific topic areas, so you can easily and quickly scan a topic that interests you, or you can troubleshoot the source of your latest major headache. You'll discover how to
- Evaluate your skills and personality to see whether you have what it takes to be a landlord
- Keep your units occupied with paying tenants who don't destroy your property
- Move in your new tenants and move them out – and everything in between
- Assemble the right team of professionals to help you, from employees to contractors
- Insure your property and understand the taxes that go with it
- Look for additional sources of income beyond rent, including the opportunities and pitfalls of lease options
While many of life's lessons can be uncovered by trial and error, property management shouldn't be one of them – the mistakes are too costly and the legal ramifications too severe. In this book, you'll find proven strategies to make rental property ownership and management not only profitable but pleasant as well.
Customer Reviews:
Great Resource!.......2007-08-23
This book provided a great starting point for me. Guiding me in a good direction. I eventually contacted Talley Properties http://www.TalleyProperties.com for my management needs.
Read it, didn't do it.......2007-06-09
We were looking at the possibility of purchasing a rental home for the first time. I felt this gave us quite a bit of very useful information & was easy to understand. However, we did not end up with the rental home we thought. We did not realize that an insurance coverage on a rental property built in 1950 would be so much! However, we fould out the hard way that the plumbing & electricity must have documentation saying they have been updated & when. It also helps to have a brick home over a woodframe. There were only 2 companies out of about 20 that we called who would even consider insuring the home & at that they wanted about twice as much as I pay on my homestead. The book didn't warn us about that, but was pretty good in describing the laws & procedures involved in purchasing, maintaining, and renting a property.
Terrific for those just starting out..........2007-03-10
As a newbie in the world of real estate investment and property management, I found this book tremendously helpful. It is easy to read, contains a number of sample documents (just wish they were available on CD or online), and takes you through the process from beginning to end. Although the entire book is informative, I found the chapters on preparing your rental property, generating interest, and handling prospects/showing the rental, to be particularly useful for me as I get started. As a person new to this field, I find myself sometimes not even knowing the right questions to ask, or the right things to consider. Mr. Griswold covers it all in detail, and this helped me to visualize what the experience will be like. Case in point, the telephone interview check sheet, guides you through what questions to ask of the potential tenant, so that you can determine if this person may or may not be a good candidate, before taking things further. Why waste their time, or yours? This is just one example of the many tips and guidelines available in this book.
Very good resource.......2006-11-11
This is an easy-to-read resource that provides a good basis of knowledge for the aspiring property manager. It's a great place to start if you have no idea what else to do. It should have come with a CD with all of the forms that it mentions, but that's a minor gripe.
Easy to digest........2006-06-27
This book helps the new property manager get a feel for what it takes to be a property manager. Easy to read.
Book Description
Accurate and complete bookkeeping is crucial to any business owner, but it’s also important to those who work with the business, such as investors, financial institutions, and employees. People both inside and outside the business all depend on a bookkeeper’s accurate recordings.
Bookkeeping For Dummies provides the easy and painless way to master this crucial art. You’ll be able to manage your own finances to save money and grow your business. This straightforward, no-nonsense guide shows you the basics of bookkeeping—from recording transactions to producing balance sheets and year-end reports. Discover how to:
- Outline your financial road map with a chart of accounts
- Keep journals of cash transactions
- Set up your computerized books
- Control your books, your records, and your money
- Buy and track your purchases
- Record sales returns and allowances
- Determine your employee [is “employee” necessary here?] staff’s net pay
- Maintain employee records
- Prepare your books for year’s end
- Report results and start over
- Produce an income statement
- Complete year-end payroll and reports
This guide features tips and tricks for managing your business cash with your books and also profiles important accounts for any bookkeeper. There’s no question that bookkeepers must be detail-oriented, meticulous, and accurate. Bookkeeping For Dummies shows you how to keep track of your business’s financial well-being and ensure future success!
Download Description
The friendly, easy-to-use guide to bookkeeping basics This handy guide covers everything professionals need to know to balance the books at a big company or a mom-and-pop store, including assets and liabilities; keeping track of transactions; balance sheets; keeping a ledger and journal; financial statements; operating accounts; and up-to-date tax information. Bookkeeping For Dummies brings the For Dummies formula of trustworthy information and straightforward explanations to the complicated business of bookkeeping. Lita Epstein, MBA (Poinciana, FL), designs and teaches online courses on topics such as investing for retirement, getting ready for tax time, and finance and investing for women. She earned her MBA from Emory University's Goizueta Business School, and is the author of Streetwise Retirement Planning and the coauthor of Alpha Teach Yourself Retirement Planning in 24 Hours. Lita was the content director for a financial services Web site, MostChoice.com. She also wrote TipWorld's Mutual Fund Tip of the Day, in addition to columns about mutual fund trends for numerous Web sites.
Customer Reviews:
Maybe I just have a mental block --.......2007-08-23
I'm a smart girl but I STILL cannot make heads or tails out of bookkeeping. Although I now understand credits and debits, the journal entering and what not just didn't make sense. The book seemed to be too general for me. I really needed more detailed, beginner-friendly information and guidance. Maybe if you have a general idea of how bookkeeping works, this book will work for you. I, on the other hand, bought this book having absolutely no knowledge of bookkeeping, and unfortunately, I still don't.
Very Pleased.......2007-05-17
I ordered this book to go along with my accounting book that I had ordered. This book is very helpful and easy to understand. I received this book within 7 days and in very good condition.
IT IS VERY HELPFUL.......2007-05-12
This book contains the basic concepts and helps to understand the world of bookkeeping.
Don't get this book.......2007-04-29
I found this book repetitive and confusing. No easy explanation was given for which accounts have a debit or credit balance (DEAD CLeRC is a helpful mnemonic), and there are as many examples of using Quickbooks as manual bookkeeping. Quickbooks is popular, but if you want to learn Quickbooks, get the Quickbook for Dummies book!
Add in silly grammatical problems and I just can't recommend this book.
Gives you the basic start you need........2006-01-09
So you're going to start a business, and if you have any money left over at the end of the year you're going to save part of it and spend part of it. OK, but your business partner isn't going to like that very much. 'What, you say you don't have a business partner?' Yes, you do, and he usually goes by the initials IRS.
Since you're reading this review, you obviously have, or have access to a computer. Your first thought is to go buy an accounting package. OK, that's a good idea. But those packages start throwing around funny words like 'General Ledger,' 'Accrual,' and 'Balance Sheet.'
This book starts earlier than that and starts you off with a paper based accounting system. After you know what you are doing, then it discusses three accounting packages: Simply Accounting Pro, Peachtree Accounting, and QuickBooks. Hint: A lot of banks seem to like QuickBooks and may sell it to their customers at a deep discount, or even give away at no charge.
A Request to the Author, or to anyone else reading this. There are a bunch of free accounting systems on the net. Are any of them any good? Maybe one (or more) of them could be included in the next edition of the book, or on the eTips website.
Book Description
Are you writing a grant application for the first time? Maybe you’re a veteran fundraiser looking to sharpen your grant writing skills. No matter how experienced you are at writing requests for money, people and organizations are not going to support you just because you’re in need.
Grant Writing for Dummies, 2
nd Edition shows you the most effective way to compose a grant proposal and get funding from governments, corporations, foundations, and more! This hands-on, step-by-step guide leads you through researching options, dealing with application forms, handling potential sponsors, and getting the money you need. Revised and up-to-date, this book covers everything you need to know to:
- Fill out federal grant application kits
- Win grants from corporations and foundations
- Gain support from an individual grantor
- Obtain grants from international funds
- Meet the review criteria of government grants and contracts
- Choose the right word to win funds
- Master cover letters, abstracts, and more
- Let prospective grantors know your deal
- Put the finishing touches on your application
Demystifying the process of grant writing, this all-out guide gives you just the facts with no information withheld. You’ll get savvy tips on organizing your writing, developing your style, personalizing your requests, and how to handle your rejection and move forward. Also included is a complete example of a grant application narrative. With Grant Writing for Dummies, 2
nd Edition, you’ll be able to craft effective proposals and go for the gold!
Customer Reviews:
Good Intro.......2007-04-25
This is a good intro, without much information on actual grants for specific purposes. If you are an educator, non-profit, or individual interested in grants related to technology, for innovation, curriculum, development, emerging technologies, I recommend Technology Grant News: Everything Technology: Awards-Contests-Grants-Scholarships. Technology Grant News: Everything Technology [2007]:Awards ¿ Contests ¿ Grants -Scholarships ¿ Fellowships
Grant writing for dummies....as a reference.......2006-11-13
This is a good starter book, but it does not provide quality resources for you to practice the skills gained. You should build your skills with quality templates, references, wording techniques. I would caution readers to move on to a good intermediate work like Government Funding and You. This book will provide you with the skills to put together a quality grant with the potential LAND that grant. This book is an excellent start, but Government Funding and You is a crucial next step.
Awarded $250,000 Federal grant because of this book!.......2006-08-26
I was working at a NON-PROFIT organization and the departing Executive Director refused to submit a renewed grant request to a Federal agency. I was tasked to do it instead within one week. I had no support of the staff or Board of Directors because they did not have a clue of the process. I had never written a grant. So, I purchased this book and read it over the weekend. It was easy to read and made sense. I simply followed the book...identified a problem/an unmet need and a way to solve it. Thank you! The agency was awarded $250,000 to fund two of the full-time employees over a 2 year period.
Love this series!.......2006-07-22
Each one of the "Dummies" books has been so helpful, not only for me but for my daughter who is in high school. Everything from religion to business. "Grant Writing for Dummies" is in keeping with the others: very informative, gets to the point for the layperson, and is done in a very easy-to-use format. So far, I haven't come across one book in this series that isn't helpful!
I Can Do This!.......2005-07-26
I found this book extemely helpful and easy to read. It reduced the mystery of the grant world to something even I could understand. Based on the title, I have to say that I can do this!
Book Description
When you’re establishing, expanding, or re-energizing a business, the best place to start is writing your business plan. Not only does writing out your idea force you to think more clearly about what you want to do, it will also give the people you work with a defined road map as well.
Business Plan Kit For Dummies, Second Edition is the perfect guide to lead you through the ins and outs of constructing a great business plan. This one-stop resource offers a painless, fun-and-easy way to create a winning plan that will help you lead your business to success. This updated guide has all the tools you’ll need to:
- Generate a great business idea
- Understand what your business will be up against
- Map out your strategic direction
- Craft a stellar marketing plan
- Tailor your plan to fit your business’s needs
- Put your plan and hard work into action
- Start an one-person business, small business, or nonprofit
- Create a plan for an already established business
- Cash in on the Internet with planning an e-business
Featured in this hands-on guide is valuable advice for evaluating a new business idea, funding your business plan, and ways to determine if your plan may need to be reworked. You also get a bonus CD that includes income and overhead worksheets, operation surveys, customer profiles, business plan components, and more. Don’t delay your business’s prosperity. Business Plan Kit For Dummies, Second Edition will allow you to create a blueprint for success!
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Customer Reviews:
Good Format.......2007-06-12
Simple and easy to follow. Great to have CD for forms etc.
Looking for an intro to business before starting a plan?.......2007-05-02
Business Basics Bestseller 1: The Easy, Interesting, Open-book Look at the Game of Business Numbers! 2nd Edition
I've read some "Dummy" books and like them (it's how I learned to do PowerPoint). However, if you aren't quite ready to start a business plan and want to learn more about the financial side of business first, you will want to look at "Business Basics Bestseller 1" as a starting point. If you find the "Dummy" books to your liking, you'll enjoy zipping through this 150 page sketch filled title. This is not a suggestion that you substitute it for this book (it isn't), just that you check it out as well. The BBB #1 book was written by a guy who is not an accountant -- imagine what that can do for cutting through the jargon accountants love.
BBB #1 will introduce you to the basics of business including the terms behind the numbers and where all the financial statements and key formulas come from. That's a big help before you plow into setting up a business and talking to an accountant. Search for "Business Basics Bestseller 1" and add it to your consideration. It can be one of your best investments.
Excellent and Simple.......2006-02-28
If you are writing a business plan and have absolutely no idea how to do it, Business Plans for Dummies is the only way to go. This is my first experience with the "Dummies" series and I have to say I am very impressed. I am a commercial artist with very limited business experience. This book guided and helped me, especially making a lot of analitical sense to a very right brained person. I just dont think in terms of graphs and charts, yet they simplified it to a level that was intriguing, entertaining, and extremely useful. An excellent, excellent book!!!!
Practical, convenient, comprehensive.......2005-11-30
This book and cd combination is likely to be a good buy for quite a range of people. The great advantage that I see is that it is encyclopedic in scope. And by scope I am referring not to the great range of business and management knowledge that is available but to the processes that someone attempting to prepare a business plan is likely to face.
For example the book begins with Part I: Doing Your Planning Homework. This section assumes that you may not yet have a firm business idea. Yet the material on creating or identifying a business idea may very well be quite useful even to those people who have their basic idea in place.
In Part I Chapter two deals quite well with understanding the why of the business plan. This point, why you must be a business plan believer, is often taken for granted or dealt with by a few platitudes by some authors but here the topic gets full treatment. This could be particularly important to people who are attempting a business and a business plan for the first time.
Is the book encyclopedic? Well if you really want to understand market segmentation in depth you will have to go to a text or a couple of seminars. Nevertheless, the concept is here along with many others, but tailored to the beginner and to the new, small enterprise.
Perhaps comprehensive, rather than encyclopedic, would be a better word. However, if it is a topic likely to affect your startup or small business it is here at least in elementary terms. In fact, with an MBA and nearly 40 years experience, I would say that the technical treatment, for the given audience, is really quite good.
The forms or questionnaires, I believe, selectively could be useful to business people at almost any level. The forms take you through an exhaustive chain of concepts and detailed questions. Sometimes it seems that the questions are repetitive. Some of them may be redundant for your business but don't jump too quickly. Take your time and mull over the questions. If you do take the time, you may come up with an eye opening new thought here and there.
The CD allows you to print the forms, including your input, if you choose. The CD also introduces some trial versions of software that might be worth your consideration.
Since I do business plans as a part-time business, I expect that I will be referring to these convenient forms again and again in the future as my projects shift from one type of business situation to another.
Take a good look at this choice if you are serious about a business and a business plan.
OK Book...VALUABLE CD!! REALLY VALUABLE!.......2003-08-23
The book itself is a very basic rundown of starting a business running and keeping it going. The info presented is quite basic, and not very detailed. BUT, the enclosed CD is FULL, FULL, FULL of forms, government documents, sample by-laws, etc., etc., etc. Having all these forms at your disposal is invaluable. It's a terrific book and CD.
Book Description
Insurance For Dummies introduces readers to the basics — as well as the more complicated issues — of every kind of insurance. Packed with expert advice and step-by-step guidance, it shows you how to find the right amount of protection at the best possible price, for your life, health, car, home, and anything else you can think of.
Thinking about insurance makes many people cringe with fear; this handy guide makes insurance make sense. It demystifies complicated policies and points out all the traps and pitfalls you need to avoid when buying coverage. Whether you’re a homeowner or a small business owner or you just need a basic policy for your car, you’ll find all the advice you need on:
- Managing your risk
- Reducing your liability
- Insuring a home business
- Buying an umbrella policy
- Dealing with insurers and filing claims
- Assessing your life insurance needs
- Decidin g between group and individual policies
Author Jack Hungelmann uses his twenty-five years of experience in the insurance industry to make buying insurance as simple as possible — even for those who’ve never bought a policy in their lives. Armed with the kind of straightforward, commonsense knowledge and advice you’ll find here, you’ll be able to handle any insurance question that comes up. Keep it on your reference shelf for quick-and-easy answers for all your insurance-related questions:
- Everything you should know about auto insurance
- Choosing cost-effective deductibles
- Picking the right property coverage for your home
- Estimating the value of your assets
- Insuring valuable portable items and collectibles
- Special advice on insuring condos and townhouses
- Getting the most coverage at the best price
- Filing claims and getting back the most
- Plus, online insurance resources
Knowing what kind of coverage you need for yourself and your possessions is a complicated process. With more competition than ever in the insurance business, finding a great deal on the coverage you need can be a challenge. Insurance For Dummies is the fun and friendly guide that gives you with all the essential knowledge it takes to get the maximum coverage at the minimum price.
Customer Reviews:
Essential reading.......2006-12-10
This book is worth its weight in gold. I originally picked it up while doing research on life insurance options. But after reading the first chapter on auto insurance, we called our agent, raised our libability limits and deductibles, got rid of unnecessary coverage and ended up saving ourselves $250 a year! The author, who has worked in the insurance industry for years, makes things plain and simple and illustrates his points with easy-to-understand charts. Now I feel like we actually have a clue about what we're buying, and I feel much more secure knowing we'll likely be well covered in the event of a catastrophe. This should be on every homeowner's bookshelf.
Invaluable..........2006-11-26
I know I'm getting older when I start reading and writing reviews about insurance books.
I'm not a big fan of the "dummies" books for a few reasons: (1) First my ego...I have to admit I don't want a book on my shelf that is a dummy guide for anything, and (2) I don't want to buy another reference book that is going to sit on my shelf and collect dust.
I purchased this book b/c I had big questions about car insurance, life insurance, and umbrella policies. No concerns about house insurance, which seemed to be the biggest complaint about the book.
Quite frankly, it answered all of my questions. Before reading this book, I didn't even know the difference between collision, liability, and comprehensive insurance; and I had no clue how much insurance I should carry for that "break glass in case of emergency" type accident. And like all of the dummy books, the text is informative while remaining engaging , and actually entertaining-even though the subject is insurance.
I actually feel empowered after reading this book. It led me to purchase an inexpensive umbrella policy (if you don' t have one, you need it) that will certainly make me sleep better at night.
This is one of those books that after you read/reference it, you'll wonder how you ever operated in the past without the knowledge it contains.
Don't put too much trust in earthly treasures, but you should certainly protect what you do have!
Recommended.
Not as Good as I Expected.......2006-11-08
My house was a total loss after a fire. I needed info on home insurance so I got this book. BIG disappointment. No help at all.
I then got another book on Amazon titled "Mold, Fire, Flood & Other Topics: Homeowners Insurance Explained." Great book--I recommend it.
Disappointing.......2006-03-22
I thought this book would give objective advice on how much insurance someone should buy. It told me a few things I didn't know but I wouldn't have paid the price for the book for two or three pages of useful advice.
Lacks Depth in Homeowners Insurance Discussion.......2005-04-05
I was looking for a book that discussed IN DETAIL homeowners insurance, and I didn't find it in thisone.
Claims, how to appeal a denied claim, mold, how to avoid being under-insured and/or cancelled--these subjects are ignored, even though they're important to me and most people I know.
This book is a WASTE OF MONEY if what you're looking for is in-depth info on homeowners insurance.
Books:
- Food and Beverage Cost Control
- Food and Beverage Cost Control
- Fraud Examination, Revised
- Fundamentals of Futures and Options Markets (5th Edition) (Prentice Hall Finance)
- Fundamentals of Risk and Insurance
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How Computer Programming Works (Technology in Action Series)
- Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005: T-SQL Programming (Pro-Developer)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Grapes of Wrath
- Panzer Leader
- Global Mind Change: The Promise of the 21st Century
- History: Fiction or Science
- Leading Change
- Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice
- Louise Michel: Rebel Lives
- Planning for Executive Success ; Shaping Up for the Real Corporate World
- Environmental Justice: International Discourses in Political Economy, Energy and Environmental Polic
- Minor in Possession
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
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FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit
Fast Real Estate Profits in Any Market: The Art of Flipping Properties--Insider Secrets from the Experts Who Do It Every Day
Real Estate Investing for Dummies
The Pre-Foreclosure Property Investor's Kit: How to Make Money Buying Distressed Real Estate -- Before the Public Auction
