Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-236) and index.

Rule #1: Strive to save 10 to 20 percent of your income -- Rule #2: Pay your credit card balance in full every month (and how to deal with other forms of debt) -- Rule #3: Max out your 401(k) and other tax-advantaged savings accounts -- Rule #4: Never buy or sell individual stocks -- Rule #5: Buy inexpensive, well-diversified indexed mutual funds and exchange-traded funds -- Rule #6: Make your financial advisor commit to the fiduciary standard -- Rule #7: Buy a home when you are financially ready -- Rule #8: Insurance: Make sure you're protected -- Rule #9: Do what you can to support the social safety net -- Rule #10: Remember the index card.

TV analysts and money managers would have you believe your finances are enormously complicated, and if you don't follow their guidance, you'll end up in the poorhouse. They're wrong. When University of Chicago professor Harold Pollack interviewed Helaine Olen, a financial journalist, he made an offhand suggestion: everything you need to know about managing your money could fit on an index card. To prove his point, he grabbed a 4" x 6" card, scribbled down a list of rules, and posted a picture of the card online. The post went viral. Now Pollack teams up with Olen to explain why the ten simple rules of the index card outperform more complicated financial strategies. Inside is an action plan that works in good times and bad, giving you the tools, knowledge, and confidence to seize control of your financial life.

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