You Can Do the Math - by Ron Lipsman (Paperback)

About the Book

Every day we are faced with financial decisions. Should I buy that DVD player or 100 lottery tickets? What percentage of my salary should I allocate to my 401(k)? How much should I be saving for my daughter's college education? Will I be better off leasing or buying my next car? The problem for most of us is that we freeze up when making these choices; regardless of our level of formal education, we find ourselves intimidated by the numbers and poorly prepared to make some of the most important decisions of our lives. We've become a society of math-o-phobes with profound consequences for our financial well-being. In You Can Do the Math, Ron Lipsman draws from over 30 years of teaching mathematics to help you take control of your financial destiny by applying basic arithmetic techniques. Step by step, he walks you through the fundamental calculations that underlie virtually every financial decision.

Mastering such concepts as compounding interest, lease and loan payments, and the impact of inflation, you will learn how to:

• Institute a successful college savings program
• Minimize your taxes
• Wisely purchase insurance
• Decide whether to buy or rent a home
• Plan for retirement

Visit the companion Web site at:

http: //www.math.umd.edu/ rll/cgi-bin/finance.html

Book Synopsis

Every day we are faced with financial decisions. Should I buy that DVD player or 100 lottery tickets? What percentage of my salary should I allocate to my 401(k)? How much should I be saving for my daughter's college education? Will I be better off leasing or buying my next car? The problem for most of us is that we freeze up when making these choices; regardless of our level of formal education, we find ourselves intimidated by the numbers and poorly prepared to make some of the most important decisions of our lives. We've become a society of math-o-phobes with profound consequences for our financial well-being. In You Can Do the Math, Ron Lipsman draws from over 30 years of teaching mathematics to help you take control of your financial destiny by applying basic arithmetic techniques. Step by step, he walks you through the fundamental calculations that underlie virtually every financial decision.

Review Quotes

"Drawing on his life's experiences and many years as a classroom teacher, Lipsman presents an easy-to-read introduction to the mathematics of personal finance. . . . An excellent companion Web site (http: //www.math.umd.edu/ rll/cgi-bin/finance.html) provides a series of problem-solving engines to perform the calculations for those who are less experienced in mathematics. Although oriented toward the personal finance neophyte, even those with more sophistication in financial decision making will find the book and the Web site an interesting and useful reference. This work can also serve as an excellent refresher or supplemental resource to traditional texts on the subject. Highly recommended. General readers; all levels of undergraduates; practitioners." --Choice

"Ron Lipsman guides readers along a charming walk through life, with an entertaining yet factual explanation of the mathematics encountered along the way....Although this is not a textbook, it is a very good mathematical financial guide for any upper-level high school student through adult and would be a good reference book for your library." --Mathematics Teacher

"You Can Do the Math: Overcome Your Math Phobia and Make Better Financial is the user-friendly guide to helping you understand even the simplest math concepts to apply to your everyday life and make sound financial decisions....We would like to extend our congratulations to Lipsman and cross our fingers that his book will reach the New York Time's Best Sellers List soon." --King Farm Chronicle

"[S]uperbly user friendly and well conceived." --Montgomery Gazette/Gazette.Net

"[F]or anyone who wants to peer into the financial concepts that surround our daily lives and learn to make better decisions, this book will help you immeasurably." --The Montgomery Journal

About the Author

Ron Lipsman is Professor of Mathematics and Senior Associate Dean of the Physical Sciences College, University of Maryland. The author of more than 70 mathematical research articles and co-author of ten technical books, he has over 35 years of experience in teaching, tutoring, and advising students and colleagues alike on issues related to mathematics, computing, and financial management.