Overview

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 401K? 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; and much more. Featuring entertaining real-life examples and keyed to a companion Web site (http://www.math.umd.edu/~rll/cgi-bin/finance.html) where you can input your own figures and calculate the results, You Can Do the Math demystifies credit, mortgages, stocks and bonds—and even the odds of beating the house in Vegas, and will become an essential resource for anyone looking to conquer their math anxiety and make more informed financial decisions.

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Reviews

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 [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 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 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 YFor 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 YSuperbly user friendly and well conceived. -Montgomery Gazette/Gazette.Net ?[S]uperbly user friendly and well conceived.??Montgomery Gazette/Gazette.Net ?[S]uperbly user friendly and well conceived.?-Montgomery Gazette/Gazette.Net ?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 ?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 ?[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 ?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 Finally, a book that presents a clear explanation of the math behind successful investing and planning. It takes you by the hand and methodically guides you through important financial planning issues, and then brilliantly ties it together with a Web site developed specifically for the reader. -Arnold J. Lerman, Senior Vice President Ferris, Baker Watts Inc. Through a rare combination of intellect, wit, and power of expression, Lipsman is able to equip the reader with the power of mathematical reasoning and with the insights necessary to address life's most perplexing personal financial issues. Buy or lease a car, buy or rent a house, buy a lottery ticket or invest in the stock market. Even if you are a math dropout, after reading this book you'll know the answers. -Brit Kirwan, Chancellor University System of Maryland Dr. Lipsman's book not only helps us overcome those fears with clear formulas and usable skills, he also colors his instruction with interesting and warm personal illustrations, that will help the reader become comfortable with the entire financial planning process. I not only recommend this book to individuals seeking financial literacy, but I would also refer it to my colleagues--the professional financial advisor--buy it, read it, and give it to all your new clients, it will create a better level of understanding and communication for all. -Ronald W. Cavill, CFP, Cavill and Company This book presents personal finance in a folksy and comprehensible manner. Guided by the math formulas on the website, a reader can answer just about any personal financial question and sort out a plan for achieving lifetime security. -Ken Tecler Esq., Chen, Walsh, Tecler & McCabe LLP Don Lipsman has done an excellent job in taking a hard subject and making it much more understandable. I especially like the easy access to answers. The book affords to novice investors and those making basic budget decisions. -Richard W. Malone, Senior Vice President, Investments Ferris, Baker Watts Inc. A great way to teach math. I wish I had had something like this in High School or College. Many people would not have the fear of math that they do if they would use this book. I am hoping to use some of it as a companion to my own book to empower the reader to take control over their finances.... Good Work!!!! -Lois Fishman, CFP, author of Money to Last a Lifetime A very useful guide that will help consumers determine the low cost choice involved in a variety of purchasing decisions. Is renting a home less costly than owning the same home, collect the data itemized in chapter 8 and use the formula to find the answer. Is leasing a car less costly than owning a car: collect the data itemized in chapter 7 and use the formula to find the answer. Many practical valuable insights. -Robert Z. Aliber, Professor of International Economics and Finance University of Chicago Lipsman's book leads the reader to making better financial decisions over a lifetime and reaping the benefits. It is written in the lively style of a very inquisitive traveler down life's financial roads. Woven in with the necessary calculations is a personal financial travelogue that adds realism to the math.... This book is a great way to become an educated consumer of bank accounts, loans, leases, insurance policies, stocks, bonds, etc. But it is not dry. Lipsman mixes in lots of personal opinions that address the more subjective side of personal finance and hold your attention. It is a particularly great book for recent college graduates to buy, to read, to keep, and to use as a reference. -Nelson Markley, Provost (Retired) Lehigh University

Lipsman's book leads the reader to making better financial decisions over a lifetime and reaping the benefits. It is written in the lively style of a very inquisitive traveler down life's financial roads. Woven in with the necessary calculations is a personal financial travelogue that adds realism to the math.... This book is a great way to become an educated consumer of bank accounts, loans, leases, insurance policies, stocks, bonds, etc. But it is not dry. Lipsman mixes in lots of personal opinions that address the more subjective side of personal finance and hold your attention. It is a particularly great book for recent college graduates to buy, to read, to keep, and to use as a reference. -Nelson Markley, Provost (Retired) Lehigh University

Author Information

RON LIPSMAN is Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean of the Physical Sciences College, University of Maryland. The author of more than 70 mathematical research articles and co-author of eight 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.

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