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Personal Finance 12th Edition Ebook PDF
Personal Finance 12th Edition Ebook PDF
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS vii
Sincerely,
viii
PREFACE ix
Acknowledgments
The extensive feedback and thoughtful comments pro- Karen Sneary, Northwestern Oklahoma State
vided by the following instructors greatly contributed to University
the quality of the 12th edition of Personal Finance. Joe Welker, College of Western Idaho
NaRita Anderson, University of Central Oklahoma Jerry Whitley, Guilford Technical Community College
Shon P. Anderson, Wright State University Many talented professionals at McGraw-Hill Higher
Allen Arnold, University of Central Oklahoma Education have contributed to the development of
Jorene Batali, College of Western Idaho Personal Finance, 12th edition. We are especially
Stefanie Billette, St. Johns River State College grateful to Michele Janicek, Chuck Synovec, Jennifer
Kevin Cabe, Indiana Wesleyan University Upton, Melissa Caughlin, Harvey Yep, Kristin Bradley,
Mary Carlson, College of DuPage Tara McDermott, Beth Thole, Missy Homer, Karen
Fernando Conde, Columbia College of Missouri Jozefowicz, and Elise Lansdon.
Caroline Fulmer, University of Alabama In addition, Jack Kapoor expresses special apprecia-
Joe Howell, Salt Lake Community College tion to Theresa and Dave Kapoor, Kathryn Thumme,
Samira Hussein, Johnson County Community College and Karen and Joshua Tucker for their typing, proof-
Dianna Parker, Ozarks Technical Community College reading, and research assistance. Les Dlabay would also
Thomas Passero, Owens Community College like to thank Jason Ross, Gene Monterastelli, Bryna
David Pecha, Ph.D., Northwestern Oklahoma State Mollinger, and Kevin Smith for their help reviewing the
University manuscript. Finally, we thank our wives and families for
Thomas Prusa, Rutgers University their patience, understanding, encouragement, and love
Courtney Smith,College of Western Idaho throughout the years.
New Financial Planning for My Life feature Provides students with a way to assess their financial health
as they get started in building their financial plan.
New Continuing Case: Personal Finance Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
Basics and the Time Value of Money situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 2 New How to . . . Feature Emphasizes the career planning actions that students can
take to target employment in a particular field.
New Continuing Case: Financial Aspects of Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
Career Planning situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
New Smart Money Minute feature Discusses the proliferation of new resume templates.
New content: Cover letter tips Covers ways to stand out in a cover letter.
New example: The Q Letter Provides a sample of a Q letter, an alternative to the tradi-
tional cover letter.
Chapter 3 New content: Differing outlooks and atti- Provides information about the different ways that a stu-
tudes toward money dent’s relationship to money may shape a budget.
New content: The phases of the budgeting Organizes the steps that students should take to create and
process implement a budget.
New Continuing Case: Money Management Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
Strategy situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 4 Updated Smart Money Minute feature Updates statistics on most and least "tax-friendly" states in
the U.S.
Revised content: Tax rates Demonstrates how to calculate total tax due using a tax
bracket schedule, with most current information.
Expanded content: Health care and taxes Updates students on key changes related to the Affordable
Care Act.
Expanded content: Tax credits Covers new tax credits for 2016.
New Smart Money Minute feature Provides information about the benefits of early filing.
Revised content: Contacting the IRS Provides an updated listing of ways to contact the IRS,
including through apps.
New Smart Money Minute feature Discusses the IRS’s increased oversight of tax preparers.
Revised content: Tax scams Describes the latest and most popular tax scams.
Updated Exhibit: How to avoid common Provides an updated, detailed list of steps one might take to
filing errors reduce the likelihood of a filing error.
New Continuing Case: Planning Your Tax Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
Strategy situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
PREFACE xi
Updated content: Credit unions Details the changes happening in credit union membership
and services.
Expanded content: The “Unbanked” and Updates coverage of pawnshops, check-cashing outlets,
High-Cost Financial Services payday loans, rent-to-own centers, and car title loans.
New exhibit: Financial services comparison Offers a concise summary of the differences among differ-
ent types of financial institutions.
Updated content: Financial services in other Presents updated information on financial alternatives
cultures around the world.
New Continuing Case: Financial Services Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 6 Updated content: Changes in perception Provides information why many people use credit to live
about credit. beyond their means, and why past generations used it
sparingly.
Updated content: Advantages of credit Describes how most major cards provide benefits, such as
accidental death insurance, collision damage waiver, road-
side services, gift cards, etc., at no extra cost.
New content: Smart cards Includes information that some credit cards include
increased security measures, and discussion of how those
features work.
New content: Use of home equity loans as Expands discussion on the pros, cons, and appropriate uses
credit of home equity loans.
New Smart Money Minute feature Covers how to establish a strong record of credit.
New Smart Money Minute feature Provides information on how to protect your security with
mobile payments.
Updated Exhibit 6-9: Federal government Shows official consumer complaint form.
agencies that enforce consumer credit laws
Updated Exhibit 6-11: Consumer credit laws Provides updated information about federal government
agencies that enforce consumer credit laws.
New Continuing Case: Introduction to Con- Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
sumer Credit situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 7 Updated content: Chapter 13 bankruptcy Updates statistics and fee information on Chapter 13 bank-
ruptcy in the U.S. in recent years.
New Continuing Case: Choosing a Source Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
of Credit situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 8 New content: Factors that influence buying Acknowledgement and discussion that psychological factors
affect buying strategies.
New Smart Money Minute feature Offers tips for living in a frugal and environmentally
friendly way.
xii PREFACE
New Smart Money Minute feature Provides a breakdown of Consumer Reports’ automobile
testing process.
Updated content: Common frauds Presents an up-to-date discussion of popular cons, includ-
ing new information on crowdfunding and online dating
scams.
Updated content: Prepaid legal services Discusses the questions that need to be asked before hiring
legal assistance.
New Continuing Case: Consumer Purchas- Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
ing Strategies and Legal Protection situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 9 Updated Smart Money Minute feature Offers updated information on the most valuable home
upgrades.
New Smart Money Minute feature Describes the ins and outs of online mortgage companies.
Updated Smart Money Minute feature Suggests common apps and websites to use in researching
the homebuying process.
New Continuing Case: The Housing Decision Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 10 New content: Strange but true tales of Discusses the strange new world of insurance for any and
insurance everything.
New feature: Flood coverage Lists crucial facts on flooding and flood insurance in
the U.S.
New content: When home insurance cover- Presents the very real dangers of not understanding
ages collide anti-concurrent causation clauses in your home insurance
covereage.
New example: Increase a deductible to Provides a mathematical example to show how paying a
reduce the premium higher deductible affects your premium.
New feature: Pay as you go insurance Outlines how new "pay as you go" insurance plans work.
New Continuing Case: Property and Motor Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
Vehicle Insurance situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 11 Revised coverage: High medical costs Provides revised and updated information on runaway health
care costs.
Revised coverage: High administrative costs Discusses the ethics of high administrative costs in health
care.
New Smart Money Minute feature: Medical Covers the costs of private insurance.
insurance costs
New example: Reimbursement versus Explains the trade-off between reimbursement and indem-
indemnity nity using a real-life scenario.
Updated coverage: Employer self-funded Provides new information about self-funded health plans.
health plans
New coverage: Private insurance companies Describes that as of September 23, 2012, all health insurance
companies and group health plans are required to provide a
summary of health plan’s benefits and coverage.
New feature: Health care law and taxes Explains the relationship between the Affordable Care Act
and personal taxes.
New coverage: The Affordable Care Act Describes the Affordable Care Act and its provisions and
and the Individual Shared Responsibility exemptions in detail.
Provision
Updated content: Sources of health care Provides an updated roster of reliable sources of health care
information information.
New Continuing Case: Health, Disability, and Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
Long-Term Care Instructions situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 12 Updated content: Life insurance Provides updated information on life insurance policies and
their face value as of 2016.
Revised Exhibit 12-1 Illustrates expectations of life and expected deaths based
on sex and age in 2016.
New content: Multiple of income method Presents an additional method for determining the amount
of insurance.
Updated Smart Money Minute feature Provides information on the amount of hours and equivalent
wage of a stay-at-home mom.
Revised Exhibit 12-3: Family need method Provides an updated rubric to use when determining the
worksheet amount of life insurance you need.
New Smart Money Minute feature: Financial Describes the importance of life insurance in establishing
jeopardy financial stability.
Revised coverage: Limited payment policy Updates the statistics on premiums paid by those in excel-
lent health.
Revised feature: Preferred rates Provides updated guidelines for achieving the
lowest rates.
Updated Smart Money Minute feature: Face Provides updated statistics about the average face amount
amount of life insurance policies of life insurance policies.
Updated Exhibit 12-7 Shows updated data for the growth of different classes of
life insurance.
New Continuing Case: Life Insurance Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
xiv PREFACE
Updated Smart Money Minute feature: Bond Provides updated information for the yields on high-quality
yields corporate bonds.
Updated coverage: Convertible bonds Updates coverage on convertible bonds with an updated
example from Wesco International.
Revised example: Interest calculation Shows students how to calculate the interest for a $1,000
Coca-Cola bond that pays 3.20 percent annual interest.
New coverage: Dollar appreciation of bond Provides additional discussion around the effects of broader
value economic policies on bond value.
Updated example: Approximate market Shows how a bond’s value can change because of changes in
value overall interest rates in the economy.
Updated coverage: A typical bond Describes how you might buy or sell a Bank of America
transaction bond.
Revised content: Government securities Addresses the quality of securities issued by the U.S.
government.
Updated Smart Money Minute feature: Provides information about yields for 10-year treasury notes
Treasury yields from 1990 to March 2015.
Revised Exhibit 15-6: Bond information Gives information from the Yahoo! Finance website about a
Dell Corporation bond.
Revised examples: Yields Includes current dollar values for all the examples in the
section.
Revised feature: Financial Planning Gives current financial information for Home Depot that can
Calculations be used to calculate the times interest earned ratio.
Updated coverage: Other sources of Provides up-to-date sources to turn to for information on
information bonds.
New Continuing Case: Investing in Bonds Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
Chapter 16 Updated Smart Money Minute feature: Includes current information about the age of investors who
Mutual fund ownership own mutual funds.
Updated Exhibit 16-1: Fund diversification Shows the type of stocks and securities included in the
Invesco Growth and Income fund.
Updated Exhibit 16-2: Fund fee table Illustrates the fee table for the Davis New York Venture
fund.
Updated Smart Money Minute feature: Illustrates the reasons why people invest in funds.
Investing in mutual funds
Updated Exhibit 16-4: Large funds Updates information about three large funds: The Vanguard
Group, Fidelity Investments, and American Funds.
New Exhibit 16-6: Information from Money Shows a portion of the “Money 50: The World’s Best Mutual
magazine Funds and ETFs” article from Money magazine.
New Continuing Case: Investing in Mutual Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
Funds situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
xvi PREFACE
Expanded content: Your home as an Presents the questions you might want to ask to see if you’re
investment ready to buy a home.
New Smart Money Minute feature: Housing Illustrates that home ownership, as a percentage of net
share of net worth worth, is on the rise.
Updated Exhibit 17-2: U.S. home sales Shows that recent economic indicators suggest that the
worst of the housing crisis is over.
Revised and updated coverage: Gold bullion Provides the latest information on bullion production by the
U.S. government.
Updated Exhibit 17-4: Gold prices Illustrates how the price of gold has fluctuated from 1976
to 2016.
Revised Smart Money Minute feature: Shows the biggest producers of gold in the world as of 2014.
Biggest gold producers
New Continuing Case: Investing in Real Allows students an opportunity to assess various
Estate financial situations and recommend courses of action,
based on the knowledge gained in mastering the chapter
material.
Chapter 18 Revised coverage: Why retirement planning? Provides updated statistics about Americans’ attitudes
toward retirement and recommend means to boost
contributions.
Expanded coverage: Housing Details considerations that should be taken before obtaining
a reverse mortgage.
Updated Exhibit 18-4: Older household Illustrates how an “average” older household spends its
expenditures money (2013).
Updated Smart Money Minute feature: Who Shows what groups are collecting Social Security, as of 2015.
gets Social Security?
Updated Smart Money Minute feature: Presents average monthly Social Security benefits for differ-
Monthly benefits ent groups.
Updated Exhibit 18-8: The future of Social Shows that the number of workers per beneficiary has plum-
Security meted since 1945.
Updated coverage: Internet access Describes how to create a mySocial Security account.
Updated Exhibit 18-8: Workers per Cautions that the number of workers per Social Security
beneficiary beneficiary is dropping in the U.S.
New feature: Conflicts of interest Provides an expanded discussion of what conflicts of inter-
est in retirement advice cost.
New Continuing Case: Starting Early Allows students an opportunity to assess various
financial situations and recommend courses of action,
based on the knowledge gained in mastering the chapter
material.
PREFACE xvii
Updated content: Credit-shelter trust Points out that a married couple will not pay any estate tax if
their estate is less than $10.9 million in 2016.
Revised content: Federal and state estate Provides the latest available information about gift taxes
taxes (2016).
New Continuing Case: Estate Planning Allows students an opportunity to assess various financial
situations and recommend courses of action, based on the
knowledge gained in mastering the chapter material.
A SSURANCE OF LEARNING
Many educational institutions today are focused on the notion of assurance of learning, an important element of some
accreditation standards. Personal Finance, 12th edition, is designed specifically to support your assurance of learning
initiatives with a simple, yet powerful, solution.
Each test bank question for Personal Finance, 12th edition, maps to a specific chapter learning outcome/objective
listed in the text. You can use the test bank software to easily query for learning outcomes/objectives that directly relate
to the learning objectives for your course. You can then use the reporting features of the software to aggregate student
results in similar fashion, making the collection and presentation of assurance of learning data simple and easy.
Guided Tour
Confirming Pages
Chapter Opener: The chapter opener contains new features that serve
as the chapter road map at a glance!
Confirming Pages
Your Life
What if you . . . needed funds for
major auto repairs? Or encountered security. Next, you should learn to avoid common money
unexpected medical bills? An mistakes. Your knowledge and actions will allow you to use
emergency fund is one of the wise financial strategies for achieving your personal goals.
foundations for effective personal Now, what would you do? What actions are you currently
1
One day, you may receive news that your aunt has given you a gift of $10,000. Or you might find yourself
of Money
cate your personal response regarding these financial planning activities.
Learning Objectives
a variety of information sources. Yes No Uncertain
2. My family and household situation is likely to stay fairly stable
LEARNING
over the next year or two.
LO1-1 Analyze the process for making personal financial decisions.
Yes No Uncertain
OBJECTIVES LO1-2
3. My specific financial goals for the next Assess personal
year are in writing. and economic Yes factors
No that influence personal
Uncertain
4. Time value of money calculations oftenfinancial
guide my planning.
saving and
are highlighted at the start of each major The Financial Planning Process
section in the chapter and appear again in LO1-1
Analyze the process for
making personal financial
Being “rich” means different things to different people. Some define wealth as owning
many expensive possessions and having a high income. People may associate being rich
with not having to worry about finances or being able to pay bills. For others, being rich
as materials
Financialin the Instructor’s Manual and
Literacy You might . . . reduce current spending or seek to earn
IN YOUR LIFE
Test Bank. Problems in Connect can also be
additional income to start or grow your emergency fund. Most kap20683_ch01_001-030.indd 2 11/10/16 01:57 PM
my life
My Life
HOW DO I START?
One day, you may receive news that your aunt has given you a gift of $10,000. Or you might find yourself
with an extensive amount of credit card debt. Or maybe you desire to contribute money to a homeless shel-
ter or a hunger-relief organization.
The main focus when making decisions is to avoid financial difficulties and legal tangles. How will you best
As you study this chapter, you will encounter “My Life” boxes with additional information and resources
xviii
Boxed features are used in each chapter to build student interest and highlight
important topics. Three different types of boxed features are used.
Confirming Pages
HOW TO . . .
Select a Path to Financial Security
Do you feel stress when you think about money? Are your financial decisions influenced by emotions rather
than valid information? Do you often have disagreements about money?
How To . . . To address these and other financial concerns, two paths exist for your daily money decisions. The easy path
involves little thinking, no planning, and minimal effort, usually resulting in wasted money and financial difficulties. In
contrast, the appropriate path takes some time and effort, but results in lower stress and personal financial security.
application-driven themes of Personal …overuse credit cards. …maintain a low level of debt.
1. Do something. Start small, such as saving a small amount each month. Or decide to reduce your
credit card use.
2. Avoid excuses. Do not tell yourself that “I don’t have time” or “It’s what everyone else is doing.”
3. Rate your current situation. Indicate on this scale where you are currently in relation to the two
available paths:
Spender Saver
2. Consumer Spending Total demand for goods and services in the economy influ-
ences employment opportunities and the potential for income. As consumer purchasing
increases, the financial resources of current and prospective employees expand. This
situation improves the financial condition of many households.
In contrast, reduced spending causes unemployment, since staff reduction com-
monly results from a company’s reduced financial resources. The financial hardships
of unemployment are a major concern of business, labor, and government. Retraining
Internet sources.
3. Do you maintain a record of the amount spent on For additional information on assessing your personal
various items each month? financial health, consider these sources.
4. Is your monthly spending less than your income?
• Financial Capability Scale, Center for Financial
5. If you had an unexpected major expense, would you Security, University of Wisconsin-Extension
have access to funds to cover this cost?
• Financial Fitness Quiz, Schwab MoneyWise
6. Do you know the amount in the bank account you
use for daily spending? • Financial Wellness Check-Up Quiz, Vision Financial
Group
7. Do you have money automatically set aside
each month in a saving or investment • Personal Financial Wellness Score, Personal Finance
program? Employee Education Fund
financial activities. The library resource site for this book in Connect provides addi-
tional resources and activities. As you move into the following chapters, we recommend
that you:
∙ Read and study the book carefully. Use the Practice Quizzes and end-of-chapter
Confirming Pages
activities.
∙ Use online sources and apps for the latest personal finance information.
∙ Talk to family members, friends, experts, and others, who have knowledge of
various money topics.
∙ Search online for answers to questions that result from your desire to
Financial Planning
Financial Planning Calculations
Calculations
know more.
Achieving your financial objectives requires two things: (1) a willingness to learn
and (2) appropriate information
TAX-EQUIVALENT sources. You
EMPLOYEE must provide the first element; the mate-
BENEFITS
rial that follows will provide the second. For successful financial planning, know where
25
margin definition boxes. The terms and their 18 PART 1 PLANNING YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES
page references are also listed at the end of For example, $500 on deposit at 6 percent for six months would earn $15
($500 × 0.06 × 6/12, or 1/2 year).
each chapter.
The increased value of money from interest earned involves two types of time value
of money calculations, future value and present value. The amount that will be avail-
able at a later date is called the future value. In contrast, the current value of an amount
desired in the future is the present value. Five methods are available for calculating time
value of money:
1. Formula Calculation. With this conventional method, math notations are used for
computing future value and present value.
2. Time Value of Money Tables. Traditionally, before calculators and computers,
future value and present value tables were used to provide for easier
computations.
3. Financial Calculator. A variety of calculators are programmed with financial func-
tions. Both future value and present value calculations are performed using appro-
priate keystrokes.
future value The amount 4. Spreadsheet Software. Excel and other spreadsheet programs have built-in formulas
My Life Boxes
to which current savings will for financial computations, including future value and present value.
increase based on a certain 5. Websites and Apps. Many time-value-of-money calculators are available online and
interest rate and a certain through mobile devices. These programs may be used to calculate the future value
time period; also referred to
of savings as well as loan payment amounts.
as compounding.
Time Value of
Formula Money Table Financial Calculator Spreadsheet Software
FV = PV(1 + i)n Using Exhibit 1-A, PV , I/Y , N , PMT , CPT FV = FV(rate, periods,
Confirming Pages FV = 650(1 + .08)10
Chapter Appendix,
650 PV , 8 I/Y , 10 N ,
amount per period,
multiply the amount
0 PMT , CPT FV $1,403.30
Confirming
single amount) Pages
FV = $1,403.30 deposited by the factor = FV(0.08,10,0,−650)
for the interest rate and (Different financial calculators = $1,403.30
i – interest rate time period. will require different
n – number of 650 × 2.159 = $1,403.35 keystrokes.)
time periods
(Note: Expanded explanations of these time value of money calculation methods are presented in the Chapter Appendix.)
8 PART 1 PLANNING YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES
8 PART 1 PLANNING YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES
Future value computations are often referred to as compounding, since interest is
earned on previously earned interest. Compounding allows the future value of a deposit
STEP 6: REVIEW AND REVISE YOUR PLAN
smart money minute
Smart Money Minute
STEP 6: REVIEW AND REVISE YOUR PLAN
smart money minute
Financial planning is a dynamic process that does not end
when you take action. You need to regularly assess your Financial planning is a dynamic process that does not end
Most financial planning professionals have a code when you take action. You need to regularly assess your
of ethics, but not all abide by these principles. To
financial decisions. You should do a complete Mostreview
financialofplanning
your professionals have a code
financial decisions. You should do a complete review of your
Each chapter contains several Smart
avoid financial difficulties and potential fraud, make
sure your financial planner strictly applies industry
finances at least once a year. Changing personal,
economic factors may require more frequent
of ethics,social,
facts, information, and financial help you make priority adjustments that will commitment
bring yourtofinan-
continuing education. changes. Regularly reviewing this decision-making process will
cial goals and activities in line with your current life situation. help you make priority adjustments that will bring your finan-
cial goals and activities in line with your current life situation.
planning assistance.
EXAMPLE: Step 6 - Review and Revise the Plan
EXAMPLE: Step 6 - Review and Revise the Plan
Over the next 6 to 12 months, Kent Mullins should reassess his financial, career, and per-
sonal situations. What employment opportunities or family circumstances might affect his Over the next 6 to 12 months, Kent Mullins should reassess his financial, career, and per-
need or desire to take a different course of action? sonal situations. What employment opportunities or family circumstances might affect his
How about you? Depending on your current (or future) life situation, what factors in need or desire to take a different course of action?
your life might affect your personal financial situation and decisions in the future? How about you? Depending on your current (or future) life situation, what factors in
your life might affect your personal financial situation and decisions in the future?
PFP Sheet 1
Personal data
PRACTICE QUIZ 1-1
PFP Sheet 1
Practice Quiz
PRACTICE QUIZ 1-1
Personal data
PFP Sheet 2
Financial
1.
2.
What are the main elements of every decision we make?
What are some risks associated with financial decisions? The Practice Quiz at the end
PFP Sheet 2 1.
2.
What are the main elements of every decision we make?
What are some risks associated with financial decisions?
3. What are some common sources of financial planning information? Financial
of each major section provides
institutions and
advisers 4. Why should you reevaluate your actions after making a personal financialinstitutions and 3. What are some common sources of financial planning information?
decision? advisers 4. Why should you reevaluate your actions after making a personal financial
references to related
financial planning.
LIFE SITUATION AND PERSONAL VALUES
adult life cycle The stages
financial planning.
LIFE SITUATION AND PERSONAL VALUES
Personal
Financial Planning sheets, offered
People in their 20s spend money differently than those in their 50s. Personal factors
in the family situation and adult life cycle The stages
People in their 20s spend money differently than those in their 50s. Personal factors
such as age, income, household size, and personal beliefs influence spending and sav- in the family situation and
financial needs of an adult. such as age, income, household size, and personal beliefs influence spending and sav-
ing patterns. Life situation or lifestyle is created by a combination
both in Excel and in hard copy at
financial needs of an adult.
of factors. ing patterns. Life situation or lifestyle is created by a combination
of factors.
my life 2 As our society changes, different types of financial needs
evolve. Today people tend to get married at amy lifeand 2 the back of the book.
later age, more As our society changes, different types of financial needs
households have two incomes. Many households are headed by
My family and household situation is likely to evolve. Today people tend to get married at a later age, and more
stay fairly stable over the next year or two. My family
single parents. More than 2 million women provide careand
forhousehold
both households have two incomes. Many households are headed by
situation is likely to
Many personal, social, and economic factors can dependent children and parents. People are stay
alsofairly
livingstable over the next year or two.
longer; single parents. More than 2 million women provide care for both
affect your life situation. Refer to Exhibit 1-6 for Many personal, social,
over 80 percent of all Americans now living are expected to live and economic factors can dependent children and parents. People are also living longer;
xx further information on financial goals and per-
sonal finance activities for various life situations.
past age 65. affect your life situation. Refer to Exhibit 1-6 for
further information on financial goals and per-
over 80 percent of all Americans now living are expected to live
past age 65.
The adult life cycle—the stages in the family and financial
sonal finance activities for various life situations. The adult life cycle—the stages in the family and financial
needs of an adult—is an important influence on your financial
needs of an adult—is an important influence on your financial
A variety of end-of-chapter features are offered to support the concepts presented
throughout each chapter. Confirming Pages
Stages
S student.
6
EC
LO1-3 5 7 based on
Yourtime value of money
emergency fundcalculations. Future value
can be measured with a dashboard,
UR
4 8
and present value calculations enable you to measure the
E
US
Develop personal financial
3 goals. The financial
9 goals a tool used by organizations to monitor key performance
ERO
you develop should take increased value (or lost interest) that results from a saving,
2 a S-M-A-R-T approach with10 goals indicators such as delivery time, product defects, or cus-
DANG
that are: Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, investing, borrowing, or purchasing decision.
1 11 tomer complaints. As an individual, you can use a personal
YOUR SITUATION Have you started your emergency fund? Do you make progress each month? Where is the needle
of all ages.
financial situation
andb. credit credit
The future value of $900 saved habits
each year for 10 years at 8 percent. for retirement
Self-Test c.
Solutions
The amount a person would have to deposit today (present value) at a 6 percent interest rate to have $1,000 five years
1. Using the Rule ofnow.
from 72, if your money is expected to double in 12 years, you are earning approximately 6 percent (72 ÷ 12 years
= 6 percent).
d. The amount a person would have to deposit today to be able to take out $600 a year for 10 years from an account earning
2. To calculate8the present value of $10,000 for eight years at 5 percent, use a financial calculator or Exhibit 1-C (Chapter
percent.
Financial Planning
Appendix):
LO1-4
$10,000 ×the
7. Calculating 0.677 = $6,770.
Future Value of a Series of Amounts. Elaine Romberg prepares her own income tax return each year. A tax
preparer would charge her $80 for this service. Over a period of 10 years, how much does Elaine gain from preparing her
own tax return? Assume she can earn 3 percent on her savings.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
8. Calculating PROBLEMS
the Time Value of Money for Savings Goals. If you desire to have $20,000 for a down payment for a house in
Problems
LO1-4
SUMMARY
five years, OF LEARNING
what amount OBJECTIVES
would you need to deposit today? Assume that your money will earn 5 percent.
(Note: Some
LO1-4 of these problems
9. Calculating require
the Present the use
Value of aof the time
Series. Petevalue of money
Morton tablesto
is planning ingo
thetoChapter Appendix.)
graduate school in a program of study that will
LO1-1 takethe
1. Calculating three years.
Future Peteofwants
Value to have
Property. Ben$15,000
Collinsavailable
plans to buy
LO1-2
eacha year
houseforforvarious school
$220,000. andreal
If that living expenses.
estate If he to
is expected earns 4 per-
LO1-2
Analyze
increasethe
in process
cent on his
value for making
by 3money,
percent how
eachmuchpersonal
must
year, financial
whatbewill
deposited at the start
its approximate of Assess
value his personal
studies
be seven to befrom
years and
ablenow? economic
to withdraw $15,000factors
a yearthat influence
for three
decisions. years?
When making major financial decisions, use personal financial planning. Financial goals and
decisions.
LO1-4 13. Calculating
5. Calculating Earningsthe Savings. What
on Potential Futurewould
Valuebe
of the yearlyTran
Savings. Lee plans
earnings to set aside
for a person with $2,400
$8,000 ainyear for the
savings next
at an six years,
annual earning
interest 4
LO1-4
percent.
rate of 2.5 What would be the future value of this savings amount?
percent?
LO1-4 14. Determining a Loan Payment Amount. If you borrow $8,000 with a 5 percent interest rate, to be repaid in five equal yearly
payments, what would be the amount of each payment? (Note: Use a financial calculator or the present value of an annuity
table in the Chapter Appendix.)
LO1-1 1. Determining Personal Risks. Talk to friends, relatives, and others about their personal financial activities. Ask about potential
27
11/10/16 01:57 PM
Activities
risks involved with making financial decisions. What actions might be taken to investigate and reduce these risks?
LO1-1, 2. Using Financial Planning Experts. Prepare a list and contact information for financial planning specialists in your
1-2 community, such as investment advisers, credit counselors, insurance agents, real estate brokers, and tax preparers, who could
assist people
kap20683_ch01_001-030.indd 27 with personal financial planning. 11/10/16 01:57 PM
LO1-2 3. Analyzing Changing Life Situations. Ask friends, relatives, and others how their spending, saving, and borrowing activities
The Financial Planning Activities provide changed when they decided to continue their education, change careers, or have children.
LO1-2 4. Researching Economic Conditions. Locate online sources or apps to determine recent trends in interest rates, inflation,
and other economic indicators. Information about the consumer price index (measuring changes in the cost of living)
methods of researching and applying financial may be obtained at www.bls.gov. Report how this economic information might affect your financial planning
decisions.
LO1-3 5. Setting Financial Goals. Ask friends, relatives, and others about their short-term and long-term financial goals. What are
planning topics. some of the common goals for various personal situations? Using Sheet 3 in the Personal Financial Planner, create one short-
term and one long-term goal for people in these life situations: (a) a young single person, (b) a single parent with a child age
8, (c) a married person with no children, and (d) a retired person.
LO1-4, 6. Comparing Alternative Financial Actions. What actions would be necessary to compare a financial planner who advertises
1-5 “One Low Fee Is Charged to Develop Your Personal Financial Plan” and one that advertises “You Are Not Charged a Fee,
My Services Are Covered by the Investment Company for Which I Work”?
Confirming Pages
2. Set financial goals related to various current and future needs. PFP Sheet 4
http://financialplan.about.com
FINANCIAL PLANNING CASE
You Be the Financial Planner his short-term finances since he has three months of living
At some point in your life you may use the services of a finan- expenses in a saving account. However, “three months can go
cial planner. However, your personal knowledge should be the by very quickly,” as Patrick noted.
foundation for most financial decisions. For each of these situ- Situation 3: Nina Resendiz, age 23, recently received a
ations, determine actions you might recommend: $12,000 gift from her aunt. Nina is considering various uses
Situation 1: Fran and Ed Blake, ages 43 and 47, have a for these unexpected funds including paying off credit card
daughter who is completing her first year of college and a son bills from her last vacation or setting aside money for a down
three years younger. Currently they have $42,000 in savings payment on a house. Or she might invest the money in a tax-
and investment funds set aside for their children’s education. deferred retirement account. Another possibility is using the
With increasing education costs, they are concerned whether money for technology certification courses to enhance her
this amount is adequate. In recent months, Fran’s mother has earning power. Nina also wants to contribute some of the
required extensive medical attention and personal care assis- funds to a homeless shelter and a world hunger organization.
tance. Unable to live alone, she is now a resident of a long- She is overwhelmed by the choices and comments to her-
term care facility. The cost of this service is $4,750 a month, self, “I want to avoid the temptation of wasting the money on
with annual increases of about 5 percent. While a major por- impulse items. I want to make sure I use the money on things
tion of the cost is covered by Social Security and her pension, with lasting value.”
Fran’s mother is unable to cover the entire cost. In addition,
Fran and Ed are concerned about saving for their own retire- Questions
ment. While they have consistently made annual deposits to a 1. For each situation, identify the main financial planning
retirement fund, current financial demands may force them to issues that need to be addressed.
access some of that money. 2. What additional information would you like to have
Situation 2: “While I knew it might happen someday, I before recommending actions in each situation?
didn’t expect it right now.” This was the reaction of Patrick
3. Based on the information provided and your assessment
Hamilton when his company merged with another orga-
of the situation, what actions would you recommend for
nization and moved its offices to another state, resulting
the Blakes, Patrick, and Nina?
in him losing his job. Patrick does have some flexibility in
in Action
Starting Your Financial Plan
Planning is the foundation for success in every aspect of life. Assessing your current financial situation, along with setting goals is the
key to successful financial planning.
This feature provides long- and short-term 1. Prepare a list of personal and financial information for yourself and family members. Also
create a list of financial service organizations that you use.
PFP Sheets 1, 2
http://time.com/money/
2. Set financial goals related to various current and future needs. PFP Sheet 4
http://financialplan.about.com
learned within the chapter, and links each to 3. Monitor current economic conditions (inflation, interest rates) to determine possible
actions to take related to your personal finances.
PFP Sheet 3
www.federalreserve.gov
(located at the end of the book) and websites 1. Based on various financial goals, calculate the savings deposits necessary to achieve
those goals.
PFP Sheet 5
www.dinkytown.net
Confirming Pages
29
CONTINUING CASE
Continuing Case
Confirming Pages
Personal Finance Basics and the Time Value of Money
Jamie Lee Jackson, age 24, has recently decided to switch from attending college part-time to full-time in order to pursue her busi-
ness degree and aims to graduate within the next three years. She has 55 credit hours remaining in order to earn her bachelor’s
shedegree
currentlyFinance
She Jackson,
would really
has noand aims
plans
age 24,likehas
to graduate
to buy
Basics
shares a small
to recently
eventually
a new onewithin
and the
apartment
anythetime
withTime
have atoplace
decided
next three
soon. She
Value
a friend,
switchoffrom
her own.
years.
of Money
and they
She hasa55
is carrying
split all of the associated living expenses, such as rent and
Her car
attending is still
college going strong,
part-time
credit on
balance hours
eveninthough
to full-time
her remaining
credit cardinand
order
it is
order to sevenher
pursue
to earn her
is making
years old,
busi-
bachelor’s
regular monthly
opportunity to apply course concepts in a life
degree, and
payments
of
having
a
knows
of $50
local grocery
withthat
creates
$9,000
it will
hopes
store,
verypayment
down
of be
where
decorative
a challenge
paying
she
cakes.toShe
needed
to complete
it off within
earns $390 a
a year.her
week.
dreams
start
Jamie
course
Jamie
Lee
of opening
the cupcake
hasofalso
study
wants
caféher
twoown
to
while still
recently
keep
cupcake
years
her
takenworking
part-time
after café
part-time
out a student
job at the
costs and expenses. Jamie Lee also began depositing $1,800 a year in a savings account that earns 2 percent interest, in hopes of
baking theand
in to
loan thecover
grocery
bakery
store,
herdepartment
as
educational
she
within the next five years. She also realizes
graduation.
loves situation. This feature encourages students to
that by returning to school full-time, she will forgo any free time that she enjoys now socializing with friends.
Current Financial
Jamie
utilities.
Checking
Situation:
Lee currently
Sheaccount:
would really
shares a small apartment with a friend, and they split all of the associated living expenses, such as rent and
$1,250 like to eventually have a place of her own. Her car is still going strong, even though it is seven years old,
evaluate the changes that affect a family and
then respond to the resulting shift in needs,
and she has no
Emergency plans
Fund to buyaccount:
savings a new one any time soon. She is carrying a balance on her credit card and is making regular monthly
$3,100
payments
Car: $4,000 of $50 with hopes of paying it off within a year. Jamie has also recently taken out a student loan to cover her educational
costs
Studentandloan:
expenses.
$5,400 Jamie Lee also began depositing $1,800 a year in a savings account that earns 2 percent interest, in hopes of
Directions
DAILY SPENDING DIARY
Nearly everyone who has taken the effort to keeping a Daily Spending Diary has found it beneficial. While at first the process
may seem “Itedious, after awhile, recording
wouldthis
be ainformation becomes
but theeasier and faster.
30
2. How might your Daily Spending Diary assist you when identifying and achieving financial goals?
The Daily Spending Diary sheets are located in Appendix D at the end of the book and on the library resource site within Connect. donate to your favorite local charity every year?
30
These everyday spending activities might go
kap20683_ch01_001-030.indd 30 11/10/16 01:57 PM
largely unnoticed, yet they have a significant
effect on the overall health of an individual’s
finances. The Daily Spending Diary sheets (in
kap20683_ch01_001-030.indd 30 11/10/16 01:57 PM
First Pages
Personal Financial
Planner Sheets
Name: ______________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Filing Status/Withholding
work through the application and record their • Change filing status or exemptions because of changes in life
situation.
own personal financial plan answers. These • Change amount of withholding because of changes in tax
situation.
• Plan to make estimated tax payments (due the 15th of April,
Tax Records/Documents
personal situation and serve as a road map to • Organize home files for ease of maintaining and retrieving data.
• Send current mailing address and correct Social Security
them filed in a safe spot for future reference! • Research tax code changes and uncertain tax areas.
Key websites are provided to help students • Consider tax-exempt and tax-deferred investments.
• If you expect to have the same or lower tax rate next year,
plan, and the “What’s Next for Your Personal • If you expect to have a higher tax rate next year, delay
deductions because they will have a greater benefit.
• If you expect to have a higher tax rate next year, accelerate
Financial Plan?” section at the end of the receipt of income to have it taxed at the current lower
rate.
• Start or increase use of tax-deferred retirement plans.
• IRS2go
• Other.
xxiii
Required=Results
©Getty Images/iStockphoto
McGraw-Hill Connect®
Learn Without Limits
Connect is a teaching and learning platform
that is proven to deliver better results for
students and instructors.
Analytics
Connect Insight®
Connect Insight is Connect’s new one-
of-a-kind visual analytics dashboard that
provides at-a-glance information regarding
student performance, which is immediately
actionable. By presenting assignment,
assessment, and topical performance results
together with a time metric that is easily
visible for aggregate or individual results,
Connect Insight gives the user the ability to
take a just-in-time approach to teaching and
learning, which was never before available.
Connect Insight presents data that helps
instructors improve class performance in a
way that is efficient and effective.
Adaptive
THE ADAPTIVE
READING EXPERIENCE
DESIGNED TO TRANSFORM
THE WAY STUDENTS READ
SmartBook®
Proven to help students improve grades and
study more efficiently, SmartBook contains the
same content within the print book, but actively
tailors that content to the needs of the individual.
SmartBook’s adaptive technology provides precise,
personalized instruction on what the student
should do next, guiding the student to master
and remember key concepts, targeting gaps in
knowledge and offering customized feedback,
and driving the student toward comprehension
and retention of the subject matter. Available on
tablets, SmartBook puts learning at the student’s
fingertips—anywhere, anytime.
www.mheducation.com
Supplements
For Instructors
The Instructor Resources for this edition can be found in Connect, and include all supplementary
material, including the Instructor’s Manual, Test Bank, computerized Test Gen testing software,
PowerPoint, and related Web links:
∙ The Instructor’s Manual includes a “Course Planning Guide” with instructional strategies,
course projects, and supplementary resource lists. The “Chapter Teaching Materials” section
of the Instructor’s Manual provides a chapter overview, the chapter objectives with summaries,
introductory activities, and detailed lecture outlines with teaching suggestions. This section also
includes concluding activities, ready-to-duplicate quizzes, supplementary lecture materials and
activities, and answers to concept checks, end-of-chapter problems, and cases.
∙ The Test Bank, revised by Michelle Grant, Bossier Parish Community College, and reviewed by
Montgomery Hill, Northern Virginia Community College, consists of almost 2,000 true–false,
multiple-choice, and essay questions. Each test item is tagged with a corresponding learning
objective, topic, level of difficulty, page number, and Blooms category. Use these tags to easily
and effectively customize your test bank.
∙ Computerized Testing Software—TestGen is a complete, state-of-the-art test generator and
editing application software that allows instructors to quickly and easily select test items from
McGraw Hill’s TestGen testbank content and to organize, edit and customize the questions and
answers to rapidly generate paper tests. Questions can include stylized text, symbols, graphics,
and equations that are inserted directly into questions using built-in mathematical templates.
TestGen’s random generator provides the option to display different text or calculated number
values each time questions are used. With both quick-and-simple test creation and flexible and
robust editing tools, TestGen is a test generator system for today’s educators.
∙ Chapter PowerPoint Presentations revised by Michelle Grant, Bossier Parish Community
College, offers more than 300 visual presentations that may be edited and manipulated to fit a
particular course format.
xxvi
Personal Finance Telecourse
If you teach personal finance as a telecourse, this text is a perfect fit! A telecourse program is
available from Coastline Community College titled Dollar$ & Sense: Personal Finance for the
21st Century that is based on the Kapoor, Dlabay, Hughes, and Hart text. The program includes
26 thirty-minute videotapes, which you purchase directly from Coast by contacting Lynn Dahnke,
Marketing Director, Coast Learning Systems, 11460 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley, CA 92708,
(800) 547-4748 or www.CoastLearning.org. The course also has a Telecourse Study Guide available
that connects the videos to the text.
xxvii
Brief Contents
1 Planning Your Personal Finances
1. Personal Finance Basics and the Time Value of Money 1
Appendix: The Time Value of Money 31
2. Financial Aspects of Career Planning 43
Appendix: Résumés, Cover Letters, and Interviews 69
3. Money Management Strategy: Financial Statements and Budgeting 80
4. Planning Your Tax Strategy 109
Appendixes
A. Education Financing, Loans, and Scholarships A-1
B. Financial Planners and Other Information Sources B-1
C. Consumer Agencies and Organizations C-1
D. Daily Spending Diary D-1
Endnotes N-1
Index I-1
Personal Financial Planner
xxviii
Contents
1 Planning Your
Career Opportunities: Now and in the Future 48
Social Influences 48
Personal Finances Economic Conditions 50
Industry Trends 50
1
| Personal Finance Basics and the
Time Value of Money 1
Employment Search Strategies 51
Obtaining Employment Experience 51
Using Career Information Sources 52
The Financial Planning Process 2
Identifying Job Opportunities 55
Step 1: Determine Your Current Financial
Applying for Employment 56
Situation 3
Step 2: Develop Financial Goals 4 Financial and Legal Aspects of
Step 3: Identify Alternative Courses of Action 5 Employment 57
Step 4: Evaluate Your Alternatives 5 Accepting an Employment Position 57
Step 5: Create and Implement Your Financial Evaluating Employee Benefits 57
Action Plan 7 Your Employment Rights 60
Step 6: Review and Revise Your Plan 8 Long-Term Career Development 60
Influences on Personal Financial Planning 8 Training Opportunities 61
Life Situation and Personal Values 8 Career Paths and Advancement 61
The Financial System and Economic Factors 9 Changing Careers 62
|
Opportunity Costs and the Time Value of Money 16
3 Money Management Strategy:
Personal Opportunity Costs 17
Financial Statements and
Financial Opportunity Costs 17
Budgeting 80
Achieving Financial Goals 20 Successful Money Management 82
Components of Personal Financial Planning 20 Opportunity Cost and Money
Management 82
Developing a Flexible Financial Plan 23
Components of Money Management 82
Implementing Your Financial Plan 24
A Personal Financial Records System 82
Studying Personal Finance 24
Personal Financial Statements 85
Appendix: The Time Value of Money 31
The Personal Balance Sheet: Where Are You
Now? 85
2
| Financial
Planning
Aspects of Career
43
Evaluating Your Financial Position 88
The Cash Flow Statement: Where Did Your
Career Choice Factors 44 Money Go? 88
Trade-Offs of Career Decisions 45 Budgeting for Skilled Money Management 92
Career Training and Skill Development 45 The Budgeting Process 93
Personal Factors 46 Characteristics of Successful Budgeting 97
Career Decision Making 47 Types of Budgeting Systems 98
xxix
xxx CONTENTS
Uses and Misuses of Credit 179 When the Repayment Is Early: The Rule
Advantages of Credit 180 of 78s 232
Disadvantages of Credit 181 Credit Insurance 234
Summary: Advantages and Disadvantages of Cost of Credit and the Credit Card Accountability,
Credit 181 Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009
(The Credit CARD Act) 234
Types of Credit 182
Closed-End Credit 182 Managing Your Debts 235
Open-End Credit 182 Debt Collection Practices 235
Warning Signs of Debt Problems 236
Measuring Your Credit Capacity 189
The Serious Consequences
Can You Afford a Loan? 189
of Debt 237
General Rules of Credit Capacity 190
Cosigning a Loan 191 Consumer Credit Counseling Services 239
Building and Maintaining Your Credit What the CCCS Does 239
Rating 192 Alternative Counseling Services 240
What Is Being Done about the High Costs of 12 | Life Insurance 393
Health Care? 355
Life Insurance: An Introduction 394
What Can You Do to Reduce Personal Health
What Is Life Insurance? 395
Care Costs? 355
The Purpose of Life Insurance 395
Health Insurance and Financial
The Principle of Life Insurance 396
Planning 357
How Long Will You Live? 396
What Is Health Insurance? 357
Life Expectancy and Education 396
Medical Coverage and Divorce 358
Determining Your Life Insurance
Types of Health Insurance Coverage 360
Needs 397
Types of Medical Coverage 360
Do You Need Life Insurance? 398
Long-Term Care Insurance 362
Determining Your Life Insurance
Major Provisions in a Health Insurance
Objectives 398
Policy 364
Estimating Your Life Insurance
Health Insurance Trade-Offs 365
Requirements 398
Which Coverage Should You Choose? 366
Online Calculators and Applications
Private Sources of Health Insurance and (Apps) 400
Health Care 366
Types of Life Insurance Companies and
Private Insurance Companies 367
Policies 402
Hospital and Medical Service Plans 367
Types of Life Insurance
Health Maintenance Organizations Companies 402
(HMOs) 367
Types of Life Insurance Policies 402
Preferred Provider Organizations
Term Life Insurance 403
(PPOs) 369
Whole Life Insurance 404
Home Health Care Agencies 370
Other Types of Life Insurance
Employer Self-Funded Health Plans 371
Policies 407
New Health Care Accounts 371
Important Provisions in a Life Insurance
Government Health Care Programs 372
Contract 410
Medicare 372
Payments to Life Insurance Policies 410
Medicaid 376
Clauses in Life Insurance Policies 410
Health Insurance and the Patient Protection and
Payments from Life Insurance
Affordable Care Act of 2010 376
Policies 411
The Affordable Care Act and the Individual
Riders to Life Insurance Policies 412
Shared Responsibility Provision 378
Fight Against Medicare/Medicaid Fraud and Buying Life Insurance 413
Abuse 380 From Whom to Buy? 413
Government and Private Consumer Health Comparing Policy Costs 415
Information Websites 381 Obtaining a Policy 418
Examining a Policy 418
Disability Income Insurance 382
Definition of Disability 383 Life Insurance Proceeds 418
Disability Insurance Trade-Offs 383 Death (or Survivor) Benefits 419
Sources of Disability Income 383 Income from Life Insurance
Determining Your Disability Income Insurance Policies 419
Requirements 385 Switching Policies 420
xxxiv CONTENTS
Asset Allocation and Investment Alternatives 441 Long-Term and Short-Term Investment
Asset Allocation and Diversification 441 Strategies 484
An Overview of Investment Alternatives 444 Long-Term Techniques 484
A Personal Plan for Investing 446 Short-Term Techniques 486
I see increasing reason to believe that the view formed some time
back as to the origin of the Makonde bush is the correct one. I have
no doubt that it is not a natural product, but the result of human
occupation. Those parts of the high country where man—as a very
slight amount of practice enables the eye to perceive at once—has not
yet penetrated with axe and hoe, are still occupied by a splendid
timber forest quite able to sustain a comparison with our mixed
forests in Germany. But wherever man has once built his hut or tilled
his field, this horrible bush springs up. Every phase of this process
may be seen in the course of a couple of hours’ walk along the main
road. From the bush to right or left, one hears the sound of the axe—
not from one spot only, but from several directions at once. A few
steps further on, we can see what is taking place. The brush has been
cut down and piled up in heaps to the height of a yard or more,
between which the trunks of the large trees stand up like the last
pillars of a magnificent ruined building. These, too, present a
melancholy spectacle: the destructive Makonde have ringed them—
cut a broad strip of bark all round to ensure their dying off—and also
piled up pyramids of brush round them. Father and son, mother and
son-in-law, are chopping away perseveringly in the background—too
busy, almost, to look round at the white stranger, who usually excites
so much interest. If you pass by the same place a week later, the piles
of brushwood have disappeared and a thick layer of ashes has taken
the place of the green forest. The large trees stretch their
smouldering trunks and branches in dumb accusation to heaven—if
they have not already fallen and been more or less reduced to ashes,
perhaps only showing as a white stripe on the dark ground.
This work of destruction is carried out by the Makonde alike on the
virgin forest and on the bush which has sprung up on sites already
cultivated and deserted. In the second case they are saved the trouble
of burning the large trees, these being entirely absent in the
secondary bush.
After burning this piece of forest ground and loosening it with the
hoe, the native sows his corn and plants his vegetables. All over the
country, he goes in for bed-culture, which requires, and, in fact,
receives, the most careful attention. Weeds are nowhere tolerated in
the south of German East Africa. The crops may fail on the plains,
where droughts are frequent, but never on the plateau with its
abundant rains and heavy dews. Its fortunate inhabitants even have
the satisfaction of seeing the proud Wayao and Wamakua working
for them as labourers, driven by hunger to serve where they were
accustomed to rule.
But the light, sandy soil is soon exhausted, and would yield no
harvest the second year if cultivated twice running. This fact has
been familiar to the native for ages; consequently he provides in
time, and, while his crop is growing, prepares the next plot with axe
and firebrand. Next year he plants this with his various crops and
lets the first piece lie fallow. For a short time it remains waste and
desolate; then nature steps in to repair the destruction wrought by
man; a thousand new growths spring out of the exhausted soil, and
even the old stumps put forth fresh shoots. Next year the new growth
is up to one’s knees, and in a few years more it is that terrible,
impenetrable bush, which maintains its position till the black
occupier of the land has made the round of all the available sites and
come back to his starting point.
The Makonde are, body and soul, so to speak, one with this bush.
According to my Yao informants, indeed, their name means nothing
else but “bush people.” Their own tradition says that they have been
settled up here for a very long time, but to my surprise they laid great
stress on an original immigration. Their old homes were in the
south-east, near Mikindani and the mouth of the Rovuma, whence
their peaceful forefathers were driven by the continual raids of the
Sakalavas from Madagascar and the warlike Shirazis[47] of the coast,
to take refuge on the almost inaccessible plateau. I have studied
African ethnology for twenty years, but the fact that changes of
population in this apparently quiet and peaceable corner of the earth
could have been occasioned by outside enterprises taking place on
the high seas, was completely new to me. It is, no doubt, however,
correct.
The charming tribal legend of the Makonde—besides informing us
of other interesting matters—explains why they have to live in the
thickest of the bush and a long way from the edge of the plateau,
instead of making their permanent homes beside the purling brooks
and springs of the low country.
“The place where the tribe originated is Mahuta, on the southern
side of the plateau towards the Rovuma, where of old time there was
nothing but thick bush. Out of this bush came a man who never
washed himself or shaved his head, and who ate and drank but little.
He went out and made a human figure from the wood of a tree
growing in the open country, which he took home to his abode in the
bush and there set it upright. In the night this image came to life and
was a woman. The man and woman went down together to the
Rovuma to wash themselves. Here the woman gave birth to a still-
born child. They left that place and passed over the high land into the
valley of the Mbemkuru, where the woman had another child, which
was also born dead. Then they returned to the high bush country of
Mahuta, where the third child was born, which lived and grew up. In
course of time, the couple had many more children, and called
themselves Wamatanda. These were the ancestral stock of the
Makonde, also called Wamakonde,[48] i.e., aborigines. Their
forefather, the man from the bush, gave his children the command to
bury their dead upright, in memory of the mother of their race who
was cut out of wood and awoke to life when standing upright. He also
warned them against settling in the valleys and near large streams,
for sickness and death dwelt there. They were to make it a rule to
have their huts at least an hour’s walk from the nearest watering-
place; then their children would thrive and escape illness.”
The explanation of the name Makonde given by my informants is
somewhat different from that contained in the above legend, which I
extract from a little book (small, but packed with information), by
Pater Adams, entitled Lindi und sein Hinterland. Otherwise, my
results agree exactly with the statements of the legend. Washing?
Hapana—there is no such thing. Why should they do so? As it is, the
supply of water scarcely suffices for cooking and drinking; other
people do not wash, so why should the Makonde distinguish himself
by such needless eccentricity? As for shaving the head, the short,
woolly crop scarcely needs it,[49] so the second ancestral precept is
likewise easy enough to follow. Beyond this, however, there is
nothing ridiculous in the ancestor’s advice. I have obtained from
various local artists a fairly large number of figures carved in wood,
ranging from fifteen to twenty-three inches in height, and
representing women belonging to the great group of the Mavia,
Makonde, and Matambwe tribes. The carving is remarkably well
done and renders the female type with great accuracy, especially the
keloid ornamentation, to be described later on. As to the object and
meaning of their works the sculptors either could or (more probably)
would tell me nothing, and I was forced to content myself with the
scanty information vouchsafed by one man, who said that the figures
were merely intended to represent the nembo—the artificial
deformations of pelele, ear-discs, and keloids. The legend recorded
by Pater Adams places these figures in a new light. They must surely
be more than mere dolls; and we may even venture to assume that
they are—though the majority of present-day Makonde are probably
unaware of the fact—representations of the tribal ancestress.
The references in the legend to the descent from Mahuta to the
Rovuma, and to a journey across the highlands into the Mbekuru
valley, undoubtedly indicate the previous history of the tribe, the
travels of the ancestral pair typifying the migrations of their
descendants. The descent to the neighbouring Rovuma valley, with
its extraordinary fertility and great abundance of game, is intelligible
at a glance—but the crossing of the Lukuledi depression, the ascent
to the Rondo Plateau and the descent to the Mbemkuru, also lie
within the bounds of probability, for all these districts have exactly
the same character as the extreme south. Now, however, comes a
point of especial interest for our bacteriological age. The primitive
Makonde did not enjoy their lives in the marshy river-valleys.
Disease raged among them, and many died. It was only after they
had returned to their original home near Mahuta, that the health
conditions of these people improved. We are very apt to think of the
African as a stupid person whose ignorance of nature is only equalled
by his fear of it, and who looks on all mishaps as caused by evil
spirits and malignant natural powers. It is much more correct to
assume in this case that the people very early learnt to distinguish
districts infested with malaria from those where it is absent.
This knowledge is crystallized in the
ancestral warning against settling in the
valleys and near the great waters, the
dwelling-places of disease and death. At the
same time, for security against the hostile
Mavia south of the Rovuma, it was enacted
that every settlement must be not less than a
certain distance from the southern edge of the
plateau. Such in fact is their mode of life at the
present day. It is not such a bad one, and
certainly they are both safer and more
comfortable than the Makua, the recent
intruders from the south, who have made USUAL METHOD OF
good their footing on the western edge of the CLOSING HUT-DOOR
plateau, extending over a fairly wide belt of
country. Neither Makua nor Makonde show in their dwellings
anything of the size and comeliness of the Yao houses in the plain,
especially at Masasi, Chingulungulu and Zuza’s. Jumbe Chauro, a
Makonde hamlet not far from Newala, on the road to Mahuta, is the
most important settlement of the tribe I have yet seen, and has fairly
spacious huts. But how slovenly is their construction compared with
the palatial residences of the elephant-hunters living in the plain.
The roofs are still more untidy than in the general run of huts during
the dry season, the walls show here and there the scanty beginnings
or the lamentable remains of the mud plastering, and the interior is a
veritable dog-kennel; dirt, dust and disorder everywhere. A few huts
only show any attempt at division into rooms, and this consists
merely of very roughly-made bamboo partitions. In one point alone
have I noticed any indication of progress—in the method of fastening
the door. Houses all over the south are secured in a simple but
ingenious manner. The door consists of a set of stout pieces of wood
or bamboo, tied with bark-string to two cross-pieces, and moving in
two grooves round one of the door-posts, so as to open inwards. If
the owner wishes to leave home, he takes two logs as thick as a man’s
upper arm and about a yard long. One of these is placed obliquely
against the middle of the door from the inside, so as to form an angle
of from 60° to 75° with the ground. He then places the second piece
horizontally across the first, pressing it downward with all his might.
It is kept in place by two strong posts planted in the ground a few
inches inside the door. This fastening is absolutely safe, but of course
cannot be applied to both doors at once, otherwise how could the
owner leave or enter his house? I have not yet succeeded in finding
out how the back door is fastened.