New Features:

• Chapter openers introduce the new My Life feature which is interwoven throughout each chapter of the 9th edition. The My Life opener actively involves the student in the chapter material by relating it to their own lives and explaining not only what they’ll learn in the chapter, but also why it’s important. Includes follow-up questions to motivate students to improve their approach to personal finance.



• The Daily Spending Diary is included in Appendix C for students to record their day to day expenses in different categories, helping them monitor their everyday spending to maintain better control over their finances as daily spending can have a huge impact on achieving financial goals. The end of each chapter includes a Daily Spending Diary exercise that asks students to consider how they can change their daily spending habits to improve their personal finances overall.



• A Financial Planning Calendar will appear in the endsheets for easy access to further motivate students in setting and keeping longer-term financial goals.



• New coverage of consumer credit in Chapters 6 and 7, including credit scores, inexpensive loans to finance a college education, and avoiding tax refund loans.



• New health insurance coverage in Chapter 11, including Advice from a Pro on what to know before buying long-term care insurance and coverage explaining the distinction around various health care plans.



• Extensive new material on investing in chapters 13-17, including the investment pyramid, stock websites, how to pick a winning stock, Treasury Inflation-Protection Securities (TIPS), the importance of bond valuation, your home as an investment, and Mergent and Morningstar research materials.

Retained Features:

• The authors present personal financial planning for a variety of life situations so that the text is a practical resource throughout one’s lifespan. It addresses the financial needs of a single parent, two-income, mixed-generation, and other types of households throughout the text. The different financial pressures and considerations that come into play in these situations are illustrated in text examples, the Financial Planning for Life's Situations boxes, and in the end-of-chapter Financial Planning Cases and in the new Continuing Cases.



• Personal Finance teaches quantitative analysis in financial planning by presenting more than 90 commonly used key formulas and mathematical functions in text discussion and examples. Finally, formulas are summarized at the end of each chapter. This information is further highlighted in the Financial Planning Calculations boxes, which provide additional examples and information for students.



• Personal Financial Planner (PFP) sheets correlate with the sections of the text and are conveniently located at the end of the text! The PFP sheets are written by the authors to help students create and implement a personal financial plan. These perforated sheets ask students to work through the application and record their own personal financial plan answers; thus, applying answers to their own personal situations and providing a roadmap to their personal financial future. Excel versions of these sheets are available on the website at www.mhhe.com/kdh.



• Concept Checks at the end of each major section within each chapter to help students assess their understanding of the material covered before moving onto the next section.



• End of chapter material includes a Summary of Objectives, Key Terms with page references, Financial Planning Problems, Financial Planning Activities, Financial Planning Case, Video Case, Internet Connection, Creating a Financial Plan, and the new Continuing Case. Key formulas are provided in appropriate chapters. These provide students with ample opportunity to apply and practice the content learned in each chapter.



• Every chapter includes a Video Case. The instructor can show the video segment in class (each segment is about 5-10 minutes long – perfect for discussion launchers!) and then use the Video Case questions at the end of the chapters for class discussion. These cases are another way to help students analyze financial situations.



• “Advice from a Pro” boxes present personal finance issues and tips from the field to help students connect the textbook to their own personal financial situation.



• “Did You Know?” boxes contain the latest facts, information and financial planning assistance available. These are short but useful boxes that have proven popular among faculty and students alike.



• An Action Application section at the end of each major section within each chapter contains short exercises that ask students to apply the concepts learned.