Economic Decisions for Consumers

Summary: 1. Decision Making: Learning to Choose. 2. Life Cycles, Life Styles, and the Consumer. 3. Basic Economic Principles: Be Prepared. 4. Financial Planning: Getting in Control. 5. Money and Banking: The Almighty Dollar. 6. Credit: Buy Now, Pay More Later. 7. Advertising: Information or Manipulation? 8. Consumer Protection and Redress: Doing unto Others as They do unto You. 9. Comparison Shopping in Fashionable America: B...uying Process Model. 10. Food: More Than a Matter of Taste. 11. Housing: Home Sweet Home. 12. The Automobile: Wheels and Deals. 13. Energy, the Environment, and the Consumer. 14. Health Care: What Happens When You Get Sick. 15. Government Services and Taxes: Paying Your Fair Share. 16. Personal Investments: Managing Your Money. 17. Planning for the Future: Insurance, Retirement, and Beyond. 18. Consumer Economics from a Global Perspective. Appendix I. Seeking Help for Consumer Problems. Appendix II. Directory of Federal Consumer Agencies. Appendix III. Directory of State Consumer Agencies. Glossary. Index. [read more]