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About Floyd . . .
Floyd has more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. His diverse banking experience includes retail and investment banking, insurance, investments, financial planning, and tax preparation. He served as an adjunct faculty member for St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, and community colleges in California--teaching courses in managerial finance, money and banking, and principles of banking. Floyd also taught extensively for the American Institute of Banking and other banks. As an educator Mr. Saunders is the CEO of Saunders Learning Group, which provides training and educational materials to the financial services industry and consumers who want to achieve more control over their money.
Mr. Saunders’ professional experience includes assignments in the business lines of retail banking operations, investment banking, institutional trust and securities services, employee and management training, and systems engineering for banking, accounting, and tax preparation firms. He has worked for Bank of America, JP Morgan and JPMorgan Chase, and as a consultant in the financial services industry. He has prior experience as a registered representative and has published several articles on personal financial planning, investing and personal money management.
Mr. Saunders has previously authored four programs for the American Bankers Association, Banking on Mutual Funds and Annuities, Mutual Funds and Annuities, Introduction to Securities Markets and Investing in Securities. Mr. Saunders earned a Masters degree in Management from Central Michigan University and his Bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University.
Web site: www.floydsaunders.com
Blog: http://Money.floydsaunders.com
Author site: http://www.figuringoutwallstreet.com/
Book site: http://www.floydsaunders.com/Landing/html/landing_books.php
Q & A
- With the current economic situation, why should people read Figuring Out Wall Street?
People should read this book to gain a better broad-based knowledge of the financial markets, so you can make informed decisions about your money.
- What do you hope your readers will gain from this book?
After a reader completes this book, I would hope that you use it as a handy reference book should you want to refer back to specific financial market or investment product information. In addition, this book gives you the information you need to separate saving from investing, and selecting the investment products that best fit your needs to more actively manage your money. It really helps you become a wise, engaged, and informed investor.
- How did your background and work history prepare you to write Figuring Out Wall Street?
I have had a widely diverse career in the financial services industry including teaching Money and Banking while working in retail, commercial, private, and investment banking business lines. This enabled me to gain a broad understanding of banking products and services. But I didn’t want to be limited to only that, so I also worked in insurance, investment products, financial planning, and tax preparation. My career took me to New York where I worked for investment banking firms managing financial systems, securities clearance, and settlement. Therefore, I am also grounded in trading stocks, bonds, mutual funds and the range of investment banking transactions. This experience gave me the subject matter expertise to write a book focused on helping consumers understand the financial markets.
- What gave you the idea to write Figuring Out Wall Street?
One of the keys to financial success is gaining solid financial education. This has been a life long interest of mine. I had written previous books for the American Bankers Association to train bankers on securities and mutual funds, so I thought I could take that experience and write books intended for consumers and industry professionals alike that would explain in simple, concise terms how Wall Street works. This is an overview of some very complex topics, but if you read, Figuring Out Wall Street, you get a solid grounding in these markets if you are a consumer of these products or a professional working in one area and wanting to learn more about other areas of financial markets.
- How is Figuring Out Wall Street different from other financial books on the market?
First, I don’t present some quick rich scheme on how to make millions in stocks, but rather I lay out the basics of investing and how these markets works; so you have an understanding and a reference point to judge the claims of those who want to con you out of your money or simply sell you investment products with sales commissions. When you are an informed buyer, you can make your own decisions and potentially get what you need to secure your financial future at low cost points. For example, I suggest you start with an investment pyramid that has you build a strong base of savings accounts and money market funds, before you start investing in something like stock options or futures contracts.
- What type of audience did you write Figuring Out Wall Street for?
This book is intended for a younger audience that is just getting ready to figure out how to invest their money for things like saving to buy a house, retirement, or the cost of college. I hope the people who read my book will become better-informed consumers of financial products and take an active role in the financial markets because this book has given them the basic information they need to invest wisely. But really... anyone who wants to make better, informed financial decisions can benefit from this book. It is full of charts, graphs, and diagrams that explain every topic in clear, concise terms and any new term is defined on the same page where it is first used.
- How will a reader benefit from reading Figuring Out Wall Street? Why this book now?
Number one, you will be able to make better informed decisions because many of the financial products you're interested in are explained. I provide you with action plans on how to get more information and guide you toward data that, on an on-going basis, will allow you to stay on top of what goes on with your savings and investments.
- What makes this publication unique?
The freshness comes mostly in the layout and design. All of the material is broken down into topics and subtopics that explain everything you need to know, and any new term is explained in the sidebars, right where it is introduced. Plus, we added many illustrations to explain how financial markets and products work. With just enough current information to help you put your financial decisions in the proper context for what you want to do.
- What qualifies you to offer investing advice?
That’s a good question. First this is not an advice book; this a book that enables readers to make better-informed decisions about what is best from them. In many cases, you may still want to use a stockbroker or financial planner, but at least you can talk to your advisors from a position of informed knowledge. I have untangled many of the mysteries of investing, but I don’t tell the reader what is right for them, because each situation is different.
- When and why did you begin writing?
About 12 years ago I wrote several training guides for the American Bankers Association that were the basis of this new book and some other books I plan to write in the future. My inspiration to write comes from my stepfather who worked his entire career in the newspaper industry. It is my wish that my books will help people become more informed investors and help them avoid some of the typical mistakes that people make.
- How did you come up with the title?
I wanted have a catchy title to grab reader's attention while summing up what the book is about--figuring out what Wall Street does, so consumers can take that information and be better-informed investors.
- What do you hope the reader will take away from reading this book?
That investing your money is not a one-time decision and that you shouldn’t trust your financial future to passively managing your money. Anyone can learn the basics and then at least annually review where you are, make adjustments to stay on track, and successfully yield results with their money.
- Where is the stock market going?
Over the past two years we have witnessed the greatest amount of change in the markets recorded in the past 50 years. Most of us don’t remember the Great Depression, or that financial markets have gone through several crisis events in the past and have recovered. Since March of 2009, U.S. Stocks have recovered about 40 percent of the losses from 2008. 2010 will see a continued slow recovery and the financial markets responding. Consumers need to appreciate that there are always opportunities in the market, if they apply common sense and don’t try to chase the investments with the greatest current returns. We are likely to see a great deal of pressure on the markets in the later part of 2010 as the governments around the world attempt to unwind the supports they have provided to keep the markets working.
- Why should I even put my hard-earned money in the stock market
when it could just be wiped out?
Because, over time, a well diversified set of investments will return you more money than putting all of it under a mattress, a savings account, or even a single stock. So many Americans have seen their financial future destroyed because they invested heavily in the companies they worked for, when they could have diversified and been in a better position to ride out a financial fire storm like we saw in 2008 and 2009. Remember, markets rise and markets fall. The US stock markets dropped 44 percent from December of 2007 to March 2009; but we have seen as least 40 percent of that value return and, over time, stocks will rise again. Diversify into other products to have a boarder base of protection and return.
- What investment advice can you offer in a nutshell?
Well for one thing... don’t put your eggs all in one basket. By being a better-informed investor, you will be able to tell when it is time to buy stocks and not sell in a panic. Stay diversified so when the next financial crises hits, you don’t have to panic. In fact, you might now know enough about economic indicators to pick when to exit or enter most investments. Second, don’t buy investments for a lifetime. Be an active manager of your money. At least once a year sit down and rebalance your investments to make sure they match your tolerance for risk and return.
- Do you have other projects in the works to complement this one?
Yes, I am glad you asked. My next book is, Family Financial Freedom, and it is about how to be a better personal money manager for your family. So it is written for the millions of families out there that need to manager their budgets, understand what their net worth is, purchase a home, use credit wisely, buy insurance, and save for the future.
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Floyd Saunders
712 Woodstone Court, Andover, KS 67002
316-680-6482; floyd@floydsaunders.com; www.figuringoutwallstreet.com
by Floyd Saunders
This “Consumer’s Guide to Financial Markets” provides the financial education consumers and investors need to make wise decisions about their personal finances, including saving for college and retirement; helps readers avoid feeling victimized by the recent financial crisis and better prepared to beat Wall Street.
“Reading the financial section of a newspaper or checking for financial information on the Internet is much like watching hockey for the first time. Neither makes much sense until you know the rules, understand the objectives, and can identify changes in the action.” ∼ Excerpt from Figuring Out Wall Street by Floyd Saunders
Floyd Saunder’s newly released book, Figuring Out Wall Street, offers readers a concice, easy-to-read, and comprehensive guide that explains the stock and financial markets around the world, prepares readers to take on investing in an informed manner, and shows them how to track investments to stay on top of their money.
The book’s subtitle, “15 Easy Lessons to Beat Wall Street in Uncertain Times,” corresponds to the book’s fifteen chapters. While providing an overview of how stock exchanges work, the basic products available to consumers, and how to invest in each. Figuring Out Wall Street also offers:
• An inside look at the financial products that stimulated the 2008 global financial meltdown
• An overview of savings and investments products and how to invest to match your goals
• A comprehensive overview of financial regulators and what needs to be fixed to ensure sound financial markets
• A complete review of economic indicators to help you monitor your investments
• A look at what’s safe and which investments are protected, which ones are not, and how protection has changed
• A guide to using asset allocation to help you manage your investments as they grow
Figuring Out Wall Street is available at www.figuringoutwallstreet.com. For more information, contact the author at floyd@floydsaunders.com or www.floydsaunders.com
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Figuring Out Wall Street by Floyd Saunders; Saunders Learning Group; Soft cover; $21.00; Nonfiction; ISBN: 978-0-9824019-0-3
Author: Floyd Saunders began his career in financial services with Bank of America and worked on Wall Street with both Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, where he became vice president of global financial systems. He has extensive teaching experience developing and teaching a wide range of banking and investing courses. In addition, he has authored four programs for the American Bankers Association: Banking on Mutual Funds and Annuities, Mutual Funds and Annuities, Introduction to Securities Markets, and Investing in Securities. His next book, Family Financial Freedom, will be published later in 2010.
