Your Financial Action Plan

An action plan for financial literacy and securityIn Your Financial Action Plan Bankrate’s CEO and President Elisabeth DeMarse offers a 12-step self-analysis guide for readers to determine how financially literate they are, and then provides 12 simple steps to help them forge the financial future they desire. Financial knowledge means financial power, and in Your Financial Action Plan, readers will be introduced to important personal financial issues including debt, mortgages, insurance, taxes, and much more. Filled with practical guidance and extensive expertise that only Bankrate could provide, Your Financial Action Plan will help readers avoid costly mistakes by helping them close the gap between knowing and executing financially sound strategies.While three out of five Americans believe they are in control of their personal finances, that same number of people actually haven’t a clue how much life, auto, or health care insurance they should carry. According to the Roper Survey on Financial Literacy commissioned by Bankrate last year, people deal with personal finance similarly to the way they deal with dieting–they often know what they should do, yet there is a disconnect when it comes to actually following through, causing every American to lose an estimated $5, 000 every year. Your Financial Action Plan compels consumers to confront issues such as creating a will, building a savings nest egg for rainy days, and making and sticking to a monthly budget.Elisabeth DeMarse (New York, NY) is President and CEO of Bankrate, Inc. She turned Bankrate around from a struggling Internet company delisted by NASDAQ, to the Internet’s leading consumer banking marketplace. Prior to joining Bankrate, Elisabeth spent 10 years as head of marketing for Bloomberg, LLP, and was an EVP at the Internet Web site Hoovers.com. Elisabeth has a BA from Wellesley and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a member of the Committee of 200 and a frequent commentator on CNN, FOX, and Marketwatch.