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Foreword. <p>Preface.</p> <p>Acknowledgments.</p> <p><b>Chapter 1</b> <b>A Recipe for Success.</b></p> <p>The 7Twelve Recipe.</p> <p>Salsa Anyone?</p> <p>U.S. Stock.</p> <p>Non–U.S. Stock.</p> <p>Real Estate.</p> <p>Resources.</p> <p>U.S. Bonds.</p> <p>Non–U.S. Bonds.</p> <p>Cash.</p> <p>The Complete Recipe.</p> <p><b>Chapter 2</b> <b>Lining Up the Ingredients.</b></p> <p>A Recipe That Goes Waaay Back.</p> <p>Getting Better and Better.</p> <p><b>Chapter 3</b> <b>The More Ingredients, the Better.</b></p> <p>Measuring Volatility and Risk.</p> <p>Diversification by Design.</p> <p>Diversification Requires Depth <i>and</i> Breadth.</p> <p><b>Chapter 4</b> <b>Growth of Money.</b></p> <p>Why Measure Growth of Money?</p> <p>Expect Ups and Downs.</p> <p><b>Chapter 5</b> <b>Combining Ingredients That Zig <i>and</i></b> <b>Zag.</b></p> <p>Getting Close to Zero.</p> <p>Finding Assets That Play Nicely Together.</p> <p>Don't Forget Broad Diversification.</p> <p>Quantifying Correlation.</p> <p><b>Chapter 6</b> <b>Stirring the Mix.</b></p> <p>Rebalancing versus Buy-and-Hold.</p> <p>Choosing a Schedule.</p> <p><b>Chapter 7</b> <b>Adjusting the Secret Sauce.</b></p> <p>The Saving Years and the Spending Years.</p> <p>How Portfolio Mechanics Change in the Golden Years.</p> <p>Allocation Age versus Chronological Age.</p> <p>Life Stage Portfolios.</p> <p><b>Chapter 8</b> <b>How Long Will My Nest Egg Last?</b></p> <p>Survival of the Fittest.</p> <p>Reviewing the Nest Egg Guidelines.</p> <p><b>Chapter 9</b> <b>Should I Tilt toward Value or Growth?</b></p> <p>Does It Make a Difference?</p> <p>The 7Twelve's Value Bias</p> <p><b>Chapter 10</b> <b>Should I Jump in or Let the Pot Simmer?</b></p> <p>To Stir or Not to Stir?</p> <p>The 7Twelve Works Both Ways.</p> <p>But If You <i>Still</i> Can't Decide . . .</p> <p><b>Chapter 11</b> <b>A Better 401(K).</b></p> <p>Switching the Default.</p> <p>Introducing Target Date Funds and Balanced Funds.</p> <p>The 7Twelve Portfolio Approach.</p> <p>Determining Your Lifecycle Phase.</p> <p>Mismatch 101.</p> <p><b>Chapter 12</b> <b>The Problem of Undersaving.</b></p> <p>Chasing Returns Is a Loser's Game.</p> <p>Add Plenty of Patience, Perspective, and Persistence.</p> <p><b>Chapter 13</b> <b>Of Stocks, Bonds, and Risk.</b></p> <p>A Tale of Two Time Frames.</p> <p>The "Diversification" Premium.</p> <p><b>Chapter 14 Assembling Your Portfolio.</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 15 3 Secrets + 4 Principles = 7Twelve Perfection.</b></p> <p>About the Author.</p> <p>Index.</p>

“Craig Israelsen has an interesting idea: Let's leave 1950 behind. The associate professor at Brigham Young University<<a href="http://topics.dallasnews.com/topic/Brigham_Young_University">http://topics.dallasnews.com/topic/Brigham_Young_University</a>> in Utah<<a href="http://topics.dallasnews.com/topic/Utah">http://topics.dallasnews.com/topic/Utah</a>> thinks it's time to include the world outside the United States, among other things, in our investments rather than just talk about it . . . . This is accomplished with what Israelsen dubs the ‘7Twelve Balanced Fund.’ Rather than just domestic stocks and bonds, the new benchmark has seven asset classes. Those asset classes, in turn, are subdivided into a dozen subsets, all held in equal amounts. The payoff is huge. Over the last 10 years, his better balanced index provided a return of 7.52 percent annualized. The Vanguard Balanced Index fund did better than nearly 60 percent of its managed competitors but returned only 2.64 percent over the same period. That 7.52 percent return would have ranked Israelsen's passive index in the top 2 percent of all moderate allocation funds. Indeed, it would have ranked in the top 30 percent of all world allocation funds - funds that do invest in a broader menu of assets . . . . This is no guarantee of investment nirvana, but it's a good start for a new millennium.”—Scott Burns, Syndicated Columnist, Dallas Morning News (March 27, 2010)

<b>CRAIG L. ISRAELSEN</b>, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, where he teaches personal and family finance to over 1,200 students each year. He holds a PhD in family resource management from BYU and received a BS in agribusiness and an MS in agricultural economics from Utah State University. Prior to teaching at BYU, Israelsen was on the faculty of the University of Missouri–Columbia for fourteen years where he taught personal and family finance in the Department of Personal Financial Planning.

<b>A powerful, easy-to-use new asset allocation strategy</b> <p><i><b>7Twelve</b></i> provides a time-tested recipe for building a diversified, multi-asset investment portfolio with twelve low-cost mutual funds. Author Craig Israelsen keeps it simple with easy-to-understand explanations and illustrative graphs throughout the text as he shows you how to create a balanced portfolio utilizing multiple asset classes to enhance performance and reduce risk. His approach has generated stellar returns over the last ten years—and you can have similar success using major mutual fund companies and ETFs.</p> <p>In straightforward, clear language, Israelsen tells you how to build your 7Twelve portfolio with 7 core asset classes and twelve specific mutual funds or exchange traded funds. He also shows you how to use the 7Twelve portfolio as either a pre-retirement accumulation portfolio or a post-retirement distribution portfolio.</p> <p>If you want to build a balanced, multi-asset portfolio that can help you grow your money as well as protect it, <i><b>7Twelve</b></i> is the recipe you need.</p> <p>Praise for <b>7Twelve</b></p> <p>"People who panic during an economic crisis don't have a sound investment plan. Craig Israelsen provides a sensible plan that really works!"<br /> —<b>Richard Ferri</b>, CFA, founder, Portfolio Solutions, LLC, and author of <i>The ETF Book: All You Need to Know About Exchange-Traded Funds</i></p> <p>"When Craig Israelsen speaks, I always pay attention. Here, he tackles—and answers—the pre-retiree's and retiree's most important question: How do I make my money last for life?"<br /> —<b>Jane Bryant Quinn</b>, author of <i>Making the Most of Your Money NOW</i></p> <p>"You can never be sure how the markets will perform. But you can manage risk. Don't know where to start? Let Craig Israelsen be your guide."<br /> —<b>Jonathan Clements</b>, author of <i>The Little Book of Main Street Money</i></p>

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