Preface | p. xiii |
Acknowledgments | p. xv |
Introduction | p. xvii |
What's in It for the Company? | p. 1 |
Something for Nothing? | p. 2 |
Diverse Shareholder Base | p. 2 |
Shareholder as a Customer | p. 3 |
Shareholder as a Guinea Pig | p. 5 |
Good Public Relations | p. 5 |
Cheap Equity Capital | p. 6 |
Revenge Factor | p. 9 |
Leaders of the Perks | p. 11 |
Rolling Out the Welcome Mat | p. 12 |
Shareholder Holiday Gifts and Discounts | p. 13 |
Shareholder Discounts on Products and Services | p. 14 |
Entertainment Perks for Shareholders | p. 15 |
Shareholders Rest Easy With These Perks | p. 17 |
Dividend Perks | p. 18 |
More Perks to Come | p. 19 |
Who Says You Have to Pay Brokerage Fees? | p. 21 |
Broker Bashing? | p. 21 |
Death of the Middleman | p. 22 |
No-Load Stocks | p. 23 |
Dividend Reinvestment Plans | p. 26 |
Nuts and Bolts | p. 27 |
Getting the First Share | p. 28 |
Letting the Little Guy Play | p. 29 |
Partial Dividend Reinvestment and OCP-Only Plans | p. 31 |
Safekeeping Services | p. 31 |
Individual Retirement Accounts | p. 34 |
Automatic Withdrawal/Direct Deposit of Dividends | p. 35 |
Gift-Giving Programs | p. 37 |
Save Commissions on the Sell Side | p. 38 |
Choosing a DRIP | p. 39 |
Commission-Free Investing in U.S. Treasury Securities | p. 45 |
Commission-Free Investing Through No-Load Mutual Funds | p. 49 |
Fees, Fees, and More Fees | p. 50 |
Rising Expenses | p. 51 |
What's an Investor to Do? | p. 52 |
True No-Load Funds | p. 54 |
If You Must Use a Broker, Here Are Ways to Ease the Pain | p. 55 |
Fog Level Revisited | p. 57 |
Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate | p. 58 |
Perks and Freebies From Your Broker | p. 58 |
Finding a Broker That's Right for You | p. 63 |
Know Your Rights | p. 64 |
Conclusion | p. 67 |
The Perk of Buying Stocks at a Discount | p. 68 |
Stock Options | p. 69 |
Buying Stock at a Discount Through DRIPs | p. 69 |
When a Discount Isn't a Discount | p. 70 |
Forget About the Big Gains--Unless You Have Deep Pockets | p. 71 |
Arbitraging the Discount | p. 71 |
Buying Stocks at a Discount Through Closed-End Funds | p. 78 |
Perks for the Active Shareholder | p. 82 |
Annuals, Quarterlies, 10-Ks, 10-Qs | p. 83 |
Reading an Annual Report | p. 84 |
Looking at the Numbers | p. 85 |
Discount Coupons and Other Freebies | p. 88 |
Annual Shareholder Meeting | p. 90 |
Free Gifts | p. 91 |
What's in It for the Company? | p. 94 |
Check with the Companies | p. 95 |
Shareholder Activism--The Perk of Power | p. 95 |
Power for the Individual Investor | p. 97 |
Call the Company | p. 97 |
Power of the Press | p. 98 |
Voting Your Proxy--Weapon of Shareholder Activism | p. 98 |
Conclusion | p. 102 |
Company Tours, Museums, and Other (Surprisingly) Fascinating Freebies | p. 103 |
Chocolate Town, USA | p. 104 |
Born to Be Wild | p. 106 |
Foam Home | p. 109 |
Stop the Presses! | p. 110 |
Sound in Motion | p. 111 |
Other Corporate Tours, Museums, and Exhibits | p. 113 |
Conclusion | p. 116 |
Socially Responsible Investing | p. 117 |
What's SRI? | p. 117 |
Don't Tell Me What's Socially Responsible Behavior | p. 118 |
Good for Business | p. 119 |
Pick Your Perk | p. 120 |
Strategic Giving | p. 123 |
Stocks for All Causes | p. 124 |
The Environment | p. 124 |
Fair Employment/Family Rights | p. 125 |
Education/Children's Causes | p. 126 |
Community Relations/Charitable Donations | p. 127 |
SRI Mutual Funds | p. 128 |
Wall Street Has a Conscience? | p. 128 |
Financial Perks off Wall Street | p. 130 |
Bank Freebies | p. 130 |
Credit Card Perks | p. 132 |
"Low-Load" Insurance | p. 133 |
Unclaimed $$$ | p. 133 |
Tax Refund for European Travelers | p. 138 |
Free Credit Check | p. 138 |
Social Security Check | p. 139 |
Free Financial Information and Economic Data | p. 139 |
Further Advice on How to Save a Buck | p. 140 |
When a Free Lunch Isn't a Free Lunch | p. 142 |
Stock Splits | p. 142 |
Why Do Companies Split Their Stock? | p. 143 |
Why Do Investors Like Splits? | p. 143 |
Cause or Effect? | p. 144 |
Reverse Stock Splits | p. 144 |
What's an Investor to Do? | p. 145 |
If You Still Want to Buy Stock Split Candidates, Some Key Factors to Consider | p. 145 |
High-Yielding Stocks | p. 147 |
Special Dividends | p. 147 |
New Issues | p. 148 |
Beware of Those Financial Projections Made by Your Insurance Salesperson | p. 149 |
Those "PERCs" May Not Be Perks After All | p. 150 |
Beware of Any Investment That's "Guaranteed" | p. 150 |
Risk-Free Government Securities | p. 152 |
Conclusion | p. 153 |
Directory of Corporate Perks, Freebies, and Giveaways | p. 154 |
Stay With Quality | p. 155 |
References | p. 206 |
Index | p. 217 |
Special Deals and Freebies | p. 229 |
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