Need book recommendations

[Matt's Mom in MT]

I need some recs for books. I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. I don't need anything about getting out of debt.

Here's the situation. Dh's gma passed away and left us a decent sized inheritance. I want to know what we should do with the money. We're going to see a financial advisor, but to be honest, I'm skeptical that this person is really going to have our best interest at heart. I guess I'd like to be a little educated about our options and what makes the most sense.

[koru]

if i were to inherit a sum of money, i would probably see if there was an "investing for dummies" book. it seems like that series has something for everyone!

as a matter of fact, there is....
http://www.amazon.com/Investing-Dumm.../dp/1568843933

i have no investment experience, though....just dreaming as i read your post.

[Stone Fence]

Velochic should be by to give you some ideas about investing.

[Jadzia]

It is very smart of you to want to to educate yourself about this first. I would be very wary of financial "advisors". Most do not have your best interests at heart and instead just want to sell you a bunch of high-fee products that earn them a high commission. And you'll end up paying them a percentage of your earnings, when you could just as easily stick your money into an index fund at Vanguard.

You will need to figure out your goals for this money. Do you want to keep it safe to use in a few years? Do you want to grow it for long-term plans such as retirement? Do you want to be able to earn income off of it now?

If it were me, and I inherited a large sum of money, I would put it into tax-free municipal bonds. And then I could either live off the dividends (or use them to supplement our income) OR just invest the dividends in a growth fund so that way you keep your principle safe while you are also growing the money.

My father was very good with money and he had amassed quite a portfolio of tax-exempt bond funds in his lifetime. He was able to retire early and he would receive very nice dividend checks every month.

As far as books, I would recommend the Bogleheads Guide to Investing. I have heard from Velochic here that Eric Tyson's "Dummies" books are very good also. These books recommend a simple, low-cost, long-term investment strategy that most financial planners won't tell you about, since you can do it all on your own without them taking a cut. I love Vanguard.