Somewhere along the way, something has gone very wrong with the way individuals invest and save. All too often, ordinary people are drawn in by promotional suggestions masquerading as impartial investment advice and end up saddled with more risk than they realize.

There truly is an urgent need for real advice to combat the confusion and false impressions fostered by much of today's conventional investment "wisdom." What's needed is a better investment path, one that leads investors to their financial goals without risking calamity.

Coauthors Zvi Bodie and Rachelle Taqqu understand the dilemma that investors face, and now, with Risk Less and Prosper, they share their experience in this field with you and reveal how the robustness of goal-based investing, as a new approach to personal finance, can put you in a better position when it comes to funding your retirement, paying for a child's higher education, or achieving other important long-term goals.

Engaging and informative, this timely guide follows a small group of men and women who are meeting together, along with a financial advisor, in order to improve their personal investments. Each member of this group is based on a composite of real people, and while all are dealing with different financial circumstances, they are brought together by their shared state of confusion about what to do.

Risk Less and Prosper skillfully explains why personal investing is all about you--your goals, your values, your career path, and your preferences. It shows how to understand investment risk and choose the particular blend of risk and safety that is right for you. And it lays out several simple yet powerful ways for individual investors to cast a reliable safety net to achieve their financial goals and truly prosper. As you follow the group's progress, this book will:

• Help you develop a clear picture of your financial destination, attach a price tag to your vision together with a timetable, and align them with expected funding sources
• Show how to determine your risk set point and decide how much risk makes sense for you
• Take you through the ins and outs of two different kinds of easy-to-understand, real-return instruments: U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) and inflation-protected U.S. Government Savings Bonds (I Bonds)
• Talk about some techniques for matching your investments with the spending outcomes you desire or need
• Introduce you to a range of riskier investments--focusing on stocks in particular--after you have invested in enough safe assets to cover your basic needs
• Offer essential pointers on how to find an impartial, trustworthy financial advisor

Contrary to popular belief, investing doesn't have to be complicated. You can build a safety-first, goal-based investment portfolio without taking great risks. Risk Less and Prosper will show you how to do this and much more, as you make investment decisions that will make your financial life less stressful and more profitable.