Today's new information economy has generated unprecedented opportunities for investors. But taking advantage of them requires discipline and a knowledge of econimic trends. There will be recessions and bear markets. There will be recovery periods from recessions. And there will be future bull markets. How does one make sense of these changing economic conditions and make the right investment decisions? Dr. David Lereah shows how the experts do it, and how you can, too. With the advent of the Internet, ordinary investors now have access to the kind of information traditionally available only to investing professionals. Dr. Lereah levels the playing field by providing investors with the analytical tools they need to really take advantage of that raw information. This accessible format makes the ideas easy to understand and provides bite-sized, practical steps to take based on which way the market is going. Dr. Lereah's practical guide helps investors navigate the peaks and valleys by using the Internet to easily monitor a wide range of economic and investment data -- from inflation and interest rates to price/earnings ratios-- and then managing your portfolio accordingly. In part one of The Rules for Growing Rich, Dr. Lereah shows how to be a smart consumer of economic and financial information, including: -- How to identify business cycles -- The eight most influential economic reports that you should monitor on a regular basis -- How the Federal Reserve, market psychology, changing demographics, and other factors influence the investing climate Then Dr. Lereah shows how to put all of this information together in 168 rules for maximizing your portfolio. -- 63 rules for investing in stocks -- 37 rules for investing in bonds -- 23 rules for investing in real estate -- 10 rules for investing in options and futures -- 17 rules for international investing -- 18 rules for retirement investing With these rules, investors gain a much clearer understanding of the financial markets and can make profitable investments by more accurately anticipating whether the economy is headed for recession, recovery, or expansion. This is not a book for those who want to make a killing in a day but for those who want to develop a serious, ongoing investment strategy using the clues available about the direction the economy will take in the future.