Table of Contents
Part I Dadvice
1 Open Your Life to Awesome Goodness 3
2 Mail That Postcard 19
3 Keep Your Brains from Falling Out 33
4 Bust That Logjam 45
5 Remove the Stickers 61
6 Jump into the Pool 77
7 Hold with an Open Hand 93
8 Live Your Wild and Precious Life 109
Part II How-Tos
Personal Finance
Bills
1 How to Organize Your Bills 127
2 How to Pay Your Bills 128
Banking
3 How to Open a Bank Account 129
4 How to Write a Check 130
5 How to Reconcile Your Checkbook 131
6 How to Open a Credit Card Account 132
Savings
7 How to Budget 132
8 How to Get Out of Debt 134
9 How to Get Out of the Rat Race 134
Investing
10 How to Invest 135
11 How to Invest for Retirement 137
12 How to Invest for College 138
Insurance
13 How, Why, and When to Get Insurance 138
14 How to Choose Life Insurance 139
Credit and Taxes
15 How to Build Credit 141
16 How to Get a Loan 141
17 How to Do Your Taxes 142
The Big Decisions
18 How to Choose a College 144
19 How to Rent an Apartment 145
20 How to Furnish an Apartment 146
21 How to Buy a House 147
Home
Tools
22 How to Build a Tool Kit 149
23 How to Use a Tape Measure 150
24 How to Use a Cordless Drill 152
25 How to Use a Circular Saw 153
26 How to Use a Fire Extinguisher 155
Repairs
27 How to Unclog a Toilet 156
28 How to Repair a Hole in the Wall 157
The Basics
29 How to Polish Your Shoes 159
30 How to Use an Iron 160
31 How to Wash Clothes 161
32 How to Dry Clothes 162
Food
33 How to Shop for Groceries 163
34 How to Fry an Egg 164
35 How to Bake 165
Outside Your Home
36 How to Mow Your Lawn 166
37 How to Change a Propane Tank on a Barbecue 167
38 How to Build a Cedar Fence 168
Laying Out the Fence and Setting the Posts 168
Mixing and Pouring the Cement 169
Attaching the Fence Rails 170
Attaching Fencing to the Rails 171
Your Car
39 How to Get a Driver's License 172
40 How to Buy a Vehicle 173
41 How to Look under the Hood 174
Self-Improvement
42 How to Start a Conversation (and Keep It Going) 176
43 How to Be Loving 177
44 How to Be a Good Friend 179
45 How to Be a Good Parent 179
Work Life
Getting a Job
46 How to Write a Resume 181
47 How to Interview for a Job 182
At Work
48 How to Be Productive 183
49 How to Prioritize 184
50 How to Give a Speech 185
Bonus Section
1 How to Read the Bible 188
Old Testament 189
New Testament 189
2 How to Remember 190
3 How Addresses Work 191
4 How to Determine Your Net Worth 192
5 How to Double Your Money 193
Know the Rule of 72 194
6 How to Negotiate 194
7 How to Travel 195
Booking Travel 196
Airport Protocol 196
International Travel 197
8 How to Make Christmas Cookies 197
Acknowledgments 201
Notes 203