The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) is seeking writers of books in a series of personal finance books of around 10,000 to 15,000 words each. AIER helps individuals take action to improve their economic and financial well-being by providing factual, unbiased research and analysis.
We strive to be a trusted source for economic information that serves people. We do so by publishing two product lines. The first is original economic and financial research that complies with the highest standards of social science methodology. The second is a series of personal finance books that follow the highest standards of non-fiction reporting and writing and are highly accessible to the general public.
AIER book assignments are fee-for-work arrangements. Fees are negotiable and depend on previous experience. The Institute retains all rights to the publication.
For 2015, we are seeking personal finance writers with substantial experience reporting and writing about credit, estate planning, investment or related personal finance topics as well as proven abilities to distill complex concepts into terms that are easy-to-understand. Our books are meant to provide support for doing, not just understanding. We look for the language to be clear, direct, and specific and for an overall structure that provides step-by-step guidance for taking action.
The author of each book will develop an outline and then work with AIER to ensure that the outline for the book is mutually agreeable to both parties. The titles that we are looking for now are as follows.
The credit book
The credit book is a step-by-step guide to consumer debt, how to make the most of it, and how to avoid debt that is destructive. The book will give readers clear tools to understand what kind of debt load is healthy for them and their families.
This book should cover all the forms of common debt assumed by individuals. These include: credit cards, mortgages, home equity loans, car loans, pay day loans, and student debt, including issues involving the G.I. Bill. (Small business loans may also be appropriate. TBD)
The book also should cover debt-related issues. These include but are not limited to: how to apply for loans, credit ratings, the long-term implications of interest rates, appropriate loan durations, revolving v. non-revolving credit, the pros and cons of refinancing, and personal bankruptcy.
A significant theme should be what kind of debt to avoid. For example, this book should include what to look out for in a bad mortgage, and strong and complete definitions of terms such as adjustable rates and balloon payments. We also need to give people guidance on how to calculate a mortgage that makes sense given their current income and prospects. It should give similar guidelines for other forms of debt.
The predecessor to this book at AIER is How to Use Credit Wisely. That book discusses credit card debt most heavily, but also includes helpful information on repairing a bad credit history, avoiding fraud, and recognizing if you are over-extended. We want to build on that going forward. How to Use Credit Wisely is available on the AIER website at https://www.aier.org/sites/default/files/Files/Documents/Research/3486/EB200902.pdf
As with other Smart Decisions books, the new credit book will give further resources, including non-AIER publications and have an Internet tie-in that will link to the AIER website.
The estate book
In a sense, this book is a prequel to The Executor’s Roadmap as well as an extension of If Something Should Happen. In short chapters, it will cover the basics of estate planning. The book should be complete enough that a relative neophyte can easily (and fearlessly) get started on estate planning and a more knowledgeable individual can use it as a reference. It should define terms in an orderly manner while telling the readers what steps to take in sequence.
Among the topics the book should address: Who should make a will; choosing an executor; the costs of estate planning; trusts; no-cost steps that can help smooth the dispensation of an estate; probate court and how to avoid it; planning for minor heirs; and divorce and remarriage, including the role of prenuptial agreements in estate planning.
The book also needs to deliver some straight talk about taxes. As of this writing, federal estate taxes do not kick in for estates below $5.43 million dollars, which is larger than the estates of the middle-class families that is this book’s target audience. But depending upon where they live, middle-class individuals can get hit hard by state taxes on inheritances that don’t involve married couples. In Massachusetts, for example, the state tax currently kicks in at $1,000,000. Given real estate prices and the sizes of many retirement accounts, that’s a threshold that may be relevant for many of our readers.
As with other Smart Decisions books, it will have a web tie-in to the AIER site and give further resources as part of the manuscripts.
Other titles
We are interested in hearing from writers about other books that they think might be of interest to our readers. If you’d like to pitch a book title to us that would be appropriate for this series, please do so in about 500 to 1000 words.
To apply:
Please send a resume, clips, salary requirements, and a one- to two-page proposal for each title by April 15, 2015, to Marcia Stamell, book editor, at marcia.stamell@aier.org or at American Institute for Economic Research, Box 1000, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Proposals will be judged on the writer’s expertise, the completeness of the proposal, past writing experience, and evidence of proven abilities to write clear, engaging, and useful personal finance articles and books.
