Sound Financial Advice by David McPherson, founder of Four Ponds Financial Planning LLC, Falmouth and Mansfield, Mass.

Preview: "Investing in an Uncertain Economy for Dummies"

As a contributor to the new book Investing an Uncertain Economy for Dummies, I received the right to post online a PDF version of the chapter I wrote, Diversifying Your Stock Portfolio by Size. The chapter explains the differences between large, mid and small caps and how including a bit of each in your portfolio can help overall performance.

Here's a link to the chapter. It will give you a flavor of what the overall book is like and maybe inspire you to purchase it.

Just published in October, the book was a collaborative effort by financial planners like myself who belong to the Garrett Planning Network. In addition to writing a chapter, I served on the editing team that coordinated the project.

On the shelves: Investing in uncertain times

Looking for a guidebook to help you navigate the current market turmoil?

You might want to check out Investing in an Uncertain Economy for Dummies, a new title in the Dummies series of how-to guide books.

Members of the Garrett Planning Network, including me, wrote the book as a collaborative effort late in the spring. Little did we know how timely it would become by the time publication rolled around in October.

Network founder Sheryl Garrett is listed as lead author, but dozens of financial planners from around the country wrote individual chapters.

My chapter, number 42: "Diversifying Your Stock Portfolio by Size," explains the differences between large caps, mid caps and small caps and the advantages and disadvantages of each. I also served as a member of the Garrett network editing team that helped coordinate more than 80 individual contributions.

Here's a press release I wrote announcing the book's publication.

Published by Wiley, the book's cover price stands at $21.99, though it can be found for less.

I won't be making any money off book sales myself, but I will be looking for opportunities to publicize the book (and figure out what to do with the 20 copies sitting in my office.) Contact me if you have any suggestions.