Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map: The Leave-Nothing-to-Chance, Worry-Free, All-Systems-Go Guide

Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map: The Leave-Nothing-to-Chance, Worry-Free, All-Systems-Go Guide
Average customer rating:

A Financial Guide, not a Complete Guide

Enough info for a..

Comprehensive and Infinitely Practical--A Must Buy for Every IRA Owner

Mastering the complex with simplicity

Same Rules, Easier to Understand

Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map: The Leave-Nothing-to-Chance, Worry-Free, All-Systems-Go Guide
Ed Slott
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Introduction | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345494555
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

This is the same diagnostic system I use with my own clients and with the financial advisors I train. So, going through it will be like having me sitting beside you, whispering in your ear, guiding you every step of the way.”

–from Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map

Corporate pensions are disappearing. Social Security is in trouble. And the sizable postwar generation is reaching retirement age. With the futures of millions of Americans at stake, Ed Slott, the country’s foremost retirement planning advisor, now offers expert advice on weathering the perfect storm of financial instability that looms on the horizon. Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map, Slott’s most essential and accessible book yet, provides clear step-by-step directions through the highways and byways of IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and other major accounts.

In five helpfully focused sections, Slott combines crucial facts with interactive checklists and questionnaires (those he uses with his own clients) to teach investors and beneficiaries alike the best way to save and to maximize an inheritance. Inside you’ll discover

• My Account Inventory: an overview of every retirement savings account you own, whether you’re thirty or sixty-five–from what it is and where it is to who gets it and how, plus where to put important data for easy access and where to store your essential documents (hint: not in a safe-deposit box)
• The Account Owner’s Care Solution: how to properly fill out retirement account beneficiary forms so that whatever amount of money is left in your account after you’ve fully enjoyed retirement will go to whomever you choose and not to relatives who suddenly pop up out of nowhere
• The Account Beneficiary’s Care Solution: what to do when you inherit so that you won’t lose any of the tax benefits and other opportunities your benefactor has created for you, or make a mistake that could wipe out an inherited fortune that took years to build up
• The Special Issues Care Solution: how to handle the out-of-the-box issues that could affect you or your beneficiaries (e.g., life events such as divorce or incapacity; tax issues for unmarried partners; decisions about trusts)
• The Follow-up Care Solution: how to keep your planning on track and make adjustments when circumstances change, and how to determine whether your professional retirement advisor is really up to the task of preserving and protecting your money
• Plus: the most up-to-date information on tax laws, including the Pension Protection Act of 2006, which provides major new retirement incentives that you can take advantage of

Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map is an indispensable planning solution that is sure to become the standard how-to on a complex subject that is becoming relevant to more people every day.

Customer Reviews:

A Financial Guide, not a Complete Guide.......2007-02-19

To me the title of this otherwise excellent book is somewhat misleading. It should say something like 'Your Complete FINANCIAL Planning Road Map.' That is, it doesn't go into things like should you move to the sunbelt, or how much money will you need, or medical aspects or any of these other subjects. Instead it is a very complete discussion on the tax issues of investing for retirement.

This book talks about IRA's, and Roth IRA's, and 401(k)'s, and all the other alphabet soup of the tax system in the United States. It is complete and up to date as recent as the 2006 changes to the tax laws.

A major part of the book consists of check lists that you should go over as part of your retirement/estate planning. These also are very well thought out and force you to think about things you would otherwise ignore.

A minor complaint, these checklists are printed in the book. I'd much rather see them on the web or in a CD bound into the book. He says you should fill them in using pencil in case you later want to make changes. I'd like it better to fill them in on a computer and then print them out. Once again, the information is there and more complete than you'd imagine, so you can consider this a minor complaint.

Enough info for a.........2007-01-26

small pamphlet, not a full size book. Rambling and repetitious. Read it twice and couldn't extract any useful information that wasn't available in other sources.

Comprehensive and Infinitely Practical--A Must Buy for Every IRA Owner.......2007-01-23

Ed Slott's latest book, Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map provides the most comprehensive, infinitely practical, hands-on set of checklists I have ever seen for IRAs and retirement plans. Ed, perhaps the best known and most trusted author on IRAs and retirement plans, takes the reader step-by-step through important concepts regarding IRAs and retirement plans and provides the reader with an action plan. Ed really rolls up his sleeves and gets into the nitty-gritty. Another outstanding feature of the book is that Ed has included the best questions--with complete answers--gathered from his clients and readers over the years. Chances are if you have a question, it has been asked of Ed, and you will find your answer. If you buy Ed's book and follow his recommendations, you will be better prepared and better documented than 99.9% of all the IRA and retirement plan owners.

James Lange, CPA/Attorney Author of Retire Secure! Pay Taxes Later: The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do

Mastering the complex with simplicity.......2007-01-22

I have personally been studying with Ed Slott in his Master's Elite IRA Advisory Group for the past two years. This new book is a composite of the various modules we have been studying in depth. This book gives an excellent overview in a version to be understood and simplified so that many can be aware of the many issues present in dealing with the one asset that for many represents their largest financial position. I applaud Ed's efforts to make such a text available and appreciate the opportunity I have had personally to train in depth in all of the issues detailed in his book. I would also commend serious readers and investors to his two earlier books my favorite of the two being, Retirement Tax Time Bomb and How to Defuse It. Anyone with a large IRA should be aware and get the book. It could make a tremedous difference in who ultimately winds up the beneficiary of all your hard long years of labor.

Same Rules, Easier to Understand.......2006-12-30

I have read all three of Ed's IRA books. As a Financial Planner, I find the Retirement Savings Time Bomb to be the best. However, if you are slightly less versed in tax code than a professional planner, his newest book is an excellent tool. I strongly recomend it to all (non-financial professional) qualified account owners. Good Job Ed!

Retirement Income Redesigned: Master Plans for Distribution: An Adviser's Guide for Funding Boomers' Best Years

Average customer rating:

Money Well Spent
Excellent source of advice
Excellent Technical Discussion
An Important Book for Financial Advisers

Retirement Income Redesigned: Master Plans for Distribution: An Adviser's Guide for Funding Boomers' Best Years

Manufacturer: Bloomberg Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map: The Leave-Nothing-to-Chance, Worry-Free, All-Systems-Go Guide
The Calculus of Retirement Income: Financial Models for Pension Annuities and Life Insurance
The Investment Think Tank: Theory, Strategy, and Practice For Advisers
The New Rules of Retirement: Strategies for a Secure Future
Retire Secure!: Pay Taxes Later The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do

ASIN: 1576601897

Book Description

For years, financial planners have focused on helping their clients accumulate wealth for retirement. Now, as millions of those boomer clients head into retirement, there is little quality information on how to manage that wealth in retirement. Evensky and Katz, two of the nation's best-known financial planners, asked leading experts to give advisers a toolkit and roadmap to the new landscape. Included are valuable insights and practical approaches for increasing retirement cash flow, withdrawal strategies, longevity insurance, creating portfolios with low volatility, and decision making. Each of the 26 contributors offers fresh research and solutions for forecasting income needs, evaluating client needs, and communicating effectively with clients. Armed with these more effective approaches to distribution and improved methodologies for planning, financial advisers and wealth managers will be able to make their clients? golden years shine ever more brightly.

Customer Reviews:

Money Well Spent.......2007-08-16

I have read over two dozen books on investing and retirement planning and this is among my favorites. First, there are few books which talk to the subject of distribution (as opposed to accumulation) strategies. Second, the authors have chosen to allow other experts to contribute to their book - 25 of them to be precise. So you are not just getting the advice of one or two people, but the opinions of over two dozen renowned experts in the field. There is a tremendous amount of wisdom contained in the chapters.

As anyone who is a student of investing and retirement planning will know, Harold Evensky is quoted routinely and widely recognized as an expert in his field. Simply getting his advice is more than worth the price of admission. An example is the Evensky & Katz Cash Flow Reserve Strategy (E&KS) which is discussed in chapter 11. I have no doubt I will use this strategy in my own distribution planning.

Also not to be missed in the work of Bill Bengen on sustainable withdrawals, which is presented in chapter 13. Anyone who is contemplating managing their own cash flows in retirement (and even those who entrust this to others) should not miss Bill's views and opinions. He is arguably the leading expert on sustainable withdrawal rates in the financial planning business. I would highly recommend that you also consider purchasing his book, Conserving Client Portfolio's During Retirement, in addition to this fine work. Fortunately that book has recently become available on Amazon so it is now easy to find and obtain. I purchased my copy about 9 months ago and had to order it directly from the Financial Planning Association.

While you may not agree with every opinion expressed in this book, it will certainly get you to thinking (perhaps outside the box) and pressure testing what you think you know.

I'm sure I will use it as a constant guide in managing my own finances.

Excellent source of advice.......2007-08-04

I have been reading retirement and investment books extensively over the past 2 years (Graham, Gibson, Slott, Stein etc.) and while some have touched on saving for retirement, few have touched on withdrawal strategy. In this book, Harold has gone to great length to spell out the retiree's psychological and economic needs, and offers up excellent options to address both. That section, plus the other fine chapters by other authors, make this a must-have book for the enlightened counselor.

Excellent Technical Discussion.......2007-03-10

As a recent retiree, who is not a professional financial planner, I found this book very helpful in understanding the "technical" details of various financial planning tools. I was particularly interested in Monte Carlo analysis (which I use) and how this tool can be used to objectively (albeit not in the most easily understandable form for a lay person) quantify my investment portfolio risk.

It was also very interesting in how the Monte Carlo tool is being misused to evaluate risks other than simple investment portfolio risk. I would agree with the authors conerns about how certain financial planners are trying to use Monte Carlo analysis to evaluate risk far beyond the investment portfolio.

Traditional financial planning advice would suggest an ultra-conservative investment strategy high in fixed income securities. For those willing and able to accept the variablity of the stock market, a significantly higher level of income can be generated with little additional risk. Monte Carlo is the tool (properly used) to evaluate investment strategies.

An Important Book for Financial Advisers.......2006-05-24

This collection of twenty essays on retirement planning shifts the focus of much of the current literature from the accumulation of assets to their distribution. "Retirementality" - how we think about and live out retirement (Anthony) - is being redefined by a generation who are living years longer than their predecessors. Indeed, "longevity risk" is one of the central themes of this book. As defined benefit pension plans disappear and the viability of social security is debated, the net reality is that longer living retirees are left with fewer streams of guaranteed life-time income. Making that nest egg last is a challenge. Failure to do so is "the probability of ruin" - to use Milevsky's indelicate phrase.

A number of these contributors see annuities as integral to generating a guaranteed life-long stream of cash. Carey and Dellinger (and Milevsky elsewhere) maintain that investment returns produced by an annuity will always be superior to identical investments outside an annuity because of the "mortality credits" from other terminated annuity policy holders which are factored into the projected income. A chapter on reverse mortgages presents an evenly balanced discussion of this additional source of income for retirees. Considering that half the population who reach 65 may need some form of expensive institutional care (Greenwald), supplemental streams of income may also prove useful to pay for a long-term care insurance policy.

"Sustained Withdrawals" (Benge) seeks to determine a "safemax" - the maximum, annual withdrawal percentage rate from a retiree's accumulated wealth during this "decumulation" (Katz) phase. Determining this rate is another key theme in this collection. The rub is that relying solely on historical average rates of return and conservative withdrawal percentage rates mean little to a portfolio's survival if the sequence of market returns is negative in the early years of retirement. Benge's research looks at different withdrawal rates, asset mixes, various timing strategies, and adjustments to the withdrawal rate when it is a goal to leave nest egg assets as a bequest. Meanwhile, Stanaslovich in "Creating Portfolios With Lower Volatility" raises the bar with a gloomy projection of low returns for a variety of asset classes into the next decade.

This book should be read by financial planners, brokerage advisers working with retiring clients, and informed investors who want to manage their own affairs.

The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life

Average customer rating:

Addresses the new age
Great Book
Baby Boomer Getting Ready To Retire
5 Stars +
An edge over other books

The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life
Jan Cullinane , and Cathy Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED)

ASIN: 1579547966

Book Description

When is the right time to retire? Should you relocate, and if so, where? How can you make sure your money will last as long as you do? What kind of lifestyle will best suit your retirement years? Two million Americans reach retirement age each year, and they urgently need reliable information and guidance as they plan for the second half of their lives. Drawing on the expertise of the authors-who conduct retirement seminars and have traveled extensively investigating places to retire and talking to prospective retirees and those who have taken the plunge-as well as the insights of contributing experts in various fields, Retire Right is designed to be a comprehensive, all-inclusive resource. l Provides detailed information about particular locales, financial planning and tax considerations, lifelong learning opportunities, leisure and volunteer activities, and working after retirement l Includes interactive surveys, questionnaires, and worksheets to involve readers in the rewarding process of planning their ideal retirement l Delves into the psychological issues surrounding retirement Filled with practical information and advice, anecdotes, resources, and a healthy dose of humor, Retire Right is the one and only guide retirees will ever need.

Customer Reviews:

Addresses the new age.......2007-10-12

I found this book exremely helpful in learning how to save, invest and live in the new economy.

One of the better books on retirement as it addresses the world we live in now, a big difference to the world our parents grew up in.

Great Book.......2007-07-31

This a great book for planning for your retirement. Well written and informative. Good buy.

Baby Boomer Getting Ready To Retire.......2007-06-02

I'm sure glad that I found this book! As a Baby Boomer rapidly approaching retirement, I found it to be just what I needed. There is a lot of information about planning for your retirement along with where to retire to - I didn't agree with all of them but that's okay.

If you have a retirement question then you should find your answer in this book. I refer back to it quite often.

5 Stars +.......2007-05-03

I've read through many retirement books and this one really has the right approach. This book is well written and informative. In addition, the author has a good sense of humor.

An edge over other books.......2007-02-25

This book gives you a great way to start your research on retirement. The authors have included information that you might not have considered when thinking about retirement. The book is easy to read and the "real life stories" give it an edge over other books of this type.

You Can Do It!: The Boomer's Guide to a Great Retirement

Average customer rating:

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!
Excellent "How To" Retirement Planning Guide
You Can Do It
EASY READING RETIREMENT GUIDE
You Can Do It!: The Boomer's Guide to a Great Retirement

You Can Do It!: The Boomer's Guide to a Great Retirement
Jonathan D. Pond
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 006112138X
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Book Description

Don't be scared by the media and the financial industry, which have a vested interest in convincing all those who don't have a seven-figure income or a family trust fund that they're woefully underprepared for retirement. In You Can Do It!, Jonathan D. Pond, the man who's been called "America's financial planner," shows how anyone can have a financially safe, happy, and comfortable retirement in this comprehensive and easy-to-use guide.

Packed with practical wisdom on how to save, understanding the key elements of investing, managing your expenses, and much more, You Can Do It! features Jonathan's famous and distinctively ebullient voice. So whether you're worried about getting a late start, skyrocketing health-care expenses, or the difficulty of paying for a college education, You Can Do It! will show you—in straightforward, easy-to-implement ways—how you too can make sure your retirement is fun and financially secure.

Customer Reviews:

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!.......2007-09-30

This really was one of my own personal best investments, which is funny, because he teaches you how to invest for your retirement. The book is filled with witty comments and sage advice. Pond is excellent in all that he does, and I can't wait for his next book! I hear its one for our kids, you know, those college-bound ones. You did it Johnathon Pond!

Excellent "How To" Retirement Planning Guide.......2007-03-15

This book was even better than I thought it was going to be. It had great ideas on planning for retirement and living in retirement. It showed how you can hedge against inflation even if your pension or annuity don't have COLA increases. It also had additional information avialable through the authors website, that is referenced throughout the book. Overall a great book for retirement planning.

You Can Do It.......2007-03-09

Jonathan Pond doesn't provide a financial game plan. He rehashs the obvious information readily available. The disappointment, in the end, is that his advertised website becomes another pay for service.

EASY READING RETIREMENT GUIDE .......2007-02-27

It is a 5 star if you just want all the basics you need to consider while preparing for retirement. It covers them is an easy to read style.

You Can Do It!: The Boomer's Guide to a Great Retirement.......2007-01-18

An easy read with practical advice.

Live Your Road Trip Dream: Travel for a Year for the Cost of Staying Home

Average customer rating:

Are these people organized or what?
Road Trip???
For me, more of a 3 1/2 star book but since halves are not an option, 4 stars.
Entertaining and loaded with great info
listen to the voices of first-hand experience

Live Your Road Trip Dream: Travel for a Year for the Cost of Staying Home
Phil White , and Carol White
Manufacturer: RLI Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0975292803

Book Description

Where would your dream take you if you had a whole year to just travel? But perhaps you're thinking, "if I only knew how to start planning my adventure!" This detailed "how-to" guide will get you moving from the dreaming to the doing in no time at all.

Included is step-by-step, real-life information on planning the trip you've always wanted to take -- along with generous doses of humor and advice on topics such as:

* How to pay for a year away from home * How to unravel all your current commitments - to family, work, and organizations * How to plan on the fly and enjoy every day * How to pack in 3 small drawers and 24" of closet space - for two! * How to handle the emergencies that crop up along the way * And the most asked question: How to enjoy your traveling companion on a 24/7 basis!

Once you've decided to "leave it all behind", Live Your Road Trip Dream takes you along on an action-packed, whirlwind tour of the authors' trip - just to help you visualize what months on the road might really be like, and to offer a glimpse into how decisions and discoveries are made along the way.

This is the ultimate road trip planning guide.

Customer Reviews:

Are these people organized or what?.......2007-10-12

This is not a directory of parks where you can take your RV. Nor is it a road guide to every stop in the U.S. with details of what to see and where to sleep. It is a combination of a how-to-do-it guide and a personal journal of a trip. And it is incredibly useful in the planning of the trip. As a completely disorganized person I admire the highly tuned organization that went into this trip.

When you come down to it, this book could be used by a couple going on an extended automobile trip as well as an RV. All those questions that come up: what to do about mail and bills (especially unexpected ones). Who watches the house or do you rent it out? What happens if there is an accident--either to the vehicle or to the occupants? How do you deal with an emergency at home? (I had no idea it was so easy to simply park your RV in a motel parking lot and take a plane home if need be). And of course--how do you keep out of each other's hair?
You do get to know the Whites personally through the book. They are obviously good sports. No whining when Carol breaks her ankle. The trip goes on and she hobbles up and down the terrain. They are defintely the poster couple for active retirement--trudging through national parks, rafting down the white water, golfing when they come upon a welcoming green. They are not only active they are obviously well-to-do and are able to stay in motels and eat at the better restaurants when they desire.

It doesn't matter if you don't have their stamina or their yearly income. What they have outlined is a very usable roadmap for taking the year off and traveling while still keeping in touch with family, friends and finances. They have also worked up a budget for a more frugal journey (around $44,000 rather than $78,000).

I mention this book in my newly published "Crafting the Travel Guidebook", because I consider it an excellent example of the double category book. It also happens to be a good read!

Road Trip???.......2007-10-06

These two authors basically drive around the country and pour out verbal diahrea on boring facts about their trip that no one in their right mind should care about. They are actually proud of the fact that they only???? spent 80k in one year of travelling. They must have lived like anaimals! Also, Carol seems to use the exclamation point way too excessively in her writing! If you are not retired and are somewhat of a young age please avoid this book. I did give it one star because if you have a good sense of humour you might enjoy her little stories!

For me, more of a 3 1/2 star book but since halves are not an option, 4 stars........2007-10-03

The first chapters of this book provide excellent guidance for planning a one-year trip away from home. The authors guide you through the entire process of planning and preparation. Definitely four star information. The authors purchased a small RV, set up their budget, rented out their house and got ready to go. This book shares what worked for them and walks you through all the necessary steps that need to be accomplished prior to your departure including a planned/actual budget and a more frugal version. Both budgets seemed high to me, but if the trip were made today, both might be a real bargin.

The second portion of the book, a journal of their year on the road, seemed sketchy and a bit disjointed. There isn't a lot of information on any of the areas visited, so not as useful as it might of been for some actual travel planning. They spent so many nights at hotels that I'm not sure the motor home was a good investment, but the authors thought it was.

If you are considering traveling away from home for an extended period of time, you will find this book a helpful addition to your library along with one or two good travel guides. If, however, you are more interested in reading about traveling the USA in a small RV, Barbara Thacker's books, while older, are fun armchair travel reading along with Ron and Barb Hofmeister's books on full timing in a much larger RV.

Entertaining and loaded with great info.......2007-08-26

This is a very entertaining book loaded with great information about extended traveling. Be it just a few weeks or a year or more, the authors have dispensed great ideas on how to handle the everyday life you leave behind (for whatever period of time).

I finished the book in about a week, reading it for it's entertainment value. I will be retiring soon and my wife and I plan on taking extended "vacations" in our RV. I will read the book again (and again) so I can garner as much information as I can.

listen to the voices of first-hand experience.......2007-07-19

Phil and Carol White amply demonstrate that anyone can live "a road trip dream" as they thoughtfully share their proven insider tips for enjoyable RV travels. Interesting to discover, according to the authors, that a big mistake first-timers make is overplanning. Read this book and "just do it!"

Retire Secure!: Pay Taxes Later The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do

Average customer rating:

Excellent book on financial planing and retirement
What everyone needs to read and understand to make the best retirement decisions
Retire Secure-Solid Advice For All
Good for Advisors and Investors
My Roadmap

Retire Secure!: Pay Taxes Later The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do
James Lange
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0470043547

Book Description

Retire Secure! tackles the number one fear facing most IRA and retirement plan owners: running out of money too soon. Lange, a nationally recognized IRA expert, offers specific and practical strategies to successfully navigate the three stages of retirement planning: accumulation, distribution, and estate planning.

Retire Secure! explains the tax advantages and long term wealth building strategies of selectively and strategically putting money into IRAs, Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, Roth 401(k)s and the myriad other retirement plan options available to individuals working in the corporate world, the non-profit sector, as well as individual proprietors. The book proves that putting money into tax advantaged retirement plans beats “traditional saving” in the after-tax environment.

The book sheds new light on best practices for spending your IRA and retirement plan dollars and your traditional savings. Many readers will be surprised to discover that the order in which assets are spent is not a trivial consideration—it can make or break the bank.

It also outlines Lange’s exceptional estate plan–a plan that has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and many other fine financial journals.

The book offers financial planning strategies and tactics in plain English that everyone can understand—and using humor and interesting characters in real life situations the book escapes the dreaded dry financial tome tone. For example, Chapter 1 offers a great mini case study that charts the financial destiny of Mr. Pay Taxes Later and Mr. Pay Taxes Now. Both start saving when they are age 30, but when Mr. Pay Taxes Now reaches age 90, he is broke, while Mr. Pay Taxes Later has $1,946,949 left. Chapter 8 is devoted to a complete case study of “Eddie’s and Emily’s” entire retirement decision making process.

The book is endorsed by more than 31 leading financial experts including Charles Schwab, and Roger G. Ibbotson, Yale Professor and perhaps the world’s foremost authority on asset allocation. As a bonus, readers who purchase this book can receive a free information-packed CD.

" Retire Secure! is your playbook for winning the retirement game and beyond. It shows you how to capitalize on little known provisions of the tax law that will make your retirement savings last several lifetimes, leveraging your hard earned money into a family legacy. Best of all, you can rely on the advice here since it is written by one of the nation's leading retirement tax planning authorities.” Ed Slott, Author Parlay Your IRA into a Family Fortune and

The Retirement Savings Time Bomb…and How to Defuse It

James Lange (Pittsburgh, PA) , an attorney and CPA, is a nationally known IRA, 401(k), and retirement plan distribution expert with over 27 years of experience. His recommendations have appeared 23 times in the Wall Street Journal as well as the New York Times, Newsweek, Kiplinger’s, and many other prestigious financial publications.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book on financial planing and retirement.......2007-06-12

Bravo!

This book is a must read if you're planning to retire wealthy, or at least securely.

And...

Every college student should be required to study this book carefully if they want to avoid all the common mistakes and money pitfalls that 98% of us fall into. I wish I had read this when I was in college... I would be $100,000 wealthier.

- Dave

What everyone needs to read and understand to make the best retirement decisions.......2007-01-03

James Lang has had so much excellent advice for my husband and me that we purchased 7 copies for our adult children and are hopeful they will benefit from the knowledge in the books and cds.

Retire Secure-Solid Advice For All.......2006-10-21

Reading "Retire Secure" will not alone make you rich. However, if you read and follow Mr. Lange's advice, you will build wealth and then protect it to the fullest extent possible. The book outlines a very clear path to maximize savings using the most effective vehicle available to you. Then it goes on to provide a thorough roadmap to minimizing your tax consequences and maximizing your after tax returns. Finally the book provides several different strategies for passing along wealth to your heirs while once again factoring in the greedy hands of Uncle Sam. The author not only provides you with the theory, as many financial planners do, but backs up his recommendations with solid proofs and confirms them with amusing case studies. Overall this book is an excellent source for information on the use of retirement funds for wealth building and hopefully inheritance to pass on.

Good for Advisors and Investors.......2006-10-11

James Lange's Retire Secure, offers great techniques to help persons planning for retirement. He is on the right track - to postpone and minimize the impact of taxes - in order to maximize the retiree's money and extend the spendable income. This book makes a valuable contribution to the field of personal finance - for both the consumers and the professional advisors who serve them.

My Roadmap.......2006-09-19

I find James Lange's book to be excellant. When we want to go someplace we're not familiar with, who uses MapQuest? Why? It gives us the starting point and the ending point. This book gives so much valuable information. I'll be retiring in 10 to 11 years, so my interest is quite serious. I stumbled accross Mr. Lange's website and find that to also be a fine source of information. As a 'boomer' I'm amazed at what the internet has done for our culture i.e. sharing of information.

Loren McGilvrey

Age Smart: Discovering the Fountain of Youth at Midlife and Beyond

Average customer rating:

Required Reading
A wise, sensible book on healthy aging
Informative and Entertaining
A superbly written book
Age Smarrt- Discovering the Fountain of Youth to Midlife and Beyond

Age Smart: Discovering the Fountain of Youth at Midlife and Beyond
Jeffrey Rosensweig , and Betty Liu
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0131867628

Customer Reviews:

Required Reading.......2006-08-09

Great guidebook for anyone interested in "LIVING." Informative, entertaining, and motivating all in one read. Probably should be required reading for incoming freshman at University. Would have a more lasting impact and retention than most books found on traditional "required reading" lists.

Don Lichtenstein, PhD

A wise, sensible book on healthy aging.......2006-06-10

A smart, common sense alternative to all the junk science books out there on how to stay young forever. Deals with all the components which go into healthy aging from finances to fitness to staying active and finding fulfillment. No magic pills or secret fountains of youth, just practical, entertaining advice. A fun, informative read. As a a legal aid hotline attorney and owner a retail medical supply and equipment business, I feel this book would be very useful for my clients and customers.

Informative and Entertaining.......2006-05-31

I really enjoyed reading "Age Smart". It was not only full of useful and practical information but also very fun to read. The authors did a great job keeping the book light-hearted while providing solid information we can all use. I am someone who is in my late-thirties so the book spoke to me on many different levels. I understand now the importance of not only keeping my body in good shape, but that my financial and mental well-being is just as important. I recommend this book to everyone. I learned so much from reading it.

A superbly written book.......2006-05-26

I really enjoyed the book - it was very well written and I liked the balanced approach to aging. My favorite parts were the interviews because aging means so many different things to different people. It was good to know that things like staying curious and being an optimistic person are helpful in aging well and keeping the mind sharp. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone in their 30s, 40s and 50s who want to make sure they get to their older years in the best shape possible!

Age Smarrt- Discovering the Fountain of Youth to Midlife and Beyond.......2006-05-25

The simple fact of the matter is that we boomers are living younger--longer. In Age-Smart,Discovering the Fountain of Youth to Midlife and Beyond, Jeffrey Rosensweig and Betty Liu look at such issues as finances, health and well being, as well as numerous other issues that affect life expectancy. With an abundance of `sensory' caffeine that rejuvenates the spirit, such noted individuals as Former President Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalynn, Helen Gurley Brown and myriad host of others, will force readers to re-think how they `see' the elderly. With such fun chapters as Just Say No to Pink Pants, Age Smart is chockfull of easy-to-use tips that supports that old adage,`that age is nothing but a number,' and I was humbled to be asked to be a part of what I predict will be a invaluable resource for men and women of all ages for years to come.
Carol Gee, author of The Venus Chronicles and Diary of a `Flygirl' Wannabe

The Insider's Guide to Tax-Free Real Estate: Retire Rich Using Your IRA

Average customer rating:

The Insider's Guide to Tax-Free Real Estate: Retire Rich Using Your IRA

The Insider's Guide to Tax-Free Real Estate: Retire Rich Using Your IRA
Diane Kennedy , and Dolf De Roos
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0470043989

Book Description

This guide from bestselling real estate authors de Roos and Kennedy shows you how to use tax-free retirement funds to invest in real estate. Using real estate IRAs, you can combine the tax benefits of retirement funds with the high rates of appreciation in the real estate market, growing your retirement investments by leaps and bounds. This handy book shows you how.

Customer Reviews:

The Insider's Guide to Tax-Free Real Estate: Retire Rich Using Your IRA.......2007-09-05

This book was a great surprise! I thought that I was getting another book on IRA investing, but it was also informative about a new product that I had not heard of called the Solo 401(k). Really, this book is a must read for everyone...especially for people who have reached income limits for contributing to their IRA. It is also extremely helpful with ideas of how to purchase real estate within the self-directed retirement vehicle. I used the information in this book to redirect my investment goals!

Where to Retire, 6th: America's Best and Most Affordable Places (Choose Retirement Series)

Average customer rating:

Pubic Hospital for Retirees
The concerns raised - both pro and con - are essential

Where to Retire, 6th: America's Best and Most Affordable Places (Choose Retirement Series)
John Howells
Manufacturer: Globe Pequot
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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America's 100 Best Places to Retire: The Only Guide You Need to Today's Top Retirement Towns

ASIN: 0762740655

Book Description

Find up-to-the-minute information on housing costs, recreation, climate, health care, and safety for more than 150 affordable, comfortable and stimulating retirement locations from the Pacific Northwest to Florida.

Customer Reviews:

Pubic Hospital for Retirees.......2006-12-25

I don't know if I'll retire there, but I definitely want to go to Murray, Kentucky, and see what the book describes as the largest "pubic" hospital in the lakes area. It "serves" the west Kentucky and northwest Tennessee region....

The concerns raised - both pro and con - are essential .......2006-11-06

If you're looking for a good, affordable place to retire different than the area you know and live in, take a look at WHERE TO RETIRE: AMERICA'S BEST AND MOST AFFORDABLE PLACES. It outlines affordable places across the country, including not just cost of living insights but assessments of medical care, recreation opportunities, weather, social life, and more. Some states receive their own in-depth coverage; others are included with nearby areas. The concerns raised - both pro and con - are essential for any solid understanding particular to retiree budgets.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Retire on Less Than You Think: The New York Times Guide to Planning Your Financial Future

Average customer rating:

Reality Check for 80% of Boomers
Terrible book
not helpful
Retirement 101
Not worth buying

Retire on Less Than You Think: The New York Times Guide to Planning Your Financial Future
Fred Brock
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0805073744

Book Description

Only a few years ago, the question on many Americans' minds wasn't 'how will I retire' but 'when.' Now, with 401(k)s and IRAs at a fraction of their previous value and health-care costs soaring, it's time for a definitive guide book that walks you through the fundamentals of retirement. With his biweekly 'Seniority' column in The New York Times, Fred Brock has earned a reputation for providing frank and pragmatic advice on the changing landscape of retirement. In chapters written exclusively and originally for this book, he offers updated thinking on all the essentials for a smart and secure retirement, including how to - determine new personal finance and investing goals - find untapped asset streams, such as reverse mortgages - deal with the tangle of taxes on pensions, family gifts, and other income - work during retirement - choose a community and housing - maximize your health insurance - assess long-term assisted-living arrangements He offers indispensable tools for analyzing your true costs of retirement, independent of the mutual-fund industry hype and Social Security scares. And a substantial list of national, regional, and online resources as well as worksheets allow you to customize and realize your retirement plan.

Customer Reviews:

Reality Check for 80% of Boomers .......2007-07-15

Before reading this book, my prediction of retirement for the Baby Boomers was based upon a few simple facts:

A. 20% of the Baby Boomers have 80% of the wealth. The 20% that have the wealth don't need to worry about retirement planning. As a side-line note, these 20% also have no need to sell their assets and therefore they will not crash the stock market.

B. The 80% of Baby Boomers that only have 20% of that generation's wealth will not have enough money to retire when and where they want to.

C. The financial planning rule-of-thumb that one needs 70-80% of pre-retirement income for income during retirement is not a bad rule-of-thumb.

Since 80% of the Baby Boomers will not accumulate enough money to retire when they want to (applying the 70-80% rule-of-thumb)......the only choices left to them are:

1. Work longer.
2. Reduce living expenses which can include selling your house and moving into a smaller house, move to a lower cost part of the U.S., or reduce your living standards.
3. Move to a lower cost country
4. Use a reverse mortgage for living expenses
5. Rely on family or charity

When I started to read this book, Brock immediately starts bashing the 70-80% rule-of-thumb as inaccurate and a Wall Street/Mutual Fund Industry conspiracy to get you to over-save for retirement. If you plan to stay in the same house when you retire (which 95% of current retirees choose to do), and you don't want to work until you die, and you don't want to dramatically reduce your living standards, then you will probably need 70-80% of pre-retirement income. If you can't meet the 70-80% rule-of-thumb.....the only choices left are one of the 5 options noted above.

Brock's book mostly focuses on Options #1, #2, and #4 above. Not many of us want to move to a foreign country in retirement. Relying on family or charity is not a popular option either.

If you already live in a smaller house in a lower cost part of the country and you did not save enough to meet the 70-80% rule-of-thumb, the only options open to you are to work longer, reduce your living standards, move to a lower cost country, use a reverse mortgage, or rely on friends or charity.

Brock puts way too little faith in the stock and bond markets compared to a government run Social Security program. One thing the government does do right is the TSA retirement plan for federal workers. Federal workers can choose among low cost index funds for their retirement portfolio. I'm not usually an advocate of government run programs, but in this case I think expanding the TSA program to cover the private sector is an outstanding idea. The low cost index fund approach keeps the high cost Wall Street and mutual fund industry wolves away from the private sector worker sheep.

I also disagree with Brock on how to fix the medical insurance plan in the U.S. My vote is to privatize it completely....including no tax breaks for companies who provide coverage to their workers. In my viewpoint, the auto insurance industry works relatively well in the U.S. (except for poor enforcement of uninsured motorist). Why can't the medical insurance industry work as well as the auto insurance industry? Until the individual deals directly with the insurer (versus multiple layers between the payer and the payee).....there is no real cost competition. The pre-existing condition situation needs to be resolved as well.

After reading hundreds of book, I'm concluding that "fear" does sell books. Painting the conventional rule-of-thumb of 70-80% of pre-retirement income as a big, dark conspiracy between Wall Street and the mutual fund industry is a good fear approach to selling books. In my opinion, there is no such conspiracy.

I guess this book has its place.......as a wake-up call.....or reality check..... to the 80% of Baby Boomers that have not saved enough to retire when and where they want to. The 80% of the Baby Boomers who only have 20% of the wealth are going to need more information about the 5 options I outlined above. Brock's book does contain some useful information on some of these options.

I would suggest companion books to supplement this book including:
The Richest Man in Babylon
Bogle on Mutual Funds: New Perspectives for the Intelligent Investor
The Millionaire Next Door
The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio
A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Ninth Edition
Index Mutual Funds: How to Simplify Your Financial Life and Beat the Pro's
The Coffeehouse Investor: How to Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street, and Get On With Your Life
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
Wealth: Grow It, Protect It, Spend It, and Share It
Are You Using the Right Rules to Plan Your Retirement?

Terrible book.......2007-05-04

The only advise I can give you if you follow the author's absurd advise is to make sure you keep a tin can handy so you can panhandle for you meals when you hit your seventies. What he basically does in give stories of people living on $1200 per month and are happy. I have lived on 18K a year and it sucked. Thanks but I will still be placing a chunk of money every two weeks in my 401K.

not helpful.......2007-01-08

I find such retirement advice not very helpful for people whose expenses probably will NOT decrease when they retire. The assumption ALWAYS is that people's expenses will be less after they retire, but I don't see how that will be true for me or many of the people I know.

Many people who live in urban areas do not own homes or cars, for example. And they may not be interested in moving to some small town in the south when they retire.

They will still be paying rent when they retire, and their rent will probably increase each year, and suppose they have to BUY a car after they retire, if they become less able to use public transportation?

So their expenses after retirement will probably go UP instead of down.

I'm not sure where to look for advice for city dwelling renters who don't own houses and cars, and who would rather die than move to the boondocks in their so-called "golden years" - but this book, like so many others, isn't it.

I guess someone needs to write a book called "It Will Take A Lot More Money Than You Have To Retire Without Moving to the Boondocks!"

Retirement 101.......2006-07-27

This is a great beginners book for people looking to begin there plans for retirement. It is very basic advice with the biggest angle it uses is if you own a large house in a metropolitin area then sell that house and by a small one in a place with a lower cost of living. A retiree could sell their large house in the state of New York and move to Okalahoma City and live like a king off the equity that was in it. The main point of this book is that you do not need 70% of your current income in retirement to be comfortable. You should be able to dramatically reduce your expenses when you no longer work, like eating out,clothing and gas. You should also have all your debt paid off like your cars, and even your house by retirement time. To learn about this in great detail buy this book, if this sounds like common sense move on.I think any book by Dave Ramsey is all that is ever needed on personal finance, he covers everything. From budgeting to retirement.

Not worth buying.......2006-03-31

There is a little useful information in this book, but the main advice is to sell your home in an area where property values are very high and relocate to a less expensive area. This is repeated throughout the sections of the book. If you already live in one of the less-expensive areas and do not have a large house to sell,this advice is little help to you. The author advises things like buying a used car and driving it for many years; haven't most people figured this out on their own? There is a lot of filler in the form of stories about people who illustrate the author's view, many of whom are "indulging their passion for bicycling" in retirement.

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