Reviews (81)

What Are Your Retirement Goals?
It isn't easy to write a book about retirement that speaks to all age groups, from college grads to Baby Boomers to retirees, but Lee Eisenberg has done it. The Number isn't as much about financial planning as it is about asking readers to reflect on what is important to them and how they should go about reaching their goals. He is looking at the issue of retirement security from a psychological/philosophical perspective. It is filled with interesting stories that will inspire twenty-somethings to get smart about money at an early age and Boomers to stop procrastinating and/or guessing at their Number while they still have time to make a difference. As an attorney/CPA with an active retirement andestate planning practice, I see many clients who have no idea how to even begin estimating how much they will need when they retire. And I think for many of them retirement looms as an intimidating unknown.It's great that a book like The Number is out there to help them figure out what steps they can take now to get on the path to a more secure future. I give this book a solid four stars and not five only because my CPA training kept me yearning for more quantitative analysis.
Not For Commoners!
I read this book in the hopes of gaining a helpful framework for thinking about - and perhaps even achieving - my "number" for retirement, but that is not what I found between its covers.Mostly the book concerns itself with the soul - searching and anguish that people who have 1 - 10 million dollar "nest eggs" go through in trying to decide if its enough to support them in the manner to which they have become accustomed, until such time as they pass on.Although I really FEEL for these people, my financial situation is much more in sync with the run-of-the-mill American, and for us Mr. Eisenberg has barely a mention, let alone advice. On a positive note, I did find his writing style to be very engaging. Bottom line - I would have to recommend that you avoid this book and use the time saved to read something more useful and/or fun.

There is no number, only a lot of assumptions and risks
"The number" poses an interesting question but provides no helpful answers. A four percent draw on invested assets is as much an old wives' tale as a piece of scientific wisdom, even if it is a number. Eisenberg's number is the inverse of that draw down, or twenty-five times.... well, there's the rub, twenty-five times what? income? expenses? income less savings? projected discretionary spending? Post-mortgage payoff and college tuition expenses? The proverbial bottom line is clouded by conversations with an eclectic collection of consultants, experts, philosophers, and casual acquaintances. Eisenberg, a former Esquire editor and short-timer with Lands End, ruminates about a simple question: How much money do you need to feel secure? The problem is that security comes in multiple forms: happiness, comfort, excess consumption, ego. And the accuracy and stability of those measures and outcomes is compounded by key assumptions about how long you will live and how healthy those years will be. Constructing a one-year budget is hard enough. Constructing a thirty-year budget is nearly impossible.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Consumer Finance    5. Finance, Personal    6. Personal Finance    7. Personal Finance - General    8. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    9. Planning    10. Quality of work life    11. Retirement    12. Social Science / General   

Editorial Review

Despite its sensational title, David Bach's Read more

Reviews (249)

Boring
This book provides nothing new.It is centered on the whole idea of setting up your retirement accounts so they automatically deduct from your paycheck.If you have 401k, duh, it does that automatically...anyway, boring.It also says to save money, don't use credit cards, pay yourself, blah, blah, blah.Oh yeh, if you save early you will be a millionaire in like forty years...zzzz. Ok, it did help me by reminding me about the interest rates in banks.One idea was to put the emergency funds in a money market account which offers a higher interest rate than a regular savings account.Upon reading this, I decided to do this and doing this made me realize the dismal .2% I've been earning on my saving account.And not realizing the latest craze started by ING, all the other banks offer an "online savings" account which offers 5% compare to the dismal .2%.I immediately switched!Other than this part of the book, it was boring.

Sensible financial guide
David Bach offers a very straightforward and basically foolproof method for managing your finances in "The Automatic Millionaire." This isn't a get-rich-quick book: "The Automatic Millionaire" is based on the principle that anyone can become wealthy by following a few basic steps and learning how to manage their money well. Bach insists that the only way people can truly get rich is if they "pay themselves first" with every check before shelling out money for bills, basic expenses, and trivial purchases. The idea of making everything "automatic" stems from Bach's belief that by using automated payroll deductions for things like retirement accounts and monthly bills, people won't be tempted to stray away from their budgets.
Most Americans would benefit
Yes, much of the information and advice in this book comes from other sources (The Richest Man in Babylon, etc.).And yes, most of the stuff in here is "common sense" to many people.However, reading this simple book would benefit so many people I know...and isn't that the aim of a "self-help" book after all?
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Consumer Finance    4. Finance, Personal    5. Financial security    6. Personal Finance    7. Personal Finance - Financial Planning    8. Personal Finance - General    9. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    10. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General   

Reviews (20)

It was the "bible" for me
As the author of a similar book entitled, "When Can I Tell My Boss, I Quit!," I offer the highest compliment to Mr. Slott:I used his book in the research for my book.He has written the "bible" of IRAs that explains with a combination of easy prose and good examples, the ins and outs of this topic.Mr. Slott warns of pitfalls and encourages the reader to take action.I go back to his book often for all the answers!

The retirement savings time bomb
It is time not to procastinate and to get your financial house in order.This book is great.

What you don't know CAN hurt you!
Failure to learn and implement the strategies presented will result in a Time Bomb becoming a Land Mine! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Consumer Finance    4. Personal Finance    5. Personal Finance - Financial Planning    6. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    7. Tax Accounting    8. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Investing   

Reviews (4)

An Excellent Consumer Resource
This book does a great job of covering several areas of debt that all consumers will find helpful.It is written in an easy to understand language, yet rich with detail and a variety areas covered.The chapter on debt collections touched on the topic of statute of limitations, which is very important to many consumers, including me.I found that two other books that I read on consumer debt did not deal at all with this important topic.I thank Garrett Sutton (and contributor Gerri Detweiler) for a very valuable book.

Good book with lots of different information.
I read this book to get a little more famaliar with budgets, and was very impressed with how many things this book touched on.
Great Consumer Credit/Debt Resource!
The ABC's of Getting Out of Debt:Trade Your Bad Debt for Good Debt and Your Bad Credit for Good Credit really stands out among the many credit and debt related books available to consumers for many reasons. For starters, the book covers the topic of credit and debt in a very thorough and objective manner. Such critical, but often overlooked, topics as the health effects of debt are addressed. In addition, the book provides very simple and practical steps to help consumers that are struggling with credit and/or debt problems.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Consumer Finance    3. Consumer credit    4. Credit    5. Debt    6. Finance, Personal    7. Personal Finance    8. Personal Finance - Money Management    9. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    10. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General    11. Business ethics   

Reviews (2)

A good reference
A good reference book for anyone connected with a pension or profit sharing arrangement.It is not a guide to IRAs, Keogh plans, SEPs, rather it focuses on traditional defined contribution and defined benefit plans.While this book seems written for more for budding actuaries, those wishing to study design alternatives or asset management will find this book provides a good background.I find two flaws with the book. Very complete yet sometimes boring: serious stuff !
Very coplete study, covering almost all imaginable subjects, from actuarial maths to investment management to organisation and HR aspects of pension provision.This is not a manual, though. Get a simpler and less in detail book to get a general view of the topic, and then use "Fundamentals..." as reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Investments & Securities - General    6. Old age pensions    7. United States    8. Business & Economics / Investments & Securities    9. Finance | Investments    10. Pensions    11. USA   

Reviews (1)

Useful textbook
I am enrolled in the Certified Financial Planner designation program.Tools and Techniques of Employee Benefit and Retirement Planning is the textbook for the Retirement Planning module.I found this to be the most useful and practical textbook in the course.It is a book that will remain on my shelf for future reference long after I finish the designation program. The information in the textbook in written in a practical manner.It is easy to understand, well-organized and to the point. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    4. Taxation - Corporate    5. Taxation - General   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (1)

An Important Book for Financial Advisers
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.
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Subjects:  1. Baby-boom generation    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Finance    6. Finance, Personal    7. Investments & Securities - General    8. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    9. Planning    10. Retirees    11. Retirement income    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / Finance    14. Business & Economics/Investments & Securities - General    15. Business & Economics/Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    16. Retirement    17. Saving and investment   

Reviews (5)

Thinking of retirement
JK Lasser's Your Winning Retirement Plan was very informative.If you are thinking of retirement you may want to read this book first.I found it helpful, and more than ever realize that I need to hire a Financial Advisor, because this is a big step. My money is going to have to get me through my golden years, hopefully for a long time.

Sage advice that will keep you on track
Hebeler's approach answered for me my most challenging questions: 1] Will my retirement assets allow me to spend what I need (want) to spend each year during my years in retirement? 2] Can I grow my assets at my desired rate while simultaneously lowering the risk of my portfolio? 3] How can I evaluate my financial health each year in a meaningful and action-oriented manner? An Outstanding Book on Retirement Planning
Mr. Hebeler was a practicing engineer and manager at Boeing for many years before he retired and his engineering mind with its attention to details shows through. Of significant note is his discussion of reverse dollar-cost averaging and his retirement autopilot method to provide a feedback mechanism. Nothing more than simple mathematics is used and his principles can be used without buying expensive software. This is one of the best investment books I have read in years! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Consumer Finance    3. Individual retirement accounts    4. Old age pensions    5. Personal Finance    6. Personal Finance - General    7. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    8. Planning    9. Retirement income    10. Social security    11. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General    12. Retirement   

Reviews (15)

Be aware of duplicate material
This book is an entertaining read but there are large chunks of word by word identical passages with his other book "The Joy of Not Working". One book is a good read, reading both feels repetitive. Since this is the newer of the two, its the one I would recommend.

Great Book with Teeth
Am working my way through this book ~ highly recommended!
The best!
I purchased and borrowed several retirement guides in the months just prior to retiring.As I read the other books, I kept returning to How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free for the author's good, down to earth suggestions.Most of the other books focus on finances and second careers after retirement.While both of these subjects are important issues, they are not the only concerns you have as you prepare for that big step into the future.How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free covers it all.Those worries you may have about what to do after retiring -- this book has lots of great, affordable suggestions for you. Taking care of yourself, continued learning and travel are all addressed. You will not be a bored retiree.Also enjoyable are the readers' letters to the author that are interspersed throughout the book.Ernie Zelinski's upbeat book is highly recommended as you prepare for that next important chapter in your life.With this book in hand, you will be ready to enjoy your retirement years to their fullest! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aging - Retirement    2. Consumer Finance    3. Early retirement    4. Gerontology    5. Leisure    6. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    7. Retirement    8. Self-Help    9. Social Science    10. Sociology - General    11. Sociology Of Leisure   

Reviews (31)

Bought it, read it, loved it
Comprehensive but specific, easy to read, full of good ideas, practical advice, and stories to illustrate points.A gem of a book!

Best Book on Retirement
I felt compelled to submit this review after reading the comment about the book having too much info.Indeed, that is the exact thing I thought was best about the book - the authors obviously are very familiar with all that is our there on retirement and condensed (at almost 500 pages, it's hard to say "condensed"!)it into one excellent book. It has saved me both time and money. The websites, checksheets, and specific recommendations with honest appraisals of places to consider for relocation are invaluable. The chapters on finances and tax are also outstanding (I have a business background), and the info about psychology, health, working, and travel contribute to make it a comprehensive book.
The book is so comprehensive it's superficial

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Subjects:  1. Aging    2. Aging - Retirement    3. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    4. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    5. Planning    6. Retirement    7. Self-Help    8. United States    9. Reference / Personal & Practical Guides   

Reviews (4)

Warnings with hope and answers
As the author of a similar book entitled, "When Can I Tell My Boss, I Quit!," I offer Mr. Carlson the highest compliment: I used his book in the research for my book.He alerts the reader to impending problems facing the new retirees but also offers many solid and creative solutions.Mr. Carlson's book is well researched and thorough but easy to read.I've re-read it several times to answer questions I have.

Great book.
I'm getting down to the specifics about my retirement plans, eg--how much do I need in investments, what do I need to do about health insurance, where should my investments be, which investments do I withdraw and when, can I reduce my income before I retire & still make it, etc.I've read several books and so far this is by far the best.It's extremely readable, very specific, covers the big questions well, and takes a common-sense approach.I have a great financial planner but I want to educate myself, too--and I'm recommending this book to my financial planner!

Just whatyou need to understand what you face...solid
If you only read one sentence,let me say this -- this book is a straightforward description of what anyone needs to think about when investing in the new environment,and it isn't a gimmick book with a quick answer.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Consumer Finance    4. Personal Finance    5. Personal Finance - General    6. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    7. Planning    8. Retirement    9. Retirement Plans    10. United States    11. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Consumer Finance    4. Finance, Personal    5. Older people    6. Personal Finance    7. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    8. Retirement    9. Retirement Plans    10. United States    11. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General   

Reviews (127)

the business mindset
Reader,
Wait for the Cliffs Notes
This book was recommended by someone a lot more financially successful than I am.But while I was reading, I kept asking myself, "When's he going to get to the point?"The first part of the book is all about why it's good to be rich--something I thought was unnecessary.The bulk of the book is filled with anecdotes that try to illustrate the different mindset of rich people as compared to middle-class and poor.Finally, in the last part of the book, he gives some practical examples of what he considers to be good investment strategy. This was the only part of the book I was interested in.To me, it was like his publicist told him that no one is going to buy a 30-page book on investing and so Kiyosaki wrote what he knew about making money and filled the rest with "fluff".However, even his advice is considered questionable by many experts.I would say that the main idea I got from this book was to try to look at investing from different angles and not to just follow the crowd.I just wish I hadn't invested so much time in a book that could have been a lot more concise.

Best of
I think this is the best of the series. It is real easy to read which I like because you can finish it fast. It has some great lessons and makes some wonderful points about investing for future retirement. Anyone can learn something from this that they can put to good use.
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Subjects:  1. Accounting - General    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Consumer Finance    5. Finance, Personal    6. Financial security    7. Personal Finance    8. Personal Finance - Financial Planning    9. Personal Finance - General    10. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    11. Retirement income    12. Wealth    13. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General   

Reviews (8)

Retire Secure-Solid Advice For All
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
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
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.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Individual retirement accounts    3. Law and legislation    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Pension trusts    6. Personal Finance    7. Personal Finance - General    8. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    9. Practical Guides    10. Tax planning    11. Taxation    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General    14. Finance & Accounting   

Reviews (1)

Requried Reading for Anyone with an IRA.
This book focuses on ensuring that your IRA is properly set up, so that it can be passed on to beneficiaries intact, effectively establishing a "stretch IRA".The stretch IRA describes an IRA held by a beneficiary, and which will pay out over their lifetime.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Consumer Finance    4. Estate planning    5. Individual retirement accounts    6. Personal Finance    7. Personal Finance - IRA    8. Personal Finance - Investing    9. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    10. Retirement Plans    11. Retirement income    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Retirement Planning   

Reviews (12)

Wonderful Book
This book is simply amazing!I had previously used some of the techniques Scott teaches, but other things he tells you to do blew my mind!The things Scott talks about are easy to do AND can save you a TON of money!I would highly recommend the book to anyone with ANY amount of credit card debt, or even if you have NO credit card debt.

Real advice that works!
I am in the same field as Scott, and have recommended his book countless times to consumers. With credit card companies raising rates, fees, etc. his advice could not be more timely.
A valuable book from day one
I was shopping for a book that would help me with the credit card debt I have accumulated. I chose this book. It has proven to be very bemeficial to me. It contains a large amount of information your banks don't want you to know. My first night of reading the book, I got up to about page 70 and made my first phone call, with the intent of gaining information about the account and possibly getting a fee reversed. I ended up getting a $50 credit to the account, relatively easily. I cannot praise this book enough! If you need to reduce your credit card debt, this book may very well be your solution. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Retirement Planning    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Consumer credit    5. Credit cards    6. Finance, Personal    7. General    8. Personal Finance    9. Personal Finance - Budgeting    10. Personal Finance - Money Management    11. United States    12. Debt    13. Personal Finance - Financial Planning   

Reviews (1)

Informative and well-written
Though a bit dated (2002/2003), it offers a good amount of information and detail on the 401(k) plan for the beginner. The authors build a good case and show by examples why investing for retirement is important and how starting early can make a lot of difference. It was a quick read even with a lot of financial terms explained and I believe I am wiser having read it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 401(k) plans    2. Business & Economics    3. Business/Economics    4. Consumer Finance    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Personal Finance    7. Personal Finance - 401k    8. Personal Finance - Financial Planning    9. Personal Finance - General    10. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    11. Retirement Plans    12. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Retirement Planning    13. Finance & Accounting    14. Personnel & human resources management    15. USA   

Reviews (8)

Understanding the Myths and Realities of 401-K Plans
I read and was enlightened by the hardcover edition of Wolman and Colamosca's book when it was first published and am looking forward to reading the updates in the recently released paperback edition. Companies encouraged baby boomers to join the 401-K bandwagon.Now, as we begin to enter retirement years, our large demographic may provide a magnified study of the impact of such plans. Perhaps this will benefit younger members of the workforce, especially if the Bush Administration re-visits its efforts to foster worker-managed-retirement-investment programs.

I'll struggle to review, like the writers struggled to conclude
The Great 401(k) Hoax is real!!!!
If You Participate in a 401(k), You'd Better Read This
If a person wants to invest in the stock market or in other forms of investments (bonds, govt. securities), and the primary purpose behind these investments is for retirement, this is a book that one should read. As with so many things that the government does, often in cahoots with businesses, this book shows how the 401(k), a supposed benefit to employees, is anything but. The `average' employee is getting ripped off in his/her 401(k) plan. The primary benefits of 401(k)'s are to the businesses, themselves, and to the top 10% of households based on wealth. Simply put, the rich get richer at the expense of the middle and lower class. If you have a 401(k) or are thinking of participating in one, read this book first and then decide if or how you want to participate. Rating: 4.0. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Accounting - General    2. Business & Economics    3. Business/Economics    4. Consumer Finance    5. Personal Finance - 401k    6. Personal Finance - Financial Planning    7. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    8. Business & Economics-Accounting - General    9. Business & Economics-Personal Finance - 401k    10. Economics    11. Finance, Personal    12. Personal finance    13. Retirement    14. USA    15. Business & Management    16. Current Events   

Reviews (4)

Excellent information on Trust and IRAs
Ed does a great job on giving you detailed information of how to stretch your IRA assets for the next generation.He also does a great job of including information on how to write your trust so that you can control your assets beyond the grave. This is mainly important for clients who have lots of assets in their IRAs or for people who just pass away before they use their IRA assets.Since you don't know when you are going to pass away, I think it is important to get your trust and your IRA beneficiaries set up as soon as possible.
Little added
Ed Slott repeated alot of what was included in "The Retirement Savings Time Bomb...", so I was not as impressed with this book.You can get 98% of what to do in the "Time Bomb".But if you really want to save all your money to your kids and their kids, it should help you.

Parlay Your IRA into a family fortune
Very good information.Is vital information that would be very useful to anyone with a large IRA and a significant number of beneficiaries.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Consumer Finance    3. Estate planning    4. Individual retirement accounts    5. Personal Finance    6. Personal Finance - IRA    7. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    8. Retirement income    9. Tax planning    10. United States    11. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General   

Reviews (10)

Understanding the importance of Asset Classes
This book, written by a money manager with 40 years of experience in the field, makes it crystal clear how diversification using asset classes can increase your return while reducing risk. It offers fundamentally sound advice while rejecting the "get rich quick" mentality. If you want to sleep better when you retire, read this book.

LIVE IT UP WITHOUT OUTLIVING YOUR MONEY!: 10 STEPS TO A PERFECT RETIREMENT PORTFOLIO
A MUST READ FOR ALL!
Live it Up without Outliving Your Money!
I found the content to be clearly written and easy to understand. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Consumer Finance    4. Finance, Personal    5. Financial security    6. Investments    7. Personal Finance    8. Personal Finance - Financial Planning    9. Personal Finance - Retirement Planning    10. Planning    11. Retirement Plans    12. Retirement income    13. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / Retirement Planning