Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts

Smart Women Don't Retire -- They Break Free: From Working Full-Time to Living Full-Time Review

Smart Women Don't Retire -- They Break Free: From Working Full-Time to Living Full-Time
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Competent, skilled, experienced, a woman about to retire is on the brink of a world of possibilities! But there's a transition that a smart woman allows herself, a time to reflect on what has been and what is to come in the future that has valuable meaning. There are stages to this transition that involve some letting go and some planning, a process better done with precious care rather than by the driven schedule and plans most women pack into their working years. Smart Women Don't Retire - They Break Free is the perfect book to accompany a retiring woman on that journey!
Filled with advice and narrative examples of women who've "been there," this book provides a long and wide plan to bridge that gap between work and retirement. First and foremost, it includes some practical advice on where one's financial condition fits into the overall scheme of things; in that sense this is a book that could be wisely considered by many woman not even that close to retirement, a chance to plan early and avoid unforeseen stress later. For those who haven't given it much thought, at whatever age, it gives some basic suggestions to preparing financially, which in turn allows one to decide whether one must continue to work part-time or can know the bills will be paid without having to work.
The "breaking free" portion of the book consists of analyzing what one has loved, hated or somewhere in-between felt about the work, people, attitudes, expertise, relationships, and so much more taken for granted during the working years of an average woman's life. It's a chance to shed off the slough and put on what works best, perhaps even adding some phases and aspects that one never had a chance to try. Will you work for yourself? for others? both? Remember - anything's possible now!
Several boxed lists of ideas and suggestions to get the mind and heart to ponder fill the pages of this useful, practical and even inspirational book that any woman will love to peruse and think about seriously and with humor. The opportunity to donate to and volunteer for charity work is given ample consideration herein, as well as the chance to deepen old friendships and create new special ones.
A comprehensive list of resources and bibliography give the reader scope for further investigation into any and all areas where one may wish to delve for continued exploration.
This is a wonderful book, simply put! It deserves a wide berth of readers who are looking forward to those years when one is truly as "free"and happy with retirement as one allows one's self to be! For those who find the idea rather frightening, this is a great place to start relishing one's golden years!
Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on June 16, 2008

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The AARP Retirement Survival Guide: How to Make Smart Financial Decisions in Good Times and Bad Review

The AARP Retirement Survival Guide: How to Make Smart Financial Decisions in Good Times and Bad
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I purchased this book because amazon.com alerted me to it and because it had all
5* customer reviews. After having read it I have mixed feelings about its usefulness :
On one hand, it provides a good overview of the financial planning process that needs to be followed to determine how much to save for retirement and how much to withdraw during retirement. It also provides a good overview of some of the retirement income products/annuities, and it has helpful checklists to select a financial adviser. Furthermore, I found the chapter on reverse mortgages a useful
introduction to a very complex subject, with several helpful web sites listed.
On the other hand, the book is not detailed enough to do a financial plan, i.e. establish an affordable expense budget in retirement that includes determination of the amounts that can be safely withdrawn from investments. There are better books available that include detailed worksheets to do this, such as J.K.Lasser's "Your Winning Retirement Plan", or "Getting Started In A Financially Secure Retirement" by Henry Hebeler (both of these books also refer the reader to useful
web sites for DYI financial analysis/modeling).
Part II ("Evaluating Retirement Income Products) provides a high level overview of annuities, enough to probably confuse/scare most readers to avoid these products altogether or to see a financial adviser (perhaps this is intentional).
Appendix D contains an interesting case study with a complete retirement plan; unfortunately it is presented without any explanatory comments accompanying the individual worksheets, thus leaves the reader with many questions as to the details/logic of the plan.
In summary, this book provides a good overview of the retirement planning process and does an excellent job cautioning readers about unscrupulous financial advisers, sales tactics and investment scams. It is, however, not detailed enough to be a "hands 0n" how-to-do-it guide with which people can do their own financial retirement plan.


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Bank bailouts. Ponzi schemes. Plunging financial markets. Given today's dire headlines, planning a secure retirement has become a more critical task than ever.Now, for Americans seeking safety and stability in a time of wrenching economic change, comes investment educator Julie Jason with this no-nonsense guide, which won the award for Best Personal Finance Book at the International Book Awards and was chosen as the top business book by Booklist. It offers time-tested, rock-solid retirement advice for people of every income level: in addition to showing those on the verge of retirement how to create their own "personal pension," Jason deftly guides prospective retirees through the otherwise bewildering process of evaluating their needs, anticipating future expenses (and managing current ones), and converting present assets into future retirement income. To achieve this goal, she assembles-and shares with the reader-an entire tool kit of self-assessments, tables, checklists, and essential questions.

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So You Want to Move to Florida: How to Save Time and Money in Becoming a Resident and Exploring Florida's Treasures Your Guide to Securing Your Dreams in Florida Review

So You Want to Move to Florida: How to Save Time and Money in Becoming a Resident and Exploring Florida's Treasures Your Guide to Securing Your Dreams in Florida
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The contents of Farnham's guide is essential for anyone seriously considering relocation. The invaluable information he provides gives the positives and negatives of living in Florida. Read this practical book about day-to-day life in Florida if you're thinking of moving to paradise. Many helpful pointers which has already made my life simpler. Jam-packed with simple, crisp declarative sentences that makes reading the book both interesting and easy.

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If you relish the idea of saving money, and living a dream too, this clear, concise book will give you keen insights on moving to and living in Florida. You'll learn how to:Lead vibrant, interesting lives in Florida. Find the best places to visit as a resident. Establish Florida as your domicile. Protect your nest egg. Save thousands of dollars in buying your new home. Identify wildlife and birds. Avoid or minimize Florida intangible taxes. Have a Florida friendly yard. Do business in Florida. Tap into 55 cost saving ideas. Deal with the unique challenges and problems of Florida. Develop a priority-order focused plan. Avoid "had I known, I would have..." comments. Magic Threes. You'll learn the top three birds, animals, lighthouses, wildlife refuges, beaches, day trips, mini-vacations, Florida "castles;" and three interest or expertise levels for activities. By focusing on the top three, you will be able to select the activities that best fit your unique needs and desires. These exciting experiences can unleash a new level of success and positive change for you. You'll appreciate the business savvy, optimism and spirit of adventure that threads through the fabric of this easy-to-read book.

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Work Wanted: Protect Your Retirement Plans in Uncertain Times Review

Work Wanted: Protect Your Retirement Plans in Uncertain Times
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Strongly recommend this as a wonderful source of practical help in navigating the difficult passage from work and career to retirement and new frontiers. Accessible, very readable and exhaustive: sort of akin to a "Turbotax" program for preparing ones "returns for the future". The authors don't make the common mistake of pandering to Baby Boomer hubris and are commendably non-judgmental and wise. The tone is more: "Did you know this?"; "Have you fully thought through that?"; "Can you afford what you plan to do?". And herein lies an interesting twist: events in the global economy have swept away many of the book's rosier assumptions and yet have made it all the more indispensable. The plunge in 401Ks and retirement wealth is calamitous in absolute terms but particularly so for the legion of boomers who don't have the working years left to recoup. Painful and unfair certainly but no better moment for a full audit of hopes, dreams, health and wealth. Work Wanted will ease the pain and help clarify options.

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"Work Wanted is a must-read for all boomers who see more than a finish line for their career! Jim Walker and Linda Lewis bring new light to the concepts of aging, work, and retirement in this great book."–Marshall Goldsmith, executive coach and author, What Got You Here Won't Get You There"This book was perfect for me, a younger baby boomer. It helped me to create my roadmap to financial independence and addresses many questions I didn't even know I had!"–Carol A. Gallagher, Ph.D., bestselling author, Going to the Top"The best resource available for professionals interested in planning their older years. Work Wanted makes a persuasive case that we can and should make paid work an important part of our older years. Most of us want to keep some attachment to the work world as we move into the retirement years, and Work Wanted tells us everything you need to know to do so."–Peter Cappelli, George W. Marshall Professor of Management, The Wharton School, and author, Talent on Demand: Managing Talent in an Age of UncertaintyThe Complete Action Plan for Every Baby Boomer Who Wants to Keep Working–and Thriving!This is the definitive handbook for every baby boomer who wants, needs, or expects to keep on working! You'll find practical, realistic, action-oriented advice for working on your terms, not someone else's...reinventing yourself for your next stage of life...finding more meaning in the work you choose...protecting your finances and your lifestyle...and a whole lot more!If you're a baby boomer and a professional, chances are you will live far into your 80s or beyond. That means you'll have 20+ more years to actively work and pursue your interests. Work Wanted will help you make those years as valuable as you possibly can. Packed with practical checklists, references, and case studies, this book is organized for action, not talk. Drs. James Walker and Linda Lewis first explore the myths, falsehoods, and obsolete "conventional wisdom" about aging and retirement that stand in your way. Drawing on their experience working with companies and individuals facing these issues, Walker and Lewis help you realistically assess the challenges you'll actually face–from your real income needs to your changing goals. Discover why a growing shortage of experienced people will give you more workplace leverage than ever before. Then, learn how to implement an action plan to keep working on your own terms at your current company, if that's what you want. Ready to move on? Work Wanted will support you in reinventing yourself, pursuing more meaningful work, acquiring new skills, and even mentoring your new younger colleagues. Whatever you want to do, this book will help you stay vital, happy, and healthy while you're doing it...not just for years, but decades!• Boomers without boundaries!Transform the landscape of work and retirement, one choice at a time• Chart your own future–and make it happenDefine the value you will add and the difference you will make...then do it!• No more "Wal-Mart greeter" syndromeFind professional work that is fulfilling, motivating, satisfying, and meaningful• Choose the right options at the right timesKeep working, go part-time, phase into retirement, switch careers, return to school, or become a "free agent"

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How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor Review

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor
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Who Wouldn't Want To Be Coached By A Guy Named Ernie Zelinski? That's the title of an article I wrote about Zelinski's other books. I love Zelinski. This time his book, How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free is about living, although it's disguised as a book on retirement. It is his best.
I recommend the book for anyone under 27 years old because they are young enough to embrace the ideals of this book and shift their lives accordingly. They can choose to live the life their heart calls them too instead of the life the MBA drives them, too. After 27 years of age people get buried in delusions about the supposed necessities of life.
I also recommend the book for people over 50. These people are now wise enough to know better and can embrace the attitudes of Zelinski's retirement long before they stop working for money. His definition of retirement is all about following your heart and is not based much on working for a living or not. Retirement is a state of mind, and you can apply many of the ideas in the book today to make your life happy, wild, and free.
Zelinski is inspiring. Zelinski knows we are all creative; I agree. I am constantly urging my patients to have some creative pursuit in their lives. Here is what he says from the book:
Once you retire, you too can reclaim your creative spirit and find an artistic pursuit that will ignite your inner fire. Your artistic pursuit -- whether it's painting pictures, writing poetry, or making pottery -- will rekindle a part of you that has been suppressed for years by the structure of a job and the routine of daily life. Not only can it make you feel more alive, an artistic pursuit can constitute the primary reason for your being.
Ninety-five percent of books on retirement are about how to plan financially for the event, and they ignore the spirit of the matter. Zelinski goes for the heart as he always does. He shows oodles of evidence demonstrating money has little to do with satisfaction in retirement. It is about finding meaning in your life. It's about living happy, wild, and free. Isn't that something that would be useful at any age? It's what I want for you and for me. That and being able to wear aloha shirts or the equivalent whenever you want. Cha!

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How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free offers inspirational advice on how to enjoy life to its fullest. The key to achieving an active and satisfying retirement involves a great deal more than having adequate financial resources; it also encompasses all other aspects of life -- interesting leisure activities, creative pursuits, physical well-being, mental well-being, and solid social support.World-class author and innovator Ernie J. Zelinski guides you to:
Gain courage to take early retirement; in fact, the earlier the better.
Put money in proper perspective so that you don't need a million dollars to retire.
Generate purpose in your retirement life with meaningful creative pursuits.
Follow your dreams instead of someone else's.
Take charge of your mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Better envision you retirement goals -- including where you want to live.
Above all, make you retirement years the best time of your life.
What sets this retirement book apart from all the others is its holistic approach to the fears, hopes, and dreams that people have about retirement. This international bestseller (over 110,000 copies sold in its first edition) goes way beyond the numbers that is often the main focus of retirement planning in most retirement books. There are many ingredients of a happy retirement and several retirement planning tools that help retirees plan for their retirement in new and more meaningful ways. One of the most powerful tools is The Get-a-Life Tree that you won't find in any other retirement books.In short, the retirement wisdom in this book will prove to be much more important than how much money you have saved. How to Retire Happy Wild, and Free helps readers create an active, satisfying, and happy retirement in a way such that they don't need a million dollars to retire.

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The Other 8 Hours: Maximize Your Free Time to Create New Wealth & Purpose Review

The Other 8 Hours: Maximize Your Free Time to Create New Wealth and Purpose
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I'm pretty shocked at the generally high reviews of this book. While I found there to be some vaguely useful tips, in general it's pretty long winded and short on usable info. In particular the folksy story that started each chapter were useless. The frequent references to church and the bible are fairly annoying and borderline preachy. How is it that he manages to incorporate faith in almost every chapter of a book on how to maximize your time??
In short I would say that if it hasn't occurred to you that watching less television would be a good way to increase productivity in the other 8 hours of your day, then you could probably benefit from reading this book. If you're already somewhat analytical about how you're spending your time, then this book might be a waste of your time.
I'm giving it a star for some useful websites that could be helpful in starting a business, but even then his treatment of how business are started isn't particularly thorough. He frequently mentions angel investors vs. VC investors without describing the important differences between the two. Is the author assuming his audience who doesn't know video games are a time suck already aware of the differences in these two important funding sources for getting their business off the ground?? Throughout the book the author recommends putting together an e-book to test the waters for your business idea, and in the end this book reads like a bunch of 20 page e-books compiled in to a collection of tips, not a comprehensive study on time management.
DO NOT PAY FOR THIS BOOK. Get it from your local library. The small amount of useful information is not worth the space it will occupy on your bookshelf.

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The Flow of Time and Money: How to Create a Full and Prosperous Life Review

The Flow of Time and Money: How to Create a Full and Prosperous Life
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This book was OK. It was short (less than 100 pages if the blank pages are deleted), simple, and clearly written. I can't in good conscience give it a 4 or 5 star rating because it was just too short to even be called a book. And, I repeat AND, it was a complete rip off of "Rich Dad Poor Dad" (ISBN: 9780446677455). Maybe the diagrams look a little different since Kiyosaki, the author of RDPD, has trademark protected them. But in substance the instant book being reviewed is a "cliffnote" to RDPD.
The action plan found in this book and in RDPD is as follows:
1. During your youth take your education seriously; Do the best you can
2. When you take your first job use your education to get it
3. Make sure you work at a job where you can live way below your financial means
4. Don't waste what you earn; Save some, and invest some
5. Invest enough that you can live off your investments
6. Quit your job when you can afford to do so (the sooner the better)
7. Build an investment empire & enjoy life while you do it
8. Become a philanthropist if you can
Yesterday (1/10/09) I read the following quote by Thomas Friedman in the Op-Ed section of the New York Times Online edition entitled "Tax Cuts for Teachers:"
"You see, even before the current financial crisis, we were already in a deep competitive hole - a long period in which too many people were making money from money, or money from flipping houses or hamburgers, and too few people were making money by making new stuff with hard-earned science, math, biology and engineering skills."
I cite this quotation because it points out that few people are making money by making new stuff. And the real road to wealth and financial security is by doing just that - making new stuff. The 8 step action plan presented herein above will help you get wealthy and financially secure. But it is the making of new stuff that people want and need that will make you truly wealthy. If this book had emphasized this point more and made the 8 points above a sideshow, then I would be raising my rating considerably. But all we've got here was a "cliffnote" to RDPD. 3 stars!

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In "The Flow of Time and Money", Dr. Lloyd Watts uses easy-to-understand diagrams to show how time and money flow, and how to make them work for you. You will discover: - How to create Life Assets and Material Assets that increase your productivity and produce Passive Income - How to avoid the "Borrow and Spend" and "Save and Spend" financial traps- The stages leading to financial independence, and what actions to take, depending on where you are on the path - How to stay focused on long-term goals, even in the presence of daily distractions - How to achieve the freedom and wealth you need to make your highest contribution to the world.

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The Millionaire in You: Ten Things You Need to Do Now to Have Money and Time to Enjoy It Review

The Millionaire in You: Ten Things You Need to Do Now to Have Money and Time to Enjoy It
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At a time when the public is constantly getting slammed by hyped-up claims of how to become one-minute millionaires, it's refreshing to read a wise book like this.
I was a fan of Michael LeBoeuf's years ago when he wrote "The Greatest Management Principle in the World" which correctly stated that "what gets rewarded gets done." Since then a recently hyped book claims that "what is fun gets done" and we all are skeptical of that one, aren't we?
In this book, LeBoeuf writes a clear, enjoyable, and fundamentally-sound financial guide to wealth and happiness. His background in management, finance, and time-management gives him the mature credibility that we all need for such important life-decisions. Here is a man who is a financial-businessman first and an author second unlike so many others today.
I have a feeling that this book will not become a huge best-seller because of its somewhat understated manner. But that should not take away from its incredible long-term value and excellent writing.
I think this is a 6 star book in a field where best-sellers are really 3 star books. Buy this for yourself and anyone else you really care about. (Especially those who have plenty of money and little time to enjoy it.)
This book is a true financial treasure!

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Wouldn't it be great to have the financial freedom to do whatever you want? Wouldn't it be better if you could also have the time to do it?Most of us would answer a resounding yes to those questions. For many people, the goal of making money is not the accumulation of wealth for wealth's sake; instead, the goal is to have enough money to do the things we're passionate about. Butvery few people have a lot of money and the time to enjoy it.Michael LeBoeuf knows how to obtain both—and he wants to teach you. LeBoeuf shows that there are only four things people need to know about money: how to make it, how to save it, how to invest it, and how to enjoy it. But most people never figure out how to do all four, although almost anyone can. The key to doing so lies in applying a simple principle called LeBoeuf's Law: Invest your time actively and your money passively. Based on LeBoeuf's Law, The Millionaire in You offers ten strategic choices designed to maximize your time and money: * Live the life you want instead of the life others expect.* Stack the odds in your favor instead of against you.* Be a supersaver instead of a big spender.* Increase the market value of your time instead of working long hours.* Do less better instead of trying to do it all.* Capitalize on the unexpected instead of being derailed by it.* Own the market instead of trying to beat the market.* Limit your losses instead of letting bad luck ruin you.* Listen to those who know instead of those who sell.* Do it now instead of regretting it later.LeBoeuf is living proof that this strategy can work. He is a former business professor who retired in 1989 at the age of forty-seven and is living off of his accumulated wealth. He didn't inherit a dime, and he didn't get serious about achieving financial freedom until he was thirty-five. This book is intended to help you do what he's done before you're too old to enjoy the money you've earned or invested.

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