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It would be great if we could all retire with a nice portfolio of savings and pension income, without having to worry about paying the bills most retired people pay.

Yet...many retirees are living out their retirement on the breadline without much hope for even going on holiday without being assisted by relatives or even handouts. Don't let yourself be one of them...it's never too late!

Title : Life Begins at 50: A Handbook for Creative Retirement Planning
Author : Leonard J. Hansen
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : A valuable, user-friendly tool for constructing one's life.

As my own writing sometimes includes advice columns, an editor recommended I read "Life Begins at Fifty" as a primer on how to make a wide range of sometimes complex topics easily accessible for the lay reader. It proved an excellent direction. Mr. Hansen has obviously covered the waterfront for a long time, and the breadth of his knowledge and the manner in which he integrates and conveys his subjects provides a stark contrast to most of the platitudes and off the shelf advice readers are subjected to. My spry 82 year old mother found the book a fascination and said that if she'd had access to it decades ago it would have significantly influenced and changed a number of her decisions. I know the book will prove an interesting tool for me, as it prods me toward topics I know I should be thinking about but keep putting off. One of the most evident virtues of the book is that Mr. Hansen never seems to be fighting a rearguard action as Father Time starts piling on, but instead clearly views the last half of life as when things really get interesting, a viewpoint readers of his book are likely to embrace.

Title : The Bond Book
Author : Annette Thau
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : I read this book cover to cover--AND IT ROCKS!

As an individual investor, I hadn't had a significant amount of experience with the bond market. Thau's book was a pleasure to read, and I believe it touches on every topic one needs to understand to become an educated bond investor. In short, it rocked me like a hurricane. I highly recommend it.

Title : The Coming Generational Storm: What You Need to Know About America's Economic Future
Author : Laurence J. Kotlikoff
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Packed With Knowledge!

This volume is infinitely more thoughtful than most of the books that point to the expected insolvency of the Social Security system and pronounce that the fiscal sky is falling. After all, the U.S. economy has weathered plenty of fiscal crises before, but those in power have barely addressed this one. Authors Laurence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns ask you to realize that the government is saddling your children with unbearable debt. One by one, they strip away all the supposed answers to the demographic bulge and economic bust that characterize the impending mass retirement of the baby boom generation. They demonstrate that the dwindling number of working-age citizens simply will not be able to support the coming onslaught of retirees. The python has eaten the rabbit, but will it be able to swallow? Kotlikoff's "generational accounting" explains that government is running up charges on our kids' credit cards. And like any bill that doesn't get paid, this one will keep getting bigger. We recommend this nicely crafted book to all responsible citizens.

Title : Rich Dad's Prophecy
Author : Sharon L. Lechter
Rating : 2 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Massively dissappointing addition to an outstanding series

Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad" series has become a seminal work for those seeking financial freedom and success. Following the guidance of his previous works I, my family and colleagues have made huge strides in increasing our net wealth and still consider the day that we read the first book to have been truly life changing.

This latest book, however, is a huge disappointment for anyone who is an experienced 'follower' of Kiyosaki. There is very little new and it appears that the series is becoming a cash cow for him to milk money out of in return for repeating previous material. The amount of content regarding the key topic (the financial impact of the change in the US population make up) is tiny and adds little to what is available free through simple internet searches. The tendency to use the text to advertise other "Rich Dad" products is increasingly annoying and adds to the feeling that the author is not really interested in adding value, except to his bank balance.

For newcomers to the series, though, the book could be useful as it combines topics from all of the previous four texts; a low cost way of getting the most for your money. I still reccomend the original "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" as an outstanding stand alone work (for its attitude alone). This new book would add to that nicely as a pair, saving the need to purchase the intermediate series or numerous attached products.

For those of us who have awaited Kiyosaki's output with anticipation, this is depressingly bad and verging on a deliberate rip off. Stick with the original and look for answers to the questions about the coming decade elsewhere.

Title : You're Fifty - Now What?
Author : Charles R. Schwab
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : The Best Book on Financial Planning for the Over 46 Age Set

My biggest complaint about most books on financial planning is that they try to cover everyone with one approach. Mr. Schwab's book is a pleasant exception to this rule. By at least focusing on those of around middle years (46 through 56), he can be more specific and make the information more relevant to each reader. Naturally, I would like to see future books be even more focused than this one, but Mr. Schwab has certainly moved in the right direction.

I found this book to be vastly superior to 52 Weeks to Financial Fitness by Marshall Loeb, which was also written for people in this age category.

Mr. Schwab's profits as author from this book are all being donated to the Charles Schwab Corporation Foundation to provide for the needs of seniors.

The book is divided into two parts: First, planning for the rest of your life; and second, getting organized to implement that plan.

The planning section is very well done because it covers materials at a level of perspective that goes from the needs of most beginners to handling the needs of all but the most sophisticated people. Fundamentals are covered in sidebars so as not to clutter-up the main text for those who do not need the information. The subjects covered include how much money you will need in total, determining the value of what you have available, estimating the gap between your needs and resources, understanding how to think about asset allocation in your investment funds, establishing the proper cash flow to match your needs, and readjusting your investment mix over time.

Each section is clearly written and provides formats to make it easier for you to assemble and think about your information. I was particularly pleased to see Mr. Schwab challenge some conventional wisdom about financial planning. Many people use a rule of thumb that you will need 70% of your preretirement income. In practice, many people find that they spend more than that because some costs go up more rapidly than inflation, like medical care, or they take on new interests. Mr. Schwab suggests 90%. I think even that may not be conservative enough. I think a better assumption is to have the percentage grow over time, slowly. Eventually, it will probably exceed 100%.

In addition, many people will tell you to plan on spending 6% of your assets each year after you have to start drawing on them. Mr. Schwab wisely suggests that 3-4% will be more appropriate for most people. I liked that advice very much.

The advice on investing is much more conservative than you would expect from someone who heads an on-line brokerage house. But appropriately so. He suggests you stay in common stocks as long as possible, because you may well live much longer than you think. But he has all but 10% of your portfolio in either no-load index funds or conservative bond and cash positions. If you skip the idea of owning any individual stocks, the advice is quite appropriate for the average person. It also has you reducing your exposure to stocks over time, as the years appraoch when you will need the income. So even if stocks stop performing well (as some warn) in the next few years, you will be relatively safe.

Part II of the book gets you into deciding whether you need a financial advisor or not, and how to select and work with one. It also looks at the most important questions about insurance, estate planning (get thee to a lawyer), and how to handle your donations so they bring you the most satisfaction and least after-tax cost.

The book has several other nice qualities. It emphasizes the rest of your life as being the "second half" rather than the downhill slide or some other negative concept. In sports, we all know that the winners are usually those who play the second half the best. Also, at half-time, the coach often makes adjustments that lead to winning performance. It is a very nice metaphor for financial planning at this stage in life. "What do I want for the second half of my life?" is the key question posed in the beginning of the book for you to consider.

I also liked the optimism of the book. Rather than focusing on the fear that people have about outliving their money, the book emphasizes the potential for good things to happen. You may live longer, and think of all the good things that could follow. "Anything is possible" was my favorite line from the book, which followed examples of wonderful accomplishments by seniors of advanced years.

Unless you already have been through this exercise recently with a financial advisor, I suggest that you get the book and use the exercises.

Further, I suggest you take even more time to think through the possibilities that the post child-rearing and tuition years may offer you. It's almost like getting to start over again, but with much more in the way of resources and wisdom.

Look for and find the best choices!

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