
Title : The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich
Author : David Bach
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Very well written, but not for everyone.
Over the past few years, I've bought and read several books on the theme of how to get rich. I have observed that these kinds of books come in three flavours;
1. Get rich by scrimping and saving (eg, "The Money Diet")
2. Get rich by making bold investments (eg, "Rich Dad Poor Dad")
3. Concepts on how to get rich (eg, "Think and grow rich")
The automatic millionaire is very much of the first flavour (scrimping and saving). In fairness, the author does a good job of disguising the fact that his approach amounts to little more than scrimping and saving by making his particular process "automatic" (I won't spoil the book too much by explaining what that means).
At the start of the book, the author describes a meeting he once once had with a couple of retired automatic millionaires, whose names escape me. He describes in depth how happy this married couple were now that they had held down steady (apparently low paid) jobs all their lives and were now reaping the benifits of many decades of savings and conservative investments. We learn about how they have two homes (one that they live in and one that they rent out) and how the husband drives a second hand car. We also are reminded over and over about how joyful and full of romance and wide eyed wonder this ageing couple seem to be now that they're cashing on their healthy pension schemes.
Whilst, I do not question that the automatic millionaire process has clearly paid off for these people, I was struck with a distinct feeling of disappointment as I read their story. Personally speaking, I find it very difficult to get excited about the idea of saving for the rest of my working life in the hope that I can life off a pension some day and drive second hand cars, like our happy couple described in the book. For me, this couple were precise examples of how I absolutely do NOT want to end up- maybe my expectations were too high going into this book!
Anyway, for what it's worth I have one or two other issues with the book that are of a slightly more academic nature. Although I'm no economics professor, I have read credible predictions of an impending stock market crash in the future when a tidal wave of elderly retired workers try to cash in on their pension schemes. Here in the UK, the government is on the verge of forcing everyone into signing up for pensions schemes. You don't have to be a mathematical genius to realise that the figures don't add up- surely we can't ALL get 10% interest rates on our pensions, as the author insists we can. Can we? I also think that his approach is dependant on you and I being able to generate a steady income (i.e., hold down stable jobs) until we retire in our fifties and sixties. Again, without trying to lecture too much or sound too negative, I think we live in an age where life long job security is something that is no longer on the table. So, personally I would put the case that the automatic millionaire process may not be as stable and as surefire as the author would lead us to believe.
Anyway, on a more positive note, the book is very well written and the author does a great job of keeping the subject both interesting and educational. In particular some of the mathematic models he presents are extremely eye opening and well presented.
In conclusion I would say this is a good book is you're a conservative, non risk taking, worker ant. However, for a faster, more exciting and (admittedly!) more risky road to richness I would be tempted to look elsewhere.
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Title : Mrs. Ted Bliss
Author : Stanley Elkin
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Once Again, a Masterpiece by Elkin
One of the most distinct voices in (Jewish) American literature, Stanley Elkin, has done it again with Mrs. Ted Bliss. From the title to the final chapter, the reader is forced to examine his/her preceonceptions about age, retirement, sex and social roles, and other stereotypes. Mrs. Ted Bliss, a retired widow with no skills, gets caught in a web of intrigue that leads to the downfall of a drug lord when she sells her car. Mrs. Ted Bliss, however, is no Mrs. Pollifax, ready to karate-chop her way out of danger. Give it a read if you want to laugh out loud.

Title : Celebration
Author : Harry Crews
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : more twisted stuff from harry
While not the best Crews book i have read, and not the book i would recommend to a first time Crews reader, this still is a winner. You can just tell that Crews is feeling his age getting to him, which makes this seem more heart-felt. Yes, it is slightly more ridiculous than usual, but it is more of the same pained bizarre cruelty that stabs at the heart of human nature. So far, Crews is the person who has been able to capture that better than anyone else.

Title : Age Power: How the 21st Century Will Be Ruled by the New Old
Author : Ken Dychtwald
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Age Power is a fine sequel to Dychtwald's seminal Age Wave.
Age Wave visionary Ken Dychtwald's new book is finally out. Get it! "Age Power: How the 21st Century Will Be Ruled by the New Old" (Jeffrey P. Tarcher, New York, 1999) is a feast of facts, ideas, analysis, history, prognostication, and wake-up calls. I cannot think of a more enjoyable way to consume the information we all need to prepare for the aging of the baby boom.

Title : The Roth Ira Made Simple
Author : Gary R. Trock
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Great tables to evaluate whether Roth or Traditional is best
I bought this book to help me prepare for seminars I presented on the Roth IRA. It gave a clear understanding of the rules for Roth contributions, but its greatest strength was the tables that let one compare the future benefits of Roth/Traditional IRA based on current and future tax brackets, rates of return, as well as present age. Another feature was dealing with the future value of what Gary calls "Opportunity Costs" when considering a conversion from traditional IRAs to Roth Conversion. Opportunity costs is the future value of the money that needs to be paid to the government when the IRA is converted. Again, current and future tax brackets, age, and rates of return are clearly presented. A must for anyone who really wants to get a grasp on the numbers and not just skim along the surface.

Title : The New Golden Door To Retirement And Living In Costa Rica: A Guide to Inexpensive Living, Making Money and Finding Love in a Peaceful Tropical Paradise (New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica)
Author : Christopher Howard
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Great, Great Book!
My husband and I found this book to be a godsend. It helped make our move to Costa Rica a lot easier and answered a lot of questions we had. We saved time and money by reading it. Even after living in Costa we refer to it occasionally. It was highly recommended to us by the Costa Rican Residents Association.

Title : Life Begins at 50: A Handbook for Creative Retirement Planning
Author : Leonard J. Hansen
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : This book has much valuable information about growing older
I found this book to be very well written and full of valuable information about enjoying life well into one's mature years. I will soon be fifty and now I am thinking about how nice it will be as opposed to dreading growing old. This is a source of inspiration for me. This book helps one to understand the value of growing older and reinforces the idea that growing older is a great opportunity. This book has much to offer those in middle age as well as those in late adulthood. I would especially recommend this book to those in the baby boom generation as they approach fifty.
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