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Title : Beating the Age Game: Redefining Retirement
Author : Jack Ballard
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : An upbeat look at post career life
This book is an upbeat look at aspects of post-career life, of finding new interests and an informative and practical guide to leading lives that are longer and more rewarding totally based on your personal experiences. To believe that a curtain drops on life at age 60/65 leaving nothing to do but play golf makes no sense at all. Not only does that attitude fail to bring personal satisfaction it is inconsistent with recognized theories of human development. The book demonstrates practical methods for you specifically to avoid a damaging mind-set, details proven methods to adopt and nurture new attitudes, and specifically how to supplement your income based on your area of personal expertise - and new areas as well. Ways to make this a period of grace and growth rather than decline and decay.

Title : Funny, I Don't Feel Old!: How to Flourish After 50
Author : Carter Henderson
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : A great gift
I gave this book to my mother and father after they turned 55 and they both enjoyed it very much

Title : Basic Investing Guide for the New Investor: Start Investing for Your Retirement with as Little as $50 Per Month
Author : Alfred V. Scillitani
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Overcoming Important Misconceptions of Young Investors
This book is aimed at the young person who will be starting a first full-time job in the next year. I have graded it for its appropriateness for that audience.
Stock investing is treated now in families like sex education was conducted in the fifties. People try to avoid any reference to this delicate subject.
As a parent, you can spend over $100,000 to send your child to a private college or $50,000 for a public one. In neither place will your child pick up the basic information to make her or him financially literate about doing long-term stock investing.
Or your child may not go to or finish college, and potentially have less income as a result. Investing becomes even more important in this situation.
What's worse, regardless of what educational or vocational route these capable young people take, they will have picked up misconceptions that will discourage him or her from getting started. This book can remedy that problem, by helping your daughter or son (or grandson or granddaughter) realize that they should begin investing as soon as they have enough income to save some ($50 or so) money every month.
If you are a young person just starting your career, chances are that you are handicapped by lack of information, and misconceptions about what you should be doing. Ordering this book today is a simple, effective step towards overcoming that situation.
This book effectively addresses these misconceptions:
(1) It doesn't matter much when you start (Actually, starting young is the biggest advantage any investor has)
(2) You need thousands of dollars to get started (Some investments can be started with $25, and putting in small amounts regularly makes you more money than larger amounts less often)
(3) It's too complicated for a young person to understand (Most of what you need to know is covered in less than 50 pages in this book, with not that many words on a page. If you can pass algebra and high school English, you will have no trouble with this material.)
(4) It takes too much time to get started (You should be able to take the right steps after spending less than 15 hours over a period of two months or so.)
But taking action counts for a lot in investments (as in other areas). So I suggest that you be sure the young adults in your family know this information. You can get a copy and teach them yourself, or you can simply give each person their own. Ask them what they have done about the information from time to time, and praise any actions they take to get information, start saving, or begin investing.
If you are a young person, every month you delay starting investing is costing you hundreds of dollars over your lifetime. Can you afford to waste that much money?
I think this book will make the most sense if read after Rich Dad, Poor Dad. After reading this book, I suggest that John Bogle's Common Sense About Mutual Funds be read to deepen and widen the interest that Basic Investing Guide for the New Investor will stimulate. If you already feel motivated to invest and do not have the misconceptions I mentioned above, you may already be ready for Bogle.
May your money and your children's money be saved and invested in ways to create much financial security for your children and grandchildren!
As a parent, consider that giving this book is a lot cheaper than providing any other form of education, or providing on-going financial security for the next two generations. It's a great investment for you, as well.
As a young person, consider that investing your money well is a lot less work than taking on a second job for most of your life to increase your income. This is important to creating time and balance in your life to enjoy your family and relationships.
Get started as soon as possible!

Title : Secure Your Future: Financial Planning at Any Age (Successful Business Library)
Author : Chuck Tellalian
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Shows how debt affects net worth
The very good chapter here on determining your net worth helps emphasize the effect of debt on your planning and projections.
Michael Pellecchia

Title : Iras, 401(K)s Other Retirement Plans: Taking Your Money Out
Author : Twila Slesnick
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Excellent even if you're not 59 1/2 years old
This is a great resource--clear, concise, easy to digest, well indexed, and written for the lay person. Knowing the rules for taking money out of your retirement accounts is important even if you're still putting money away--it allows you to make much better decisions about your investments.

Title : Rich Dad's Retire Young, Retire Rich: How to Get Rich Quickly and Stay Rich Forever! (Rich Dad)
Author : Robert T. Kiyosaki
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : More great ideas, more great context - huge value for money
This fourth book in the main series follows through the logical progression from 'taking care of your business' to retiring and doing what you want to do full time. Some people in the UK may find Robert Kiyosaki's American enthusiasm and repetitive writing style a bit hard to take - just stick with it and realise that making money is something that Americans do better then us! Others may say that you 'can't do those things here' - may I suggest to them that they need new advisors as I have not had any problems in implementing these ideas. I would read 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' and 'Cashflow Quadrant' before this book - could be a bit much at once otherwise.
The big gain from this, as with all the books, is the sense of challenge and attitude that comes across. Combined with the specific ideas for action and areas to think about Robert is able to lead you towards acheiving your financial goals, whatever they are.
Retiring before 45 is a dream that most us share, but few think is possible. I would rate these four books as being of equal value in helping me to be on track to reach this goal (despite having started at 31 years old), as my MBA. The MBA tells me how, Rich Dad helps me think of why, when and what.
The true value of these books is really demonstrated by their life expectancy on my book shelf at home. I have leant a number of copies of Rich Dad Poor Dad to friends and family, none of which have ever been returned! Since then my sister is now starting her own company and writing a book and friends have made some very profitable moves into property investment. None of these people, including myself, talked about such things before reading Robert's books.
Buy this book. Read it. then hide it and re-read it every few months - if you don't you will probably find that it disappears and those close to you start to have more money in their pockets!
A real delight.

Title : Live Well in Ireland: How to Relocate, Retire and Increase Your Standard of Living
Author : Steenie Harvey
Rating : 1 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Only for Americans!
I bought this book for my English mother in law who was moving to Ireland but was very disappointed that it failed to address the main issues she faced as a pensioner moving to Ireland.
My main criticism is that it is written soley for the American market and compares living in Ireland with living in America. Secondly it was published prior to Irelands conversion to the Euro so prices are meaningless to the newcomer unfamiliar with the old Irish punts currency.
Thirdly it only touches on the social welfare system (which as a pensioner my mother in law was interested in).
Having lived in Ireland for several years I find the Ireland described in the book is quite far removed from the reality of my life in Ireland.
In my opinion this book does not serve as a useful tool to anyone considering relocating to Ireland and they would be far better served contacting either their National Embassy in Ireland or a local Citizens Information Centre situated in all major towns and cities throughout the country.
If you are American, can convert from punts to Euro and are not considering availing of any form of social welfare, then this book could be useful. If you do not fit these criteria, forget it.