This is the eBook version of the printed book. This Element is an excerpt from Save Your Retirement: What to Do If You Haven’t Saved Enough or If Your Investments Were Devastated by the Market Meltdown (9780137029006) by Frank Armstrong, III and Paul B. Brown. Available in print and digital formats. How much money will you really need to retire? It’s expensive to retire. But just how much will it take, and how will you pay for it? To see, first check out the Social Security Benefit Calculator for a very close approximation of the benefits you and your family are entitled to under many different scenarios. Next, if you’re fortunate enough to have a defined benefit retirement plan at work, ask your employer for an estimate of your benefits.
When it comes to planning for retirement the majority of people are on their own. There's no one to coach you or hold your hand to make sure you understand what you need to do, when you need to do it, or how to make wise decisions with your life savings. The goal of this book is to help remove some of the stress, confusion, and anguish involved in the process of saving and investing for retirement. Money is a tool that can either cause or solve a lot of problems in your life. This book guides you through the big decisions necessary to get you on the right track towards financial independence so you can move on with your life to focus on more important things and let your money do the work for you. Everything You Need to Know About Saving For Retirement covers: *How to get started with your retirement savings *Why saving is more important than investing *How much you should save for retirement *How to spend your money on the things you care about *Where to invest your money *How to become a 401(k) millionaire *How to make up for a late start to saving and retirement planning *How much you need to retire *How to think about Social Security *The 3 biggest things you need to know about investing and much more Ben Carlson is the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management. He has spent his career working with nonprofits and individuals to help them plan and invest their money wisely. Ben is the author of three other books including A Wealth of Common Sense: Why Simplicity Trumps Complexity in Any Investment Plan as well as the blog A Wealth of Common Sense.
This Element is an excerpt from Save Your Retirement: What to Do If You Haven't Saved Enough or If Your Investments Were Devastated by the Market Meltdown (9780137029006) by Frank Armstrong, III and Paul B. Brown. Available in print and digital formats. How much money will you really need to retire? It's expensive to retire. But just how much will it take, and how will you pay for it? To see, first check out the Social Security Benefit Calculator for a very close approximation of the benefits you and your family are entitled to under many different scenarios. Next, if you're fortunate enough to have a defined benefit retirement plan at work, ask your employer for an estimate of your benefits.
The bestselling author of You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think and host of Money Matters reveals the 10 essential habits for a rich, rewarding, and blissful retirement. What does it take to have a truly happy retirement? Is it money? A mortgage-free home? An active social life? A long-lasting marriage—or maybe a new one? Finance expert, author, and radio host Wes Moss asked more than 2,000 of the nation’s happiest retirees to find out—and their answers may surprise you. Through a series of revealing surveys, Moss noticed a pattern of distinct, recognizable habits that the happiest retirees shared, from the simplest of lifestyle choices to the smartest of financial strategies. These are the kinds of habits anyone can develop—the perfect road map to a healthy, secure, and joyful retirement—sooner. Whether you’re already retired or just starting to make plans, these 10 simple actions and attitudes can make a profound difference in every aspect of your life. The book is packed with hard-won wisdom and invaluable advice on how to make little changes now that will have the biggest impact later. It’s filled with proven ways to develop smarter habits with: Money (“Think river, not reservoir”); Family (“Get your kids off your payroll”); Housing (“Live mortgage-free”); Investing (“Be a tomorrow investor”); Spending (“Be pound wise—so you can be penny foolish”); and much more. With these 10 transformational habits, you can stop obsessing over money, stay socially connected, and start enjoying your new life—as the happiest retiree on the block.
“Imagine that you board an airliner and are told that you will be piloting the plane. Such is the plight of tens of millions of Americans, on whom have been foisted a jumble of 401(k), 403(b), and 457 defined contribution plans, and are as well qualified to manage their retirement portfolios as they are to pilot a jet from Los Angeles to Boston. Since things aren’t changing any time soon, you may very well need flying lessons, and pronto. Frank Armstrong’s The Retirement Challenge: Will You Sink or Swim? is just the ground school you need.” —William Bernstein, author of A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World and The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio “Armstrong and Doss have written a simple and understandable guide through the maze that is our financial world. If your goal is to outperform the vast majority of investors on the road to retirement, The Retirement Challenge: Will You Sink or Swim? paves the way.” —TAYLOR LARIMORE, coauthor of The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing “This is a great handbook for those planning for retirement. Armstrong and Doss not only tell you the right way to build a plan, they also show you how to avoid purchasing products from the wolves of Wall Street that lead investors to be sheared like sheep.” —LARRY SWEDROE, author of The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You’ll Ever Needand Wise Investing Made Simple “In today’s investment markets, this is an invaluable book. If you care about the quality of the rest of your life, you owe it to yourself and your family to read The Retirement Challenge: Will You Sink or Swim?” —HAROLD EVENSKY, CFP®, AIF®, President, Evensky & Katz In 48 quick, practical lessons, Armstrong shows how to assess what you have and what you’ll need to build a simple, reliable retirement plan. Better yet, the book’s easy online calculators do all the math for you. Investing for retirement has never been so sensible and simple! Includes free access to comprehensive Web-based tools and resources at www.Sink-Swim.com: More than 75 easy-to-use online calculators and budget spreadsheets to help you get on track and stay on track Sample asset allocation plans you can adjust for any stage of your career and any portfolio Up-to-the-minute updates on pension law, regulation, enforcement, and estate planning Free Sink or Swim Newsletter, and much more
The financial services industry has a dark secret, one that costs global investors about $2.5 trillion per year. This secret quietly drains the investment portfolios and retirement accounts of almost every investor. In 1900, French mathematician, Louis Bachelier, unsuspectingly revealed this disturbing fact to the world. Since then, hundreds of academic studies have supported Bachelier's findings. This book offers overwhelming proof of this, and shows investors how to obtain their optimal rate of return by matching their risk capacity to an appropriate risk exposure. A globally diversified portfolio of index funds is the optimal way to accomplish this. Index Funds is the treatment of choice for wayward investors. Below market returns in investment portfolios and pension accounts are the result of investors gambling with their hard earned money. This 12-Step Program will put active investors on the road to recovery. Each step is designed to bring investors closer to embracing a prudent and sound strategy of buying, holding, and rebalancing an index portfolio.
Need to start thinking about retirement but don't know where to start? Retirement Planning in Easy 8 Steps is a quick and easy way to start learning about retirement planning, helping you envision your ideal retirement and how to get there through investment planning, maximizing social security benefits and the other basics central to sound financial planning for retirement. Retirement Planning in 8 Easy Steps includes: 8 steps to help you reach your financial goals and achieve your dream lifestyle Straightforward strategies for building a secure savings plan Useful worksheets to help you stay on track and meet your goals Charts, terms & resources that simplify investing and budgeting Start your retirement planning today with these basic but essential strategies explained clearly by award-winning financial journalist Joel Kranc.
Are you dreaming of early retirement, where you can bid farewell to the 9-to-5 grind and savor the freedom to live life on your own terms? "How to Retire Early: A Guide to Financial Planning and Early Retirement" is your roadmap to turn that dream into a reality. In this comprehensive guide, you'll find a treasure trove of expert advice, actionable strategies, and invaluable insights to help you embark on the journey toward financial independence and early retirement. Whether you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s, or beyond, it's never too late or too early to take control of your financial future. Inside these pages, you'll discover: The Benefits of Early Retirement: Explore the profound advantages of retiring early, from increased freedom and flexibility to improved overall well-being. Setting Clear Retirement Goals: Learn how to define your retirement age, calculate your future expenses, and envision your ideal retirement lifestyle. Assessing Your Financial Situation: Dive deep into evaluating your assets, liabilities, income, and expenses to understand your current financial standing. Building a Strong Financial Foundation: Discover the importance of emergency funds, debt reduction, and budgeting in securing your financial future. The Power of Investing: Explore different investment vehicles, risk tolerance, and diversification strategies to grow your wealth. Tax-Efficient Investing: Gain insights into tax-advantaged accounts and strategies for minimizing taxes in retirement. Retirement Accounts and Pension Plans: Unravel the mysteries of 401(k)s, IRAs, Roth IRAs, and maximizing employer benefits. Alternative Income Streams: Explore real estate investments, dividend stocks, bonds, and side businesses to boost your income. Creating a Retirement Savings Plan: Set milestones, track your progress, and adapt your plan as needed for a secure retirement. Minimizing Lifestyle Inflation: Learn to curb the dangers of lifestyle creep and embrace contentment on your journey to early retirement. Health and Insurance Considerations: Navigate healthcare, long-term care insurance, and medical expenses to protect your well-being. Social Security and Medicare: Maximize your Social Security benefits and understand Medicare for a smooth transition into retirement. Protecting Your Wealth: Explore estate planning, wills, trusts, and strategies to minimize estate taxes. The Psychology of Early Retirement: Dive into the emotional aspects of retirement, find purpose, and avoid common post-retirement pitfalls. Finalizing Your Retirement Plan: Revisit your retirement goals, make timeline adjustments, and address last-minute financial considerations. Pre-Retirement Checklist: Prepare for retirement by addressing financial tasks, legal matters, and the transition itself. Retirement Budgeting and Withdrawal Strategies: Discover safe withdrawal rates, create a retirement budget, and adjust spending as needed. Post-Retirement Lifestyle: Explore the joys of travel, hobbies, volunteer work, and staying physically and mentally active in retirement. Dealing with Unexpected Challenges: Learn to navigate market volatility, health crises, and unexpected expenses while reinventing your retirement plan. Success Stories and Inspirations: Draw inspiration from real-life early retirees and gain valuable lessons from their experiences. Additional Resources and Tools: Access recommended books, websites, worksheets, and calculators to aid your retirement planning journey. No matter where you are in your financial journey, this guide is designed to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to achieve early retirement. Start turning your dreams into reality and embrace a future where financial independence allows you to live life on your own terms. Your early retirement adventure begins now!
Let’s face it, planning and saving for retirement is not easy. We are told that the earlier we start the better and that the “magic of compounding” will make our dreams come true if we simply trust the stock market and our investment advisor. But for most people it’s simply not possible. People in their twenties are often saddled with student debt and may be struggling to find suitable full-time employment. Saving for retirement is the last thing on their minds, as it should be. Then in our thirties and forties we tend to do things like get married, have kids, and buy houses. All these things cost a lot of money! So for many people there simply isn’t any money left to put away for retirement. Therefore many of us become procrastinators when it comes to saving for retirement. But there is hope. This book will take you step-by-step though planning and saving for retirement starting in your fifties and the best way to fund your retirement years. It is designed for people approaching retirement who want to ensure it is comfortable and stress-free.
Packed with the best strategies to manage wealth in retirement, this book helps readers live the life they have always envisioned - without risk of running out of money. It shows readers how to become informed, wise investors - avoiding common pitfalls, challenging the status quo, and refusing to take advice blindly.
