Synopses & Reviews
The global financial crisis, coupled with the reality of a recession and brutal bear market, has wreaked havoc on the retirement savings of millions of Americans. Add this to the fact that each year over the next twenty-five years, a growing portion of America's population will reach retirement age—with fewer resources for them to draw from—and you can see the potential problem we face.
Whatever your current situation, you must continue to strive for a viable retirement plan by finding the most effective ways to save, the best accounts to save in, and the right amount to save, as well as understanding how to insure against setbacks and handle the uncertainties of our new financial world.
Fortunately, the Bogleheads—a group of like-minded individual investors who follow the general investment and business beliefs of John C. Bogle, founder and former CEO of the Vanguard Group—are here to help. With The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning, this diverse collection of investors, who have shared their collective wisdom on www.Bogleheads.org for more than a decade, offer valuable advice on a wide range of retirement planning issues.
A truly group effort (no fewer than forty Bogleheads contributed in some capacity), this reliable resource is a first-rate primer on saving and investing for retirement. Divided into six comprehensive parts and filled with practical tips and anecdotes—including some pearls of wisdom from Bogle himself—The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning:
Explains the different types of savings accounts and retirement plans, from the individual retirement arrangement (IRA) to single-premium immediate annuities (SPIAs)
Warns you about the types of taxes that can affect your retirement plan
Offers insights on managing and funding your retirement accountsDetails efficient withdrawal strategies that could help you maintain a comfortable retirement lifestyle
Discusses the important part disability and health insurance programs play in a retirement plan
Addresses essential estate planning and gifting issues
It's one thing to save for retirement, but another thing to plan for it. With The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning, you'll discover exactly what it takes to secure your financial future, today.
All royalties are donated to the National Constitution Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the U.S. Constitution.
Synopsis
The Bogleheads are back-with retirement planning advice for those who need it!
Whatever your current financial situation, you must continue to strive for a viable retirement plan by finding the most effective ways to save, the best accounts to save in, and the right amount to save, as well as understanding how to insure against setbacks and handle the uncertainties of a shaky economy.
Fortunately, the Bogleheads, a group of like-minded individual investors who follow the general investment and business beliefs of John C. Bogle, are here to help. Filled with valuable advice on a wide range of retirement planning issues, including some pearls of wisdom from Bogle himself, The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning has everything you need to succeed at this endeavor.
- Explains the different types of savings accounts and retirement plans
- Offers insights on managing and funding your retirement accounts
- Details efficient withdrawal strategies that could help you maintain a comfortable retirement lifestyle
- Addresses essential estate planning and gifting issues
With The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning, you'll discover exactly what it takes to secure your financial future, today.
Synopsis
"Meet the wisest and most generous crowd on Wall Street: the Bogleheads. The Internet's worst-kept secret is now well out in the open; for the best in online investment education and advice, you can't beat www.bogleheads.org. Wisdom of crowds, indeed: a thread for almost every need, an expert contributor for every subject. Now, for the first time between these covers, the Bogleheads assemble their formidable collective expertise on retirement planning. Savor, enjoy, and learn."—William J. Bernstein, author of The Investor's Manifesto: Preparing for Prosperity, Armageddon, and Everything in Between
"The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning delivers the power of the community. Each chapter may have its own author, yet all have been molded by the remarkable Bogleheads community, resulting in a wonderful book that offers readers a slew of practical suggestions and a hefty serving of carefully calibrated advice."—Jonathan Clements, author of The Little Book of Main Street Money
"The Bogleheads have done it again! The web's savviest and most caring investment consortium has gathered all the information you'll need to plot a safe and sane course toward retirement. Their camaraderie, kindness, and commonsense wisdom will steel you to 'stay the course' and realize your retirement dreams. With the Bogleheads, asking the audience is always the best solution."—Don Phillips, Managing Director, Morningstar
"This book pilots the reader around the shoals of retirement planning, including tricky issues such as social security, health insurance, divorce, and finding proper financial advice. This not-for-profit collaborative enterprise answers recurrent questions raised by members of the Bogleheads online forum with clarity, wisdom, and humor. It exposes fallacies, suggests alternatives, and reassures the thorough planner. It is a welcome contribution to a world where unrestrained greed and complex financial arrangements have capsized many. I keep referring back to it."—Ed Tower, Professor of Economics, Duke University
About the Author
TAYLOR LARIMORE has been dubbed by Money magazine as "the Dean of the Vanguard Diehards," and Jack Bogle himself calls Taylor "the King of the Bogleheads." Now eighty-six and retired, Larimore regularly spends several hours a day answering questions for free on the Bogleheads.org forum.
MEL LINDAUER was dubbed "the Prince of the Bogleheads" by Jack Bogle. Together with Taylor Larimore, he initiated and continues to organize the grassroots Bogleheads annual meetings. Lindauer has been quoted in a number of newspapers and magazines and has appeared on CNNfn.
RICHARD A. FERRI, CFA, is a key member of the growing Bogleheads "brain trust" and founder and CEO of the investment firm, Portfolio Solutions, LLC. He is the author of seven books, including The ETF Book: All You Need to Know About Exchange-Traded Funds and The Power of Passive Investing, both published by Wiley.
LAURA F. DOGU, called "the Queen of the Bogleheads," participated as an investment panelist during the Bogleheads meetings for the last four years. Dogu is a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.
Table of Contents
FOREWORD BY JOHN C. BOGLE XI I IPREFACE xix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xxix
PART I THE BASICS
CHAPTER 1 THE RETIREMENT PLANNING PROCESS BY THOMAS L. ROMENS 3
CHAPTER 2 UNDERSTANDING TAXES BY NORMAN S. JANOFF 21
PART II SAVINGS ACCOUNTS AND RETIREMENT PLANS
CHAPTER 3 INDIVIDUAL TAXABLE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS BY DAN KOHN 35
CHAPTER 4 INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ARRANGEMENTS BY JIM DAHLE 47
CHAPTER 5 DEFINED BENEFIT EMPLOYER RETIREMENT ACCOUNT BY THE FINANCE BUFF 61
CHAPTER 6 DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLANS BY DAN KOHN 77
CHAPTER 7 SINGLE-PREMIUM IMMEDIATE ANNUITIES BY DAN SMITH 91
PART III MANAGING YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS
CHAPTER 8 BASIC INVESTING PRINCIPLES BY BOB DAVIS 119
CHAPTER 9 INVESTING FOR RETIREMENT BY DAVID GRABINER AND ALEX FRAKT 135
CHAPTER 10 FUNDING YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS BY DAVID GRABINER AND IAN FORSYTHE 151
PART IV THE RETIREMENT PAYOFF
CHAPTER 11 UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL SECURITY BY DICK SCHREITMUELLER 169
CHAPTER 12 WITHDRAWAL STRATEGIES BY CAROL TOMKOVICH 187
CHAPTER 13 EARLY RETIREMENT BY JEFF MCCOMAS 201
PART V PROTECTING YOUR ASSETS
CHAPTER 14 INCOME REPLACEMENT BY LEE E. MARSHALL 221
CHAPTER 15 HEALTH INSURANCE BY LEE E. MARSHALL 239
CHAPTER 16 ESSENTIALS OF ESTATE PLANNING BY ROBERT A. STERMER 255
CHAPTER 17 ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES BY ROBERT A. STERMER 273
PART VI FINDING GOOD ADVICE WHEN YOU NEED IT
CHAPTER 18 SEEKING HELP FROM PROFESSIONALS BY DALE C. MALEY AND LAUREN VIGNEC 285
CHAPTER 19 DIVORCE AND OTHER FINANCIAL DISASTERS BY DAVID RANKINE 303
CHAPTER 20 MEET THE BOGLEHEADS BY TAYLOR LARIMORE AND MEL LINDAUER 315
APPENDIX I: PEARLS OF WISDOM 327
APPENDIX II: RECOMMENDED READING 333
GLOSSARY 337
ABOUT THE EDITORS 351
INDEX 355