Synopses & Reviews
Praise for The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security"I can't think of a single colleague, friend, or loved one who wouldn't benefit enormously from reading Mark Miller's smart and lively guide no matter how far away they are, or think they are, from retirement. Personally, I only wish he had written it sooner."
—Eric Effron, Executive Editor, The Week
"One of the sharpest observers on retirement, Miller offers instructive ideas to help readers address the challenges they'll face in the years ahead."
—Eric Schurenberg, Editorial Director, CBS MoneyWatch.com
How you can have a happy and fulfilling retirement in a tough economy
The Great Recession has placed a wake-up call to America's baby boomers. Many have not saved enough for retirement and have not taken a hard look at how many post-work years they may need to finance.
Written in a straightforward and accessible style, The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security tackles the tough questions about retirement in the new post-crash economy. With this book, you'll learn how to:
Boost lifetime income through better planning—and working just a few additional years
Recalibrate damaged retirement portfolios
Insure against the risk of outliving your assets
Hire a financial advisor whose first loyalty is to you—not to Wall Street
Manage the risk of health-care expense in retirement
Rethink housing in the wake of the real estate crash
Stay employed, find a job after age 50—or become a midlife entrepreneur
Engaging and informative, this practical guide provides the strategies needed for a truly fulfilling and secure retirement.
Review
"
The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security aims to help baby-boomers with retirement planning. Author Mark Miller covers topics such as managing health-care costs and becoming a midlife entrepreneur." (
Kiplinger's Retirement Report, August 2010).
"Miller is an expert on aging and retirement...it shows in his careful reporting on the ominous subject of retirement. He is diligent about listing detailed notes in each chapter to support facts and figures. He paints the picture: "Real estate values and retirement portfolios are depressed, and job security has evaporated...the need to build retirement security has never been greater." He offers ways to build long-term retirement security and boost knowledge on an array of topics from money issues, such as 401(k) plans and managing health care expenses to ways to navigate the 50-plus job market. There are several chapters on the 50-plus job market – how to find a job, start your own business, even how to hire a career coach to help with career transitions. Each chapter concludes with a wealth of resources and suggestions for further reading. The listings are ample guidance, worth keeping close at hand for help along the retirement route." (USA Today, July 25, 2010)
Synopsis
A timely guide to overcoming the retirement challenges we all face
The Great Recession has placed a wake-up call to America's baby boomers. Many have not saved enough for retirement and have not taken a hard look at how many post-work years they may need to finance.
Written in a straightforward and accessible style, The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security tackles the tough questions about retirement in the new post-crash economy. Page by page, it puts retirement in perspective by touching on important issues such as insuring against the risk of outliving your assets, recalibrating damaged retirement portfolios, managing the risk of health-care expenses in retirement, and career strategies for workers who are 50 years old and up.
- Reveals how to boost lifetime income through better planning, and working just a few additional years
- Offers advice on how to hire a financial advisor whose first loyalty is to you, not Wall Street
- Discusses why you should rethink housing in the wake of the real estate crash
- Offers detailed advice on career reinvention, the 50+ job market and midlife entrepreneurship
Engaging and informative, this practical guide provides the strategies needed for a truly fulfilling and secure retirement.
Synopsis
America's baby boom generation has done a poor job preparing for retirement. Now, the economic crisis has ushered in a new reality that will be with us for years to come. Boomers must reexamine their retirement outlook: income, the role of work, and lifestyle expectations.
The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security details realistic strategies for money, work, and living that can be interwoven and leveraged for retirement security despite the tough economy.
• Money: annuities and Social Security, 401(k)s and IRAs, taxes, health care
• Work: reinvent yourself, job-hunting strategies, entrepreneurship
• Life: indulge your passions, voluntourism, returning to school
About the Author
Mark Miller is an expert on aging, retirement, business, and economics. He writes the syndicated weekly column "Retire Smart," contributes to CBS Moneywatch.com and the Huffington Post, and publishes RetirementRevised.com, which was named the best retirement planning site on the web by Money magazine. Miller speaks regularly at conferences on aging and retirement. He can be reached at
[email protected].
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
1 Rethinking Retirement in Hard Times.
Money.
2 The Great Wake-Up Call.
3 Getting the Most from Social Security.
4 The Old-Fashioned Pension on Life Support.
5 Income Annuities: Another Way to Get a Guarantee.
6 Resuscitating the 401(k).
7 Managing Your Health-Care Expense Burden.
8 Taxes and Retirement.
9 Coping with Post-Bubble Real Estate.
10 How to Hire a Financial Adviser.
Work.
11 How Working Longer Helps.
12 The Fifty-Plus Job Market: Good News, Bad News.
13 Six Rules for Job Hunting.
14 Fifty-Plus Entrepreneurs: Launching a Lifestyle Business.
15 How to Hire a Career Coach.
Living.
16 Making a Difference: Encore Careers.
17 Volunteering in Retirement: Getting Engaged.
18 Learning and the Path to Brain Fitness.
About the Author.
Index.