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Rating: 
Summary: Right On Retirement
Review: Geez, I find Tut's review inappropriate. My copy had an errata sheet with a correction for the error that is cited, which is more than I can say for some of the other books I've read on retirement. The book is readable, comprehensive and not too technical. I found answers to a lot of my questions. I particularly liked that I could find the information I needed without reading the whole book. Malaspina seems to know enough about her audience to have anticipated the key issues and organized them from the most basic to the most arcane. My advice: If you are within 5 years of retirement, this book should be on your "must read" list.
Rating: 
Summary: First thing I read was wrong
Review: I just received this book and thumbing through it read Ohapter 14 on Social Security. On page 141 she that at age 62 you lose $1 in benefits for every $2 in earnings above $11,500 - which is correct. But then she goes on to saying "You can't get around these reductions in benefits by supplementing your Social Security income with withdrawals from your other savings or retirement plans. CAPITAL GAINS, dividends, interest income, and any other withdrawals from your retirement plans or accounts count as income and you fail the test if you push past $11,500 or $30,000 regardless of source."This seemed wrong to me so I went to the Social Security web site. The SSA says (answer ID 277): "Nonwork sources of income, such as: inheritance payments, pensions, income from investments, IRA distributions, interest, or other sources do not count as wages for the earnings test." What other errors are there in this book? I don't trust it after 30 minutes of reading, certaintly not to help with my retirement decisions. At least I only lost the cost of the book
Rating:
Summary: Retirement advice you can actually understand
Review: I stumbled across this book browsing in my local bookstore and I couldn't believe my eyes. It laid out everything you need to know to retire. It is extremely well-organized and well-written. I gave a copy to my financial advisor and told him I finally understood all the stuff he was trying to explain to me.
Rating:
Summary: Enter the maze....
Review: This has to be one of the most boring topics in the field of financial advice. The proliferation of retirement savings plans, the maze of regulations, exceptions, and judgement calls that have to be considered by the average retiree is almost numbing. It's boring in the abstract. But it gets your attention when it's your money and future in the balance. Bascially simple rules for accumulating retirement wealth and accessing it continue to evolve like a patchwork quilt. Malaspina is relentless in her efforts to cover the topic and we are the beneficiaries. Chapter 21 treats the issue of company stock held in a retirement plan and how it can receive tax advantaged treatment. Malaspina does an even-handed job of explaining the risks and discusses whether it makes sense to take advantage of this often overlooked opportunity. Information "For Women Only" and non-spousal partners (Chapters 22,23)is dealt with briefly, but it also very useful. One important retiree misconception that does not appear in this book: Many otherwise sophisticated investors facing annual required mandatory minimum withdrawals from their IRA's at 70 1/2 don't realize that assets do not always have to be sold to comply. Many investment assets can be moved 'as they are' into a non-IRA account at market value thus avoiding unnecessary sales charges and the loss of a worthy investment.
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