Rating: 
Summary: Nor worth the ten bucks
Review: The best thing that can be said about this book is that it is cheap. About half of the book is dedicated to political haranguing about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which is hardly of any help for those planning to retire. Mr. Brock argues the New York Times party line: there is nothing wrong with Social Security and we should not touch it. The projections of insolvency are subject to a high level of uncertainty. Curiously he seems to think that the uncertainty is only on the upside. That is, there seems to be no chance that the projections may be actually too optimistic. Oblivious to the obvious contradiction, he forecasts only gloom and doom for the stock market, as he argues against private accounts. So he envisions a future in which the economy does quite well, so that there are enough taxes to pay for Social Security for all, but the stock market performs miserably. He also laments that American conservative will not allow a socialized health insurance system like that of Canada or some European countries, without ever mentioning the high tax rates in those countries or the fact that thousands of Canadians cross the border to get medical care in the US every month. You have to wait one year (!) for an MRI in Canada unless it's an emergency. You cannot pay for an MRI in Canada, it is just no available. Hockey players get them because they go through a loophole in which their MRIs are classified as "research" after the clubs contribute millions to hospitals.
Another 25% of the space is spent on arguing that you do not need 80% of your pre-retirement income to retire (duh).
I gave the book two stars because there is some useful information here and there, but nothing you could not find in the web in a few minutes. The book can be mildly useful for those who are not computer savvy or are very lazy.
If you are wealthy enough that you do not have to worry about things like retirement you can waste ten bucks on this book. But then why should you?
Rating:
Summary: Some good points, but overly repetive.
Review: The first time book mentions how Wall Street's "70%-80% pre-retirement income" recommendation is self-serving, it's interesting. By about the 10th mention, it's like "OK. Got it. Let's move on."Appreciated emphasis on importance of simplicity, freedom, and meaning, vs. sufficient means to sustain a bloated, materialistic lifestyle.
Rating:
Summary: Some good points, but overly repetive.
Review: The first time book mentions how Wall Street's "70%-80% pre-retirement income" recommendation is self-serving, it's interesting. By about the 10th mention, it's like "OK. Got it. Let's move on." Appreciated emphasis on importance of simplicity, freedom, and meaning, vs. sufficient means to sustain a bloated, materialistic lifestyle.
Rating: 
Summary: New perspective on retirement!
Review: This book is truly a new perspective than the one you hear from the financial community. Fred Brock debunks the myths that it takes millions of dollars to retire. Every financial website has a calculator to tell you how much you have to save and invest to have millions to retire. This just isn't practical for most people. He shows that if you own a home with a 30-yr. mortgage, by the time you retire it should be paid off. So, there is no longer a mortgage payment which is usually your greatest expense. Also, if you move to a city that is one of the best places to retire (he gives the web address to find these cities), the money you have will go much further while maintaining the same or better standard of living. Also, healthcare is a concern for retirees. He directs you to ehealthinsurance.com to compare rates. I did this and changed my insurance plan and am saving $50/month. This book is an eye-opener for anyone planning to retire but after reading the book you should feel relieved that you can really can retire on less than you think.
Rating:
Summary: I read a public library copy and then bought my own!
Review: This one's a keeper, unlike 95% of the retirement planning books I've read lately. Mr. Brock brings common sense and a wealth of knowledge to this subject. The author of a newspaper column on older Americans, he's been paying attention to this stuff for years. This book provides helpful information on health care, housing, taxes, and Social Security. I learned a lot from just the chapter on health insurance - and I've been reading widely on retirement issues for several months.
Readers' advisory: Don't read this book if it will make you uncomfortable to face the fact that Canadians aren't flooding illegally across U.S. borders to take advantage of our so-called "free market" health care system instead of their government system. Also avoid it if you don't want to know that the Social Security system is in fact not broken - but that Wall Street wants to convince us it is so that Wall Street can (surprise!) "manage" it, and not so incidentally extract from it billions of dollars in fees. Finally, if it will pain you to realize that our politicans are constantly yammering about a nonexistent "Social Security crisis" while keeping their heads buried deep in the sand when it comes to fixing the REAL national health care/insurance crisis - run from this one. You won't like those parts and it might make you grouchy.
Rating:
Summary: Retire on Less Than You Think by Fred Brock
Review: This work focuses your attention on the amount of money needed
during retirement-taking into consideration the
best places to retire and control of unnecessary expenditures.
Bellington, Washington, Iowa City and Sarasota, Florida are
cited as preferred retirement communities. Strategies to retire
slightly later can yield significant benefits in the size of
the monthly income resulting from social security. In some cases,
a delay of even 3-4 years in retirement can result in getting
a 50% increase in the monthly allotment. The author recommends
to simplify life in order to maximize the benefit from your
monthly income. This book is an excellent supplemental reference
for your retirement planning. As such, it is well worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book!
Review: What a refreshing take on retirement! Instead of retirement plans that make life wonderful for Wall Street brokers and mutual fund companies, Mr. Brock, gasp, has some serious ideas here for potential retirees. He shows how you don't need as much to retire as the fund companies would like you to think you need. And why would they like you to think that? Because they make money off of your investments. This book also puts the so-called Social Security crisis in perspective, showing how there really isn't a crisis at all. The system is rock solid for years to come. (Who would gain from privatizing Social Security? Wall Street.) One of the amazing things about this book, with all these "radical" notions, is that it is written by a columnist for the establishment - The New York Times. Buy this book and learn how to get out of the rat race a little bit earlier.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Advice
Review: What a useful book! So many of the magazine articles and books I read about retirement these days seem to spit out the same old stuff, again and again. But this book is a surprise. From the moment I opened it, I was delighted to find that someone has finally brought some fresh eyes to the subject of retirement. I'm probably like many other people in believing the same myths about retirement that this book debunks. Most of the time it seems that the so-called experts enjoy just making us afraid of what we won't have when we retire. I'm happy to say this book shows us what we can have and just how we can get it.
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