Start Where You Are: Retirement Planning in a Changing World

Rating:
Summary: Simplistic and repetitive
Review: The advice in this book is not bad, but it is very simplistic and there is nothing new here. If you have listened to any program on retirement or read any recent magazine article on the topic, everthing here will be familiar. You can expect to live longer, work longer and should plan in a holistic way for your retirement to provide for financial, spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. Other than advising diversification and spending less than you earn, Ruth offers no specific financial advice. The book is very short and repetitive and typographical errors are irritating. If you make the same mistake as I did and buy this text, you will be helping Ruth's retirement plan much more than your own.

Rating:
Summary: A prophetess speaks
Review: This is a wake-up call to all working Americans. Ms. Hayden challenges us to take retirement planning seriously. Her approach is simple but not simplistic. To get where you want to be when you retire you had better plan. If you are approaching your anticipated age of retirement and it does not look like you are going to have the resources, she suggests you re-plan. It is not too late.

Her realistic evalution of how well Americans have planned for their retirmenent is sobering. This is not a financial planning book. She repeatedly suggests that her readers consult a financial planner. What Ms. Hayden does well is to help you evaluated where you are and take measures to get where you want to be.

My mother outlived her money by one month. Fortunately, her children could cover one month or two. Had it been longer? Read Ms. Hayden's book and plan for the contingencies.