The 78 million members of the "baby boom" generation are beginning to retire. After many years of accumulating assets to spend in retirement, they now must decide how to convert these assets into a steady stream of income. Since the trend has shifted from defined benefit pensions to defined contribution plans such as 401(k) plans, future retirees will be less likely to have a guaranteed stream of income from defined benefit pensions. While Social Security will provide a guaranteed income to most retirees, it will replace only a relatively small proportion of their pre-retirement income. As a result of these trends, many future retirees will rely greatly on their savings to finance their consumption during retirement. This book examines the role of savings and other related issues in retirement readiness.

Over the past half-century, the number of state and local government workers has grown significantly. In 2006, this sector accounted for about 12 percent of the nation's workforce. Since 1996, accounting standards calling for state and local governments to report their liabilities for future pension costs have been in place, but standards calling for similar treatment of the future costs of retiree health benefits have only recently been issued. It is unclear as yet, what actions state and local governments may take once the future costs of these benefits are known. However, future decisions about the appropriate levels of benefits for retirees will likely occur in a broader context of persistent fiscal challenges that state and local governments will face in the next decade. Hence, concerns have been raised about the public sector's capacity to meet the rising cost of providing its retirees with promised pension and other post-employment benefits, such as retiree health care. State and local retiree benefits are not subject, for the most part, to federal laws governing private sector retiree benefits. Nevertheless, there is a federal interest in ensuring that all Americans have a secure retirement, an interest that is reflected in preferential tax treatment for contributions and investment earnings associated with qualified pension plans in both the public and the private sectors. This is an excerpted and indexed edition.

Most investors spend too much time trying to outguess the market and not enough time thinking about their long-term financial futures. That's why today's retirees (and soon-to-be retirees) need strategies, not stock tips. Nationally recognized Certified Financial Planner(R), radio talk-show personality, and author Raymond J. Lucia shows you little-known concepts that can fatten your savings and boost your standard of living in retirement.
In an easy-to-understand and often humorous style, Lucia details how ideas such as nontraded real estate investment trusts, 72(t) elections, and equity-indexed annuities can give you, the investor, a leg up on the path to retiring in comfort and safety. Lucia brings his 30 years of experience to bear in revealing how and when to tap your retirement plans, ways to use your home as a source of retirement dollars, and how to lower taxes on appreciated company stock. He'll also explain how investing in low-income housing tax credits can help you tax-wise even as you assist others.
Filled with hands-on, in-depth insights and practical advice, this book will give you all the tools you need to win at the retirement game.

Create a new life plan to thrive in your retirement.

"In "Your Retirement, Your Way," Alan and John lead the way to a new and dynamic definition of retirement. They begin with this exciting premise: the more you clearly identify your own personal style, the more you will experience a powerful and fulfilling next chapter in your life. With the variety of guides and road maps they provide, including a sample version of the Birkman (a mini-Birkman), readers can navigate their way to a more confident phase of life that offers both purpose and renewal."
--Dr. Roger W. Birkman, Chairman, Birkman International, Inc.. .

After years of focusing on career and family, most of us embark on the next phase of life with only a vague idea of what will make us happy. But you can guarantee yourself a long and successful retirement with "Your Retirement, Your Way"! . .

Its revolutionary retirement planning approach combines a powerful self-assessment system based on the Birkman Method--a personality assessment system used by companies and government agencies worldwide--with sophisticated financial planning tools and step-by-step guidelines that allow you to: . . . Define your ideal retirement environment. Determine where you are now, financially, and where you want to be. Map out a solid plan for realizing your dreams in the shortest time possible.

Despite the recent downturn in the stock market, the 1990s boom and the shift to defined contribution plans mean that more individuals will have significant wealth upon retirement. How they use that wealth will determine not only their own well-being, but also the living standards of their children, the resources available to philanthropies, and the level of investment capital in the economy. This volume explores the reasons why people save, how they decide to allocate their wealth once they retire, and how givers select their beneficiaries. It also assesses the extent to which the estate tax and annuitization of retirement wealth affects the amount and nature of wealth transfers. Finally, it looks at the impact of wealth transfers--first on the amount of aggregate saving and capital accumulation, and then on the distribution of wealth among households. Several conclusions emerge. First, gifts and bequests are important; they may account for about half of total wealth in America. Second, rich people make most of the wealth transfers. They are thoughtful about how much they pay in taxes and how they dispose of their wealth. They care about philanthropic causes and view their charitable contributions as more than a way to avoid paying estate taxes. Third, most nonrich people probably have some lexicographic preferences about the disposition of their wealth; they want to ensure they have adequate resources to take care of their own needs, and if money is left over, they would like it to go to their children. Fourth, little support has emerged for the pure altruistic model of bequests. Fifth, institutions matter. In the case of the rich, the estate tax probably reduces saving and increases bequests to charity. In the case of the nonrich, the shift to defined contribution plans will at a minimum mean that they have more wealth in their hands when they die, and therefore they will leave larger accidental bequests. It might also increase their interest in leaving an estate for their heirs. Saving and bequest behavior remains a fertile ground for future research. Major differences of opinion remain on such important issues as the effect of bequests on the distribution of wealth. The contributors to this volume provide a summary of existing knowledge, push the debate forward, and link topics in a unique and comprehensive way. At the same time, they make clear that many questions remain unresolved about the motives for and effects of wealth transfers.

More than 5,000 people retire every day--yet there have been no retirement books that are both informative and motivational until now. "101 Secrets for a Great Retirement" encourages and inspires retirees to simplify their lives and pursue their dreams. The authors cover all the essential topics, including health, social life, relationships, financial matters, legal issues, and more.

Deciding when and how to retire are among the most important decisions most people make. Can they be depended on to plan with foresight and make sound decisions? According to standard economic analysis the answer is a qualified "yes." But studies by psychologists, sociologists, and economists themselves raise doubts about this comforting appraisal. This volume by analysts trained in economics and other disciplines suggests that retirement planning and decisions fall far short of the rational ideal. Gary Burtless explains what economic research has to say about retirement behavior. Annamaria Lusardi reports that many people in their fifties and older say they have not even thought about retirement. Mathey Rabin and Ted O'Donoghue show that procrastination can cause huge economic losses. Robert Axtell and Joshua Epstein show that herd behavior explains observed patterns of retirement behavior better than does the assumption of rational decisionmaking. George Loewenstein, Drazen Prelec, and Roberto Weber report that many people incorrectly anticipate what retirement will be like and rationalize whatever decision they have made. David Fetherstonhaugh and Lee Ross report experimental evidence that the effect of Social Security provisions may depend on how these policies are "framed" as well as on the specific content of those policies. These and other authors also explore the broader implications of these behavioral patterns. Copublished with Russell Sage Foundation

The Retirement Association at the University of Washington

Unlike most retirement planning and lifestyle books that focus on investing - or at the other end of the spectrum, on how to get the senior discount on a Grand Slam Breakfast at Denny's - this new book from Jeff Yeager, America's favorite cheapskate, makes the compelling case that you can have a joyous, worry-free retirement by merely spending smart and focusing on what you truly want and expect out of retirement.
Combining Yeager's loveable humor and offbeat anecdotes that have garnered him an ever-growing fan base, "How to Retire the Cheapskate Way" shares with readers hundreds of retirement secrets and tips, including:
-How to "Simple-size "Your Way to a Better Retirement
-The 20 Secret Cheapskate Principles for Retiring Comfortably on Less..."Maybe "Even on Social Security Alone"
"
-How to Survive the Medical Maelstrom (without resorting to DIY surgery at home)
-Plus Dozens of Fun Ways to Both Earn a Little Extra Income During Retirement and Painlessly Cut Your Expenses
Yeager, who serves as the official "Savings Expert" for AARP and its 40+ million members, weaves together both everyday practical tips and life-changing financial strategies with the real life stories of frugal retirees as well as people of all ages who are working toward a better, earlier, happier retirement "The Cheapskate Way."

A comprehensive personal guide, filled with reliable advice on every important aspect of growing older For anyone who is approaching a 65th birthday with trepidation, this valuable book offers heartening advice on navigating the later years of life. Dr. Eric Pfeiffer, who for thirty years has cared for-and learned from-elderly people, addresses with compassion and deep understanding the multitude of issues that arise for aging individuals and their families. He writes authoritatively but in a conversational tone. His advice is easy to read, easy to follow, and full of wisdom. In short, practical chapters, Dr. Pfeiffer advises on choosing an ideal place to live, finding a range of satisfying activities, and maintaining an active social life. He also explains how best to maintain one's health, mental health, wealth, and independence. Other chapters explore the importance of a spiritual life and the value of maintaining an active sexual life. In addition, the author speaks to the value of charitable giving and describes how it is possible to prepare for a good good-bye to life. Filled with illustrative anecdotes and enhanced with a lovely selection of poems, this reassuring book demonstrates how it is possible to direct and control the aging experience. For every person approaching retirement years, and for their friends and families, the book is an excellent resource and a practical guide.

A call to reboot capitalism and preserve $85 trillion in retirement savings for their owners-not for use as the financial industry's ATM Each year we pay billions in fees to those who run our financial system. The money comes from our bank accounts, our pensions, our borrowing, and often we aren't told that the money has been taken. These billions may be justified if the finance industry does a good job, but as this book shows, it too often fails us. Financial institutions regularly place their business interests first, charging for advice that does nothing to improve performance, employing short-term buying strategies that are corrosive to building long-term value, and sometimes even concealing both their practices and their investment strategies from investors. In their previous prizewinning book, The New Capitalists, the authors demonstrated how ordinary people are working together to demand accountability from even the most powerful corporations. Here they explain how a tyranny of errant expertise, naive regulation, and a misreading of economics combine to impose a huge stealth tax on our savings and our economies. More important, the trio lay out an agenda for curtailing the misalignments that allow the financial industry to profit at our expense. With our financial future at stake, this is a book that analysts, economists, policy makers, and anyone with a retirement nest egg can't afford to ignore.