"It is a rare pleasure to read a book on personal finance with which I agree completely. Dana Anspach has produced one. I am usually turned off by the chapter on investing, which is typically false and misleading. Investing should always start from the safest strategy to achieve one's goals. Dana Anspach gets it right and expresses it in entertaining prose that anyone can understand and enjoy." —Zvi Bodie, Professor of Economics, Boston University People in their fifties start to wonder: When should I retire? Once I do, when should I take Social Security? Do I need to buy an annuity to make sure I have enough money to last my whole life? Should I move everything into Treasury Bills and other “safe” investments? In short, what do I need to do now to ensure a comfortable retirement in five or ten years? Control Your Retirement Destiny: Achieving Financial Security Before the Big Transition provides practical, how-to knowledge on what you need to do to get your finances in order to prepare for a transition out of the workforce. While never easy, retirement investing in your 20s to your early 50s has been straightforward. But as you get closer to the big event—retirement—it takes a different kind of planning to align investments, retirement accounts, taxes, Social Security, and pension decisions, all for a single objective: providing reliable, life-long income. Control Your Retirement Destiny teaches you how each part works, how one decision affects another, and--most importantly--how to focus on the items you can control rather than on the items you can’t. When you put it all together in a plan that works for you, you’ll have more choices and a greater sense of security about the financial decisions you are making. Transitioning out of work is scary. Control Your Retirement Destiny equips you with the knowledge you’ll need to make sure you’ve thought of everything. When your finances and your future intersect, you’ll be ready. This book: Covers all the major topics in retirement planning—investments, Social Security, annuities, taxes, healthcare, part-time work, and more. Illustrates which items you can control, and how to focus on them. Provides examples of how planning decisions can result in a more secure outcome when they are coordinated. Provides actionable knowledge about important money decisions faced by upcoming retirees. Control Your Retirement Destiny enables you to take charge of your financial future right now to ensure a happy, financially secure retirement. What you’ll learnYou will be able to: Apply an improved and coordinated process to make better financial decisions Focus on items within your control like tax management, risk management, and developing and sticking with a plan Determine how much investment risk you should take Decide if you need guaranteed income, and if so, how to buy it Choose investments that are best suited to meet your future income needs Avoid big retirement planning mistakes Find sources of reliable information Who this book is for Control Your Retirement Destiny: Achieving Financial Security Before the Big Transition is for men and women who are 50-plus, have money in 401(k)s and IRAs and other assets, and are beginning to think about when and how they might transition out of regular, full-time work. They are wondering when to start Social Security, how to choose investments that will provide security, how to account for medical costs and taxes in retirement, and most importantly, how to put all of these things together into a plan that ensures financial security. Readers will be in the top 50% of the population in terms of income and assets, age 50+, do-it-yourself investors, index investors, or investors who aren’t getting the answers they need from their current broker, advisor, or mutual fund company.

The instant NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER #1 PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT Revised & Updated for 2023 THE PATH TO YOUR ULTIMATE RETIREMENT STARTS RIGHT HERE! Retirement today is more complex than ever before. It is most definitely not your parents' retirement. You will have to make decisions that weren't even part of the picture a generation ago. Without a clear-cut path to manage the money you’ve saved, you may feel like you're all on your own. Except you're not—because Suze Orman has your back. Suze is America's most recognized personal finance expert for a reason. She's been dispensing actionable advice for years to people seeking financial security. Now, in this revised and updated Ultimate Retirement Guide for 50+, which reflects recent changes in retirement rules passed by Congress, Suze gives you the no-nonsense advice and practical tools you need to plan wisely for your retirement in today's ever-changing landscape. You'll find new rules for downsizing, spending wisely, delaying Social Security benefits, and more—starting where you are right now. Suze knows money decisions are never just about money. She understands your hopes, your fears, your wishes, and your desires for your own life as well as for your loved ones. She will guide you on how to let go of regret and fear, and with her unparalleled knowledge and unique empathy, she will reveal practical and personal steps so you can always live your Ultimate Retirement life. "I wrote this book for you," Suze says. "The worried, the fearful, the anxious. I know you need help navigating the road ahead. I've helped steer people toward happy and secure retirements my whole life, and that's exactly what I want to do for you."

What does a woman want to do when she retires? Travel? Pursue hobbies? Spend time with friends and family? We all have dreams about what those days will be like. But when it comes to turning those dreams into reality, women's retirement confidence and know-how is low. According to a 2012 survey, 92 percent of women of all ages in this country don't feel they're educated enough to reach their retirement savings goals. For the woman who doesn't know where to start or would like a knowledgeable guide who speaks her language, financial expert Mary Hunt offers a comprehensive but approachable resource for saving and planning for retirement. Whether she feels entitled to retire at age 65, hopes she'll be able to stop working someday, or is convinced she'll never be able to retire, every woman will find real help in these pages. With her signature no-nonsense, energetic style, Hunt assures women that it's only too late if they don't start now. She clearly covers every aspect of retirement planning during every season of a woman's life, giving women the confidence they need to shape their futures.

AS SEEN ON PUBLIC TELEVISION New for 2021—The complete action plan from Ed Slott, "the best source of IRA advice" (Wall Street Journal), to help you make sure your 401(k)s, IRAs, and retirement savings aren't depleted by taxes by the time you need to use them. If you're like most Americans, your most valuable asset is your retirement fund. We diligently save money for years, yet most of us don't know how to avoid the costly mistakes that cause a good chunk of those savings to be lost to needless and excessive taxation. Now, in the midst of a financial crisis, there is more need than ever to protect your assets. The New Retirement Savings Time Bomb, by renowned tax advisor Ed Slott, shows you in clear-cut layman's terms how to take control over your retirement savings plan. This easy-to-follow plan helps you place your assets to avoid the latest traps set out by congress in addition to any that might be set down the road, so you can keep your hard-earned money no matter what. And, it's fully up-to date with information on the SECURE Act and everything you need to know about how the coronavirus relief bills will affect your savings down the road. This book is required reading for every American with savings and investments who is planning to retire, be it five years from now or fifty.

The average person living 25 years or more is likely to receive $500,000 or more in total Social Security benefits. That's not small change. The decisions you make about these benefits are often irrevocable - and when and how you collect these benefits can increase, or decrease, the amount you get over your lifetime. Social Security Sense provides practical how-to knowledge to help you navigate through the numerous rules, and make the best claiming choices for you and your family. In this book nationally known retirement expert Dana Anspach explains the Social Security claiming rules, including the changes that were signed into law in November 2015, and shows you numerous real-life examples as to how your decisions affect your lifetime income. This book: Covers all the major aspects of Social Security claiming including the earnings limit, spousal benefits, ex-spousal benefits, taxation, survivor options, the benefit calculation formula, and more. Explains the new rules that were signed into law in November 2015, and provides examples of how that affects your options based on your month and year of birth. Provides concrete examples of how much you may get using one claiming age vs. another. Helps couples use their benefits to get the largest amount of survivor income possible. Shows you the common mistakes people make when doing their own benefit calculations and how those mistakes can lead you to making a less optimal decision. Social Security Sense is a book everyone age 55 or older should read before they begin their benefits. It will be a resource you turn to as you navigate your way through the claiming process, and it will enable you to feel confident in the decisions you make - and know they were made in a way that can lead to a more certain outcome in retirement."

You're finally retired! Learn how to make these the best years of your life. Congrats on your retirement! But now what will you do with all that free time? With Keys to a Successful Retirement, you'll discover everything you need to know to get your retired years off to a great start. Covering topics like finances, embracing your passions, and dealing with feelings of aimlessness, grief, and depression that may crop up, this in-depth guide to retired living answers all the burning questions you want to ask—as well as those you're afraid to. Take a complete look at your newfound freedom and explore what it really means to have a successful retirement. This in-depth guide includes: Essential basics—Make sure you're retirement ready with advice for managing your savings, dealing with healthcare, staying fit, and more. Handling tough times—Dig into the more challenging aspects of retirement, like how to best handle the effects it can have on your mental health. Be your own boss—Get guidance that teaches you how to decide what you want your retirement to be and how you can lean into the things that you love. An exciting new chapter of your life is starting—get a helping hand ensuring it's the best it can be!

"Money for Life addresses the concerns of a wide range of people who are planning their retirements and hoping to create a retirement income that last for life. Part One of this valuable guidebook outlines specific action steps and describes the various retirement income generators in an easy-to-understand manner, using charts, illustrations, and examples. It also introduces the Money for Life retirement income rating system to help you choose the solution that works best for you. Part Two serves as a resource for readers who want more details on the methods for generating a retirement income and on specific retirement tax and insurance issues."-- Back cover.

From one of the worlds most trusted experts on personal finance comes a "route planner," identifying easy moves to get young people on the road to financial recovery and within reach of their dreams.

ARE YOU READY TO HIRE YOURSELF? WHO hasn't had the inkling-or even the outright conviction-that we could be more successful, more fulfilled, and more satisfied if we could invest in ourselves? HOW MANY of us have given our time, our knowledge, our energy, and our loyalty to corporate careers, only to discover that our contributions don't guarantee gratitude, upward mobility, or even job security? WHY consider franchising? Franchise investors reap all the rewards of entrepreneurship-self-determination, personal and professional freedom, unlimited potential for profitability-without all the risks of going it alone. WHAT'S the difference? In franchising, someone has already dreamed the big dream, figured out how to make it work, marketed it well, and sold it to create a well-defined niche. And now, that person is looking for an investor and partner to help build on that success. HIRE YOURSELF WILL HELP YOU: - Leverage your expertise and resources to build a bridge out of the corporate world and into entrepreneurship - Learn how to choose a franchise concept that's the right franchise for you - Understand how to capitalize your investment and minimize your risks - Recognize and avoid common mistakes and traps - Know that franchising is all about working for yourself, but not by yourself