In "Santa's Retirement Crisis," the beloved Santa Claus is ready to hang up his red suit and retire, but finding a suitable replacement proves to be a chaotic and whimsical adventure. As potential successors ranging from quirky elves to eager reindeer audition for the role, the North Pole buzzes with laughter and mishaps. Jingle, a cheerful elf, teams up with Dasher, a determined reindeer, and Pip, a clever storyteller, as they face unexpected challenges, including a fierce winter storm and a heartwarming rescue mission. Through it all, they learn the true meaning of Christmas kindness, joy, and the importance of coming together. Will they prove that the spirit of Christmas can thrive in their hands? Join them on this enchanting journey that captures the essence of the holiday season. Santa Claus, Christmas, holiday adventure, North Pole, elves, reindeer, retirement, children's story, festive chaos, Christmas spirit

Military pension policies are as old as the republic itself and reside at the intersection of American social, economic, and defense policy. But as the nation’s social and economic circumstances underwent dramatic changes over the last half century, military pension policy remained static, stuck in the personnel and retirement model of the industrial age. This book examines why. Integrating policy history, theory, and practice, Twenty Years of Service provides the most comprehensive examination of US military pension policy in a generation. Brandon J. Archuleta sets the stage with an exploration of the rise, evolution, and transformation of the veterans’ policy subsystem from the American Revolution through World War II. The ensuing theoretical overview explains how the military personnel policy subsystem achieved the autonomy it enjoyed from 1948 to 2018; it also offers a new perspective on autonomous policy subsystems in general, which helps to account for the long-term pension policy stasis. In practical terms, Archuleta explores the role of the successful 2015 Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission as an institutional venue for policy change during the congressional budget battles of the 2010s. Through extensive archival research, illustrative case studies, and field interviews with Pentagon bureaucrats, congressional staffers, veterans’ lobbyists, defense scholars, and journalists, Twenty Years of Service brings the policymaking process to life. Its insights will prove invaluable to policy scholars and defense practitioners alike.

Outlines how baby-boomers can plan for retirement, discussing how to invest to get the maximum return from savings and how to use an established nest egg to get the most income.

This book is dramatic wake-up call for a generation of overspent and under-saved Americans who face the very real possibility of outliving their money. Yesterdays retirees were supported by guaranteed income sources. Today, baby boomers are looking at a very different picture, one where they are increasingly responsible for generating their retirement income from personal savings while facing a longer life expectancy and astounding leaps in expenses. Key Selling Points: explores the seven key challenges that stand between baby boomers and a successful retirement; helps baby boomers recognize and address the key challenges to retirement; guides baby boomers to better plan for the income they will need so they can achieve the retirement they deserve.

California's unfunded public pension liability, when measured correctly, is two to four times larger than official government estimates. In total, California's 86 defined-benefit public pension plans are underfunded by roughly $430 billion, representing California's greatest financial challenge since the Great Depression. The failure to fully fund the pension promises has allowed the current generation to receive public services that they are not fully paying for, pushing the pension problem onto future generations. California Dreamin': Resolving the Public Pension Crisis explains how six reforms would solve the state's pension problem in an equitable, responsible, and moral way: preserving pension benefits already earned, providing competitive pensions going forward, and granting the flexibility needed so that future generations are not paying for deals they did not make.

Praise for Pension Revolution "When Keith Ambachtsheer puts his keen mind to work on a problem, watch out! Here he exposes today's fragile arrangements for the most serious social dilemma of our times--financing retirement. Then he provides a compelling and powerful set of solutions. His writings are essential reading for all who care about the future of American living standards." --Peter Bernstein, founder and President, Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., and author of Capital Ideas and Against the Gods "This book describes one of the most ingenious inventions in the history of mankind: pension funds offering credible promises about old-age income. It reads like a thriller: how can well-governed pension funds be created in an imperfect world in which mortals wrestle with foibles and moral shortcomings? One of the world's leading experts on pensions searches for the answer--and finds it." --Lans Bovenberg, Scientific Director, Network for Studies on Pensions, Aging, and Retirement, Tilburg University, The Netherlands "Pension Revolution exposes the inadequacies of current pension systems and persuasively makes the case for the fundamental changes that are needed. It is essential reading for both the pension industry and policymakers." --Elizabeth Bryan, Chair, Investment Committee, Unisuper Management PM Ltd, Australia "Most analyses of complicated issues deal with complexity by simplifying or only looking at one piece-part, and, in doing so, provide limited value. In stark contrast, Keith Ambachtsheer boldly wades into the complexity in Pension Revolution to come up with a valuable integrative solution. He is a most welcome revolutionary!" --Roger Martin, Dean, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada "We have known Keith for over ten years, and consistently over that time, he has constructively and comprehensively challenged conventional wisdom. He has done this so effectively that many of his initial thoughts have now become universally accepted norms. Such is his energy however that he continues to push the boundaries of pension and investment thinking." --Peter Moon, Chief Investment Officer, Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd, UK "Pension Revolution not only explains the shortcomings of the existing pension system and the underlying design features that have resulted in the current pension upheaval. It also offers thoughtful and creative suggestions for prospective pension design. A must-read for anyone interested in the future of retirement finance." --James Poterba, Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the TIAA-CREF Board of Trustees

An optimistic report on how aging baby boomers are positively contributing to the economy argues that an avoidance of retirement through new careers, entrepreneurial ventures and volunteer services has brought motivation and purpose to countless Americans.

Bruce Gauthier was strung along for years as a child and told to believe in Santa Claus. There were whispers about a big payout on Christmas Day, but really, its all just a lie. As an adult, he realized that those who tell you to rely on the stock market for retirement are just like the people who lie about the man in the big red suit. The only difference is that the stakes are much higher. Canada's national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, called the book one "of the years best writing on personal finance, market behaviour and investing strategies." The Globe's David Parkinson gave this review: "Just in time for Christmas comes a book that says having faith in financial markets to deliver your retirement security is as stupid as believing in Santa Claus. (Read it to the kids. Itll be a real eye-opener once they stop crying.) Toronto resident Bruce Gauthier is no financial expert just another regular Joe whose nest egg has floundered in the hands of the financial industry. Like the kid who found out theres no Santa, he feels betrayed, lied to. At times hes paranoid and irrational, seeing conspiracy theories all over the place. But beneath it all, there may be more truth here than most of us are comfortable admitting. His rants about regulatory oversight, stock options and short-selling are over the top, but they address some hard questions that maybe we all ought to be asking. Plus, its a strangely cathartic read I feel like hes more than angry enough for the both of us. Santa Claus Is Alive and Well and Living on Wall Street is not for financiers, brokers, investment advisers, or anyone with access to inside information from Wall Street. Instead, its for the everyday worker who wants to protect their retirement savings.