For those nearing retirement, making the right investment decisions can mean the difference between "living well" and merely "getting by". This book shows you how to get the most from your savings, select the right mix of investments, and increase your investment income without undue risk.

"In the book you will find worksheets that offer you a step-by-step guide to help you determine how much you should be saving, depending on your unique goals; and case studies that provide a framework for diversifying your portfolio - from asset allocation to mutual fund issues to implementing your program." "User-friendly software - The Vanguard Retirement Planner - offers colorful graphics, informative tutorials, and clear instructions to help you build your retirement plan quickly and easily. With a few keystrokes in The Planner, you'll get specific, personal answers to your questions! You can set specific retirement income goals; calculate your current retirement outlook; create different "What if?" scenarios by adjusting variables such as savings contributions, investment returns, and age at retirement; allocate your retirement assets among stocks, bonds, and cash equivalents; and discover how your model portfolios would have done during virtually any period since 1926."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

To supplement replacement income provided by Social Security and employersponsored pension plans, individuals need to rely on their own saving and investment choices during accumulation. Once retired, they must also decide at which rate to spend their savings, with the usual dilemma between present and future consumption in mind. This Element explains how financial engineering and risk management techniques can help them in these complex decisions. First, it introduces 'retirement bonds', or retirement bond replicating portfolios, that provide stable and predictable replacement income during the decumulation period. Second, it describes investment strategies that combine the retirement bond with an efficient performanceseeking portfolio so as to reduce uncertainty over the future amount of income while offering upside potential. Finally, strategies using risk insurance techniques are proposed to secure minimum levels of replacement income while giving the possibility of reaching higher levels of income.

Since 2012 approximately 10,000 Baby-Boomers are attaining age 65 EACH DAY and will continue at this rate for 19 YEARS!! WHEW! Of those retiring today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 16% will have a pension. All others will be taking their retirement savings with them as they leave their job for the last time.The quest for reliable income in retirement is now upon us! The days of investing to 'beat the market' are over! For retirees, the fun and games are done...its time, for most, to get serious about how retirement savings are invested. And what retirees want is income...reliable, growing with inflation and income that will last. The retiree wants income that will be there each month to replace the now absent paycheck. In addition, most retirees want to understand...fully understand...how their savings dollars are being invested. They want to see it. It must be clear. The days of poorly-understood 'black boxes', get rich plans and those ubiquitous financial 'free lunches' are nothing but bad memories. Its time to get serious.This book takes the singular approach to generating reliable and inflation growing income to the retirement household, quarter after quarter, year after year and decade after decade....using only the income produced by these investments. Income investments are limited to long time income paying stocks, preferred stock, bonds and possibly alternative income instruments, such as Royalty Trusts, Business Development Companies or mutual funds (closed end, open end and Exchange Traded). This book analyzes each of these, in detail, on where their cash flows come from, how reliable their cash flows have been over the years and for the core income holdings such as C-Corporations, Utilities, REITs and Master Limited Partnerships, the underlying financial strength of the company thus their ability to sustain and grow their dividends into the future.Yes, this book gets into the details and math is involved. Now, this is relatively easy math...but it is math. The retiree will need to do some adding and dividing...but it is very doable...it just must be done. In fairness, this may not work for all retirees. Those retirees who swoon at the thought of balancing their checkbook or shudder at the thought of calculating the 15% tip on their restaurant bill, this book may not be for them. For everyone else, this book provides a clear and unambiguous pathway to determining if the company paying a 4.5% dividend really has the financial strength to sustain and grow it over the quarters ahead. The work required to determine this is not hard...it is doable...but it is work.Having offered that fair warning, I can assure any retiree with high confidence that if you follow my discussions, work through the examples I provide and are diligent, the reward will be a long term reliable dividend paying income portfolio with great pride of ownership, zero expenses (other than the cost of initially buying the stocks) and an increasing sense of self confidence that would be almost impossible to attain in the world of fluctuating stock prices, rebalancing, cash buckets and portfolio survivability statistics.My personal mission in taking the hundreds of hours it has taken to compile, organize and publish this book is NOT to convince anyone that the pure income approach is the approach they should take. My purpose is to explain, in the best way experience and analytical ability will allow, how the pure income investment process should work. The book provides 85 charts, graphs and tables to help explain concepts and uses plain English narratives to explain financial analysis in a friendly yet non-patronizing way.Building a lifetime income portfolio requires work, but it will be work well worth the effort, as the retiree will come to realize as their dividends all come in on time, in at least the amount expected, year after year, regardless of what the stock market is doing or the stock experts are saying.

Strategies That Can Help You KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT SAFE Living a Worry-Free & Secure Retirement A meltdown of the markets, a large federal deficit, a high number of baby boomers leaving the workforce and going on to Social Security—these factors all amount to an economic “perfect storm” for retirees. Americans need a better way to invest their hard earned assets. They need an understanding of how Wall Street functions and how markets work. They need the confidence in knowing that they are investing prudently and making smart financial decisions. This book provides the ideas and insights needed to navigate through these challenging times. Whether you are already retired or saving for retirement, this will be the most important financial book you will ever read.

"A ... new philosophy and ... guide to getting the most out of your money--and out of life--for those who value memorable experiences as much as their earnings"--

Here at last are the hard-to-find answers to the dizzying array of financial questions plaguing those who are age fifty and older. The financial world is more complex than ever, and people are struggling to make sense of it all. If you’re like most people moving into the phase of life where protecting—as well as growing-- assets is paramount, you’re faced with a number of financial puzzles. Maybe you’re struggling to get your kids through college without drawing down your life’s savings. Perhaps you sense your nest egg is at risk and want to move into safer investments. Maybe you’re contemplating downsizing to a smaller home, but aren’t sure of the financial implications. Possibly, medical expenses have become a bigger drain than you expected and you need help assessing options. Perhaps you’ll shortly be eligible for social security but want to optimize when and how to take it. Whatever your specific financial issue, one thing is certain—your range of choices is vast. As the financial world becomes increasingly complex, what you need is deeply researched advice from professionals whose credentials are impeccable and who prize clarity and straightforwardness over financial mumbo-jumbo. Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and the Schwab team have been helping clients tackle their toughest money issues for decades. Through Carrie’s popular “Ask Carrie” columns, her leadership of the Charles Schwab Foundation, and her work across party lines through two White House administrations and with the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, she has become one of America’s most trusted sources for financial advice. Here, Carrie will not only answer all the questions that keep you up at night, she’ll provide answers to many questions you haven’t considered but should.

Diversification provides a well-known way of getting something close to a free lunch: by spreading money across different kinds of investments, investors can earn the same return with lower risk (or a much higher return for the same amount of risk). This strategy, introduced nearly fifty years ago, led to such strategies as index funds. What if we were all missing out on another free lunch that’s right under our noses? InLifecycle Investing, Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres-two of the most innovative thinkers in business, law, and economics-have developed tools that will allow nearly any investor to diversify their portfolios over time. By using leveraging when young-a controversial idea that sparked hate mail when the authors first floated it in the pages ofForbes-investors of all stripes, from those just starting to plan to those getting ready to retire, can substantially reduce overall risk while improving their returns. InLifecycle Investing, readers will learn How to figure out the level of exposure and leverage that’s right foryou How the Lifecycle Investing strategy would have performed in the historical market Why it will work even if everyone does it Whennotto adopt the Lifecycle Investing strategy Clearly written and backed by rigorous research,Lifecycle Investingpresents a simple but radical idea that will shake up how we think about retirement investing even as it provides a healthier nest egg in a nicely feathered nest.

When it comes to retirement investing, too much emphasis today is on investment returns, which often come at the expense of income dependability and peace of mind. Slash Your Retirement Risk redefines how to invest for retirement to maximize your reliable income and stabilize your financial future. Rather than the typical approach to portfolio management—focusing on returns and ignoring dramatic market downswings that can decimate portfolios—author Chris Cook shows investors how to create income reliability without sacrificing reasonable growth. Instead of chasing uncertain returns, Slash Your Retirement Risk's strategy will help ensure your retirement portfolio will capitalize on opportunities for growth while weathering the inevitable economic ups and downs. You will achieve reliable returns and suffer fewer sleepless nights worrying about whether your money will last as long as you do. Slash Your Retirement Risk is your step-by-step guide to create a retirement portfolio that will provide true financial peace of mind, one that features: The broad diversification essential in today's globally interconnected marketplace. A built-in ability to capitalize on market upswings to generate growth. Automatic protections against inevitable market downswings. An investing strategy that minimizes fees and costs to maximize portfolio gains.

Advice and guidance on planning for retirement Retirement Planning For Dummies is a one-stop resource to get up to speed on the critical steps needed to ensure you spend your golden years living in the lap of luxury—or at least in the comfort of your own home. When attempting to plan for retirement, web searching alone can cause you more headaches than answers, leaving many to feel overwhelmed and defeated. This book takes the guesswork out of the subject and guides readers while they plan the largest financial obligation of their life. Take stock of your finances Proactively plan for your financial future Seek the help of professionals or go it alone Use online tools to make retirement planning easier Whether you're just starting out with a 401(k) or you’re a seasoned vet with retirement in your near future, this book helps younger and older generations alike how to plan their retirement.