Saving For Retirement: Supercharge Your Financial Future! »

PAUL WESTBROOK, CFP^®, is the President of Westbrook Financial Advisors in Westfield, New Jersey. He manages his own financial and retirement planning firm, where he counsels individuals and conducts seminars for corporations. Westbrook was formerly the national director of the Financial and Retirement Planning Practice for Buck Consultants, the international benefits firm. His previous books include Word Smart for Business, Math Smart for Business, and Business Companion.

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN

In a direct and easy-to-use style, the Savvy Savings Guide series offers great financial advice for both your personal and professional life. With each new book, you'll learn how to earn more, spend less, and save for important events such as retirement and your child's college education. From paying less on your taxes to starting a small business the Savvy Savings Guide series will help you save money and succeed!

Whether you're just getting started, mid-career, or on the verge of retirement, Saving for Retirement will put you on the right track.

Here's how to:
* Build your retirement plan effectively and easily
* Retire comfortably on a shoestring
* Understand how the new tax law will help you save more for retirement
* Focus on personal retirement concerns, such as managing investments, saving money, getting out of debt, dealing with IRA rollovers, and much more
* Enjoy the retirement you deserve


The J.K. Lasser Institute is the leading publisher of money and business advice. Each year, millions of Americans trust the J.K. Lasser Institute to help them make the right financial decisions-from making more money today to saving for tomorrow.

Summary of New Tax Law Highlights for Retirement
1. Chasing the Big R through Four Financial Steps
The Four Financial Steps
How to Use This Book
Retirement: The Most Complex of All Financial Objectives
The Retirement Envelope
The History of Retirement in a Minute and a Half
Why Are Pensions Disappearing?
A Definition of Retirement
On to the Chase
2. Step 1. Getting Started—Your 10-12-15 Percent Solution
February Financial Week
The Power of Saving Early and Often
Honors Section
3. Investing Is Three Parts Technical, Two Parts Psychological, One Part Faith
Back to the Basics
Three Parts Technical
Two Parts Psychological
One Part Faith
The Ideal Portfolio Recapped
How You Can Implement an Investment Strategy in Your 401(k)/403(b)/457 Plan
Conclusion
4. The Sanctity of Savings (aka IRAs, 401(k)s, Keoghs) and the Dangers of Debt
Discipline
Savings
The Bottom Line
5. Your Financial Engine: Your Career
What Is a Career?
Financial Moves during Your Career
Managing Your Stock Options
What about a Buyout Offer?
A Final Word
6. Step 2. Mid-Career—Setting Your Glide Path to Retirement
The Example
A Final Word
7. Good News and Bad News for Boomers
Headlines Don’t Help
Some Recent History
How to Deal with Inflation
Estimating Retirement Expenses
List of Expenses
8. Social Security Insecurity
Calculating Social Security
Your Full Retirement Age
How a Benefit Is Taxed
What If You Earn Money while Collecting a Benefit?
What’s the Future?
9. Just How Long Will You Live?
How Does Life Expectancy Change over Your Lifetime?
Why Do Women Outlive Men?
What about Your Family Genes?
The IRS Tables for IRAs
The Future
10. Retirement on a Shoestring
Ned and Sally
Jerry
Backward Planning
The Secret
11. Step 3. At the Cusp of Retirement—Time for the “I’m about to Retire Worksheet”
Example
Insurance Issues
Other Planning Issues
12. The Technical Side of Retiring
Decisions and Distribution Rules for Pensions: Traditional and Cash Balance Plans
Decisions and Distribution Rules for 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457, SEP, SIMPLE, and Keogh Plans
Decisions and Distribution Rules for IRAs
A Game Plan for Your Situation
Keeping Up to Date
13. Step 4. In Retirement—Fine-Tuning Your Investments and Expenses
The Investment Answer
The Expense Answer
Summary
14. Estate Planning, Long-Term Care, and Leaving Money
The Basics of Estate Planning: Wills and Will Substitutes
Rules and Taxes on Inheriting IRAs and Benefit Plans
Income in Respect to a Decedent (IRD)
If You Remarry
Long-Term Care Insurance
Leaving Money
Summary
15. The Chase Is Over: How You Can Enjoy Retirement Once There
Cautions in Retirement
A Positive Attitude
Final Bits of Life Advice
Glossary
Index