The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning »

Taylor Larimore has been dubbed by Money magazine as "the Dean of the Vanguard Diehards," and Jack Bogle himself¿calls Taylor "the King of the Bogleheads." Now eighty-five and retired, Larimore regularly spends several hours a day answering questions for free on the Bogleheads.org forum.

Mel Lindauer, was dubbed "the Prince of the Bogleheads" by Jack Bogle. Together with Taylor Larimore, he initiated and continues to organize the grassroots Bogleheads annual meetings. Lindauer has been quoted in a number of newspapers and magazines and has appeared on CNNfn.

Richard A. Ferri, CFA, is a key member of the growing Bogleheads "braintrust" and founder and CEO of the investment firm, Portfolio Solutions, LLC. He is the author of five books, including The ETF Book: All You Need to Know About Exchange-Traded Funds, also published by Wiley.

Laura F. Dogu, called "the Queen of the Bogleheads," participated as an investment panelist during the Bogleheads meetings the last two years. Dogu is a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.

The global financial crisis, coupled with the reality of a recession and brutal bear market, has wreaked havoc on the retirement savings of millions of Americans. Add this to the fact that each year over the next twenty-five years, a growing portion of America's population will reach retirement age—with fewer resources for them to draw from—and you can see the potential problem we face.

Whatever your current situation, you must continue to strive for a viable retirement plan by finding the most effective ways to save, the best accounts to save in, and the right amount to save, as well as understanding how to insure against setbacks and handle the uncertainties of our new financial world.

Fortunately, the Bogleheads—a group of like-minded individual investors who follow the general investment and business beliefs of John C. Bogle, founder and former CEO of the Vanguard Group—are here to help. With The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning, this diverse collection of investors, who have shared their collective wisdom on www.Bogleheads.org for more than a decade, offer valuable advice on a wide range of retirement planning issues.

A truly group effort (no fewer than forty Bogleheads contributed in some capacity), this reliable resource is a first-rate primer on saving and investing for retirement. Divided into six comprehensive parts and filled with practical tips and anecdotes—including some pearls of wisdom from Bogle himself—The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning:

• Explains the different types of savings accounts and retirement plans, from the individual retirement arrangement (IRA) to single-premium immediate annuities (SPIAs)

• Warns you about the types of taxes that can affect your retirement plan

• Offers insights on managing and funding your retirement accountsDetails efficient withdrawal strategies that could help you maintain a comfortable retirement lifestyle

• Discusses the important part disability and health insurance programs play in a retirement plan

• Addresses essential estate planning and gifting issues

It's one thing to save for retirement, but another thing to plan for it. With The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning, you'll discover exactly what it takes to secure your financial future, today.

All royalties are donated to the National Constitution Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the U.S. Constitution.

Foreword (John C. Bogle).

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Part I The Basics.

Chapter 1 The Retirement Planning Process (Thomas L. Romens).

Chapter 2 Understanding Taxes (Norman S. Janoff).

Part II Savings Accounts and Retirement Plans.

Chapter 3 Individual Taxable Savings Accounts (Dan Kohn).

Chapter 4 Individual Retirement Arrangements (Jim Dahle).

Chapter 5 Defined Benefit Employer Retirement Account (The Finance Buff).

Chapter 6 Defined Contribution Plans (Dan Kohn).

Chapter 7 Single-Premium Immediate Annuities (Dan Smith).

Part III Managing Your Retirement Accounts.

Chapter 8 Basic Investing Principles (Bob Davis).

Chapter 9: Investing for Retirement (David Grabiner and Alex Frakt).

Chapter 10 Funding Your Retirement Accounts (David Grabiner and Ian Forsythe).

Part IV The Retirement Payoff.

Chapter 11 Understanding Social Security (Dick Schreitmueller).

Chapter 12 Withdrawal Strategies (Carol Tomkovich).

Chapter 13 Early Retirement (Jeff McComas).

Part V Protecting Your Assets.

Chapter 14 Income Replacement (Lee E. Marshall).

Chapter 15: Health Insurance (Lee E. Marshall).

Chapter 16 Essentials of Estate Planning (Robert A. Stermer).

Chapter 17 Estate and Gift Taxes (Robert A. Stermer).

Part VI Finding Good Advice When You Need It.

Chapter 18 Seeking Help from Professionals (Dale C. Maley and Lauren Vignec).

Chapter 19 Divorce and Other Financial Disasters (David Rankine).

Chapter 20 Meet the Bogleheads (Taylor Larimore and Mel Lindauer).

Appendix I: Pearls of Wisdom.

Appendix II: Recommended Reading.

Glossary.

About the Authors.

Index.