A Straightforward Guide to Getting the Best out of Your Retirement is a companion volume to Straightforward's Planning for Retirement. This book concentrates specifically on housing, health and leisure opportunities following retirement. It is very important to ensure that, once retired, the correct housing - whether a house or higher care accommodation - is available. It is equally important to ensure that health care is catered for and the costs are recognised. Leisure opportunities are also covered along with travel and the benefits open to retired people.

"The guide provides easy-to understand, simple explanations of the complexities of everyday finances. Included is important infomration about banking, home finance, credit, financial planning, investing, and taxes."--Publisher's website.

A timely guide to overcoming the retirement challenges we all face The Great Recession has placed a wake-up call to America's baby boomers. Many have not saved enough for retirement and have not taken a hard look at how many post-work years they may need to finance. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security tackles the tough questions about retirement in the new post-crash economy. Page by page, it puts retirement in perspective by touching on important issues such as insuring against the risk of outliving your assets, recalibrating damaged retirement portfolios, managing the risk of health-care expenses in retirement, and career strategies for workers who are 50 years old and up. Reveals how to boost lifetime income through better planning, and working just a few additional years Offers advice on how to hire a financial advisor whose first loyalty is to you, not Wall Street Discusses why you should rethink housing in the wake of the real estate crash Offers detailed advice on career reinvention, the 50+ job market and midlife entrepreneurship Engaging and informative, this practical guide provides the strategies needed for a truly fulfilling and secure retirement.

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.

NOW COMPLETELY UPDATED to reflect the changes in tax legislation, health insurance, and the new investment realities. In this “highly valuable resource” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Quinn “provides simple, straightforward” (The New York Times) solutions to the universal retirement dilemma—how to make your limited savings last for life—covering mortgages, social security, income investing, annuities, and more! Will you run out of money in your older age? That’s the biggest worry for people newly retired or planning to retire. Fortunately, you don’t have to plan in the dark. Jane Bryant Quinn tells you how to squeeze a higher income from all your assets—including your social security account (get every dollar you’re entitled to), a pension (discover whether a lump sum or a lifetime monthly income will pay you more), your home equity (sell, rent, or take a reverse mortgage?), savings (how to use them safely to raise your monthly income), retirement accounts (invest the money for growth in ways that let you sleep at night), and—critically—how much of your savings you can afford to spend every year without running out. There are easy ways to figure all this out. Who knew? Quinn also shows you how to evaluate your real risks. If you stick with super-safe investment choices, your money might not last and your lifestyle might erode. The same might be true if you rely on traditional income investments. Quinn rethinks the meaning of “income investing,” by combining reliable cash flow during the early years of your retirement with low-risk growth investments, to provide extra money for your later years. Odds are, you’ll live longer than you might imagine, meaning that your savings will stretch for many more years than you might have planned for. With the help of this book, you can turn those retirement funds into a “homemade” paycheck that will last for life.

Demonstrates clearly how those of retirement age and beyond can maximise their income and so enjoy their retirement. While it has always been important to plan for retirement, it is now more crucial than ever to ensure that people understand the opportunities available to them. This book demonstrates clearly the growth areas and the areas to avoid.