The author makes a very good point in this book--that most of us are not taught in school this basic life skill of budgeting and investing our money.He makes another good point that the quality of each person's life in retirement will depend to a great extent to how well he/she has planned and invested, because no longer do most of us work for paternal companies that take care of us.Even the federal government's retirement plans are not what they once were.We're expected to make more and more choices for ourselves, and most of us are oblivious about what we'll have in retirement.We also don't want to think about long-term care, but we can see how important it is as we look around and see our parents needing care and are suddenly surprised to see that Medicare/Medicaid doesn't go far.I, for one, never was exposed to any of the basics, and I admit have no head for it.My eyes glaze over at the mention of dollars and cents.But this book is so easy to follow and so logical that I feel like the author is personally holding me by the hand and starting me out with Step One.There are background chapters about, for example, how Social Security got started; how it used to work; how it works now; and what we can and can't expect it to do for us in retirement.There is an excellent index that enables the reader to search for specific topics.There are easy-to-follow headings on things like What Drives Up the Market, Paying for Long-Term Care, and Buying Mutual Funds At Banks.The author even includes website information, which makes the book all the more useful.In short, this is a basic handbook--not just for baby boomers, but for younger people starting out.I've given two copies to recent college graduates entering the workforce because I don't want them to be as oblivious as I was for so many years.I want to thank the author for opening my eyes before it was too late!Click Here to see more reviews about: The Procrastinator's Guide to Financial Security: How Anyone Over 40 Can Still Build a Strong Portfolio--and Retire Comfortably (Hardcover)
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