Cracking Your Retirement Nest Egg (Without Scrambling Your Finances): 25 Things You Must Know Before You Tap Your 401(k), IRA, or Other Retirement Savings Plan [Hardcover]

Margaret A. Malaspina (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bloomberg | Publication Date: January 2003

A former vice-president of Fidelity offers indispensable advice for the millions of baby boomers hitting 50, 55, and beyond. The author of "Don't Die Broke," she focuses on spending and living off retirement savings, while other books are geared towards saving for retirement.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title may be unwieldy, but the book is not: Malapsina’s modest volume is a simple, straightforward guide to the Byzantine subject of retirement planning. Twenty-five short chapters instruct readers on the basics of plan types, on organizing, withdrawing from, rolling over, avoiding taxes on and investing in plan assets, and on "special situations," such as domestic partnerships, women's retirement, inheritance, company stock and estate planning. Even those who fancy themselves knowledgeable about pensions and defined contribution plans may find new information here. For instance, Malaspina points out that, contrary to popular belief, most large companies in the U.S. still offer traditional, defined benefit retirement plans that reward loyalty and deliver a regular percentage of pre-retirement wages. (The problem is, the modern workforce doesn't stay in one place long enough to maximize these benefits). Designed as a reference rather than a sit-down read, this book is brief and clear. But readers should not misled: retirement rules are frequently convoluted and arcane, and a book is no substitute for a competent attorney or financial planner. But if used as a broad outline to retirement planning issues, Malaspina’s volume can serve to highlight important areas for further consideration.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Cracking Your Retirement Nest Egg will help investors manage what they own—-both right now and through their retirement income years." -- Peter S. Lynch, Vice Chairman, Fidelity Management & Research Company

"Offers soothing, sensible, and reassuring advice that's just right for these turbulent financial times." -- Ginger Applegarth, CFP, CLU, ChFC, Author, The Money Diet and Wake Up and Smell the Money

"This book delivers what every investor is always pining for-—an advantage that will trump mere guesswork." -- Jim Lowell, Editor, Fidelity Investor

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bloomberg Press; 1 edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576601269
• ISBN-13: 978-1576601266
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,435,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enter the maze...., March 10, 2003

By 

dennis wentraub (schenectady, new york USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cracking Your Retirement Nest Egg (Without Scrambling Your Finances): 25 Things You Must Know Before You Tap Your 401(k), IRA, or Other Retirement Savings Plan (Hardcover)

This has to be one of the most boring topics in the field of financial advice. The proliferation of retirement savings plans, the maze of regulations, exceptions, and judgement calls that have to be considered by the average retiree is almost numbing. It's boring in the abstract. But it gets your attention when it's your money and future in the balance. Bascially simple rules for accumulating retirement wealth and accessing it continue to evolve like a patchwork quilt. Malaspina is relentless in her efforts to cover the topic and we are the beneficiaries. Chapter 21 treats the issue of company stock held in a retirement plan and how it can receive tax advantaged treatment. Malaspina does an even-handed job of explaining the risks and discusses whether it makes sense to take advantage of this often overlooked opportunity. Information "For Women Only" and non-spousal partners (Chapters 22,23)is dealt with briefly, but it also very useful. One important retiree misconception that does not appear in this book: Many otherwise sophisticated investors facing annual required mandatory minimum withdrawals from their IRA's at 70 1/2 don't realize that assets do not always have to be sold to comply. Many investment assets can be moved 'as they are' into a non-IRA account at market value thus avoiding unnecessary sales charges and the loss of a worthy investment.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Retirement advice you can actually understand, March 11, 2003

By 

smartandgray (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking Your Retirement Nest Egg (Without Scrambling Your Finances): 25 Things You Must Know Before You Tap Your 401(k), IRA, or Other Retirement Savings Plan (Hardcover)

I stumbled across this book browsing in my local bookstore and I couldn't believe my eyes. It laid out everything you need to know to retire. It is extremely well-organized and well-written. I gave a copy to my financial advisor and told him I finally understood all the stuff he was trying to explain to me.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right On Retirement, September 17, 2004

By 

Serious about money "MC" (Jacksonville, FLA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking Your Retirement Nest Egg (Without Scrambling Your Finances): 25 Things You Must Know Before You Tap Your 401(k), IRA, or Other Retirement Savings Plan (Hardcover)

Geez, I find Tut's review inappropriate. My copy had an errata sheet with a correction for the error that is cited, which is more than I can say for some of the other books I've read on retirement. The book is readable, comprehensive and not too technical. I found answers to a lot of my questions. I particularly liked that I could find the information I needed without reading the whole book. Malaspina seems to know enough about her audience to have anticipated the key issues and organized them from the most basic to the most arcane. My advice: If you are within 5 years of retirement, this book should be on your "must read" list.