Customer Reviews

How To Retire Happy: Everything You Need to Know about the 12 Most Important Decisions You Must Make before You Retire

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A book for the beginner. The financial planning advice was broad in scope, but shallow in depth. For the novice. The book is written in the voice of a person from my parent's generation (I'm 48). The approach to planning here is very conservative and even a bit naive. There were some good passages on trusts and wills. I was also a bit surprised there was no mention of non-financial issues relating to retirement, like personal growth. Money isn't everything. Try the book by Wasik, much better.

Stan Hinden writes a column for the Washington Post and I've read his column since day one. I cannot say this is the best book ever written on the subject because I've only read three books, but I can say I've learned a great deal about retirement from Mr. Hinden and what I've learned was not taught in the midcareer retirement seminar I attended.

Unlike some who write on the subject, Mr. Hinden is actually retired...well sort of. He took a retirement pension from the Washington Post and then started writing his column on retirement, and now he has published a book on the subject. As Yogi Berra said, it ain't over until it's over.

Mr. Hinden says although you may retire from one job, perhaps you'll go onto another. Many folks retire from several jobs over the course of their life. Others figure out how to retire once and do it before 40. Mr. Hinden's main point is to rethink what retirement means to you. And, it's very important to have a plan for your "retired" years.

Mr. Hinden deals with financial matters, probably not with the comprehensiveness of a financial planner, but he provides enough information to get you started asking the right questions as well as a list of other sources with more in-depth information. A few of his goodies include -- yes, you can arrange with Social Security to make deductions for tax purposes, and yes, you may be eligible for pension coverage from a former employee if you were vested before you left.

Mr. Hinden underwent surgery a few years ago, and he has a great deal to say about medical expenses and health insurance. He also has some things to say about decisions he made prior to retirement concerning his beneficiaries. He also explains some of the mysteries associated with Part A and Part B Medicare. He also discusses the value of long-term health care insurance.

It's never too early to think about retirement planning. I am sending copies of Mr. Hinden's book to all my children so they can begin to think about it. That should boost his post-retirement income by a few cents.

If you're near retirement and can't find easy-to-understand answers to often-complex questions, this is the book for you. Hinden, a former business writer and columnist for The Washington Post, has taken his personal experience with retirement and turned it into an extraordinarily useful how-to book.

He has an easy-to-read style, anticipates virtually all your questions and provides understandable and practical answers about scores of critical issues, including when and how to collect Social Security, deciding whether to buy long-term health care, creating an estate plan, assuring enough income on which to live, saving on taxes, just to mention a few topics. Hinden also touches on how to age successfully by staying mentally and physically fit and fully engaged in life.

This book is for men and women because Hinden includes his wife, Sara, in all his decisions and describes the important role that a partner can and should play in retirement planning.

Reading "How to Retire Happy" makes you feel that Hinden is an old friend, sitting on your porch, dispensing valuable advice on how to make the most of your life after you leave your job. It's a book you'll keep near your LazyBoy recliner and refer to often.

What an unusual "how to" book. It's interesting, helpful, useful and easy to read. For those of us who learn more from mistakes it also is a "how not-to" book. Stan Hinden's recounting of the mistakes he and his wife Sara made in preparing for retirement ... and after they retired, too ... really are eye-openers. Their actions, obviously, seemed proper at the time, and for me, proper now. But, they weren't and aren't. Nothing like some strong caution! Best of all, my wife snuck a picture of me reading "How to Retire Happy" while on vacation. I had a smile on my face.

...but Stan Hinden's "How to Retire Happy" definitely is understandable to the average layman. Concepts are clear, and well presented. There's enough of Mr. Hinden's personality coming through to make this an easy read. It's particularly interesting to benefit from his somewhat rueful hindsight. As I inch (or gallop) toward retirement, I'm finding interest in such topics as long term medical insurances, what are my thoughts on a 24/7 relationship with my mate, just what is Social Security all about, where to live. In fact, I've given my two grown children a late Christmas present -- a copy of "How to Retire Happy". At the least, I know I've given them food for thought.

Stan Hinden provides answers (or shows you where to get the answers) to the major questions you face upon retirement in the United States: Are you ready to retire? Can you afford to? What will Social Security and pensions provide? How do you deal with company savings plans and IRAs? How should you invest? What do you do about health insurance or preparing for serious illness? How do you decide where to live? Hinden warms his factual text with slightly saccharine stories about how he and his wife prepared for retirement, so you might have to be in the mood. His generally simple, clearly written book is directed toward a general audience, so some of the advice about financial planning, Social Security and pensions may be targeted more to mid-level managers or employees. We [...] caution that those with lofty incomes may need loftier advice, but otherwise this is a solid introduction to retirement. (And we didnt really mind the syrupy stories.)

I've read quite a lot about retirement planning and living. This book has a lot of excellent, useful information that I'd not found before. I consider it the best I've read. It's very clearly written in easy to understand language. I'm recommending it to all of my friends who are planning to retire within the next few years or who have retired recently. This book contains not just good information but the author's own personal experiences -- both fortunate and unfortunate (with lessons learned). It's a quick read, but a book that I'm keeping as a reference.

Solidly researched and tightly written, this one will answer all the basic question a prospective retiree could have without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary detail or repetition. The author doesn't neglect to cover important side issues such as how to age successfully and deciding where to live after retirement but also covers basic questions such as : Am I ready to retire? Can I afford to retire and How should I invest DURING retirement? All in all, a good, well-balanced guide to retirement planning.

This is simply the best book for people nearing retirement on investing that I have read. It is clear and well-written, with comprehensive information and advice. Vry informative.

This is a book that should be read by people just starting out. If the suggestions in this book are followed, you may be able to retire happy, but it's too late for us.