How to Retire Happy: The 12 Most Important Decisions You Must Make Before You Retire [Paperback]

Stan Hinden (Author)

Book Description

Series: How to Retire Happy: The 12 Most Important Decisions You | Publication Date: December 6, 2005

"Everyone in the workforce today should read this book!"--Horace B. Deets, former Executive Director, AARP

With the right planning, retirement can be the happiest time in life. Award-winning Washington Post retirement columnist and financial expert Stan Hinden helps you guarantee that your retirement will be as enjoyable as possible.

How to Retire Happy provides answers to all your complicated retirement questions. From Social Security and Medicare to long term care insurance and estate planning, Stan covers all the bases. This fully updated and expanded edition of the bestselling guide includes:

• 
  Practical advice on the 12 most important decisions to make before retiring
• Guidance on the critical emotional, psychological, and health issues of retirement
• The latest information on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and changes to the rules governing IRAs and 401(k)s
• Expert tips on how to arrange an estate to save money on taxes and probate

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Everyone in the workforce today should read this book!"--Horace B. Deets, former Executive Director, AARP

With the right planning, retirement can be the happiest time in life. Award-winning Washington Post retirement columnist and financial expert Stan Hinden helps you guarantee that your retirement will be as enjoyable as possible.

How to Retire Happy provides answers to all your complicated retirement questions. From Social Security and Medicare to long term care insurance and estate planning, Stan covers all the bases. This fully updated and expanded edition of the bestselling guide includes:

• 
  Practical advice on the 12 most important decisions to make before retiring
• Guidance on the critical emotional, psychological, and health issues of retirement
• The latest information on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and changes to the rules governing IRAs and 401(k)s
• Expert tips on how to arrange an estate to save money on taxes and probate

About the Author

Stan Hinden was a Washington Post financial reporter for 20 years. From 1996 to 2003 he wrote the Post's "Retirement Journal" for which he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Commentary in 1998.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 2 edition (December 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071464662
• ISBN-13: 978-0071464666
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #874,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stan Hinden wrote the "Retirement Journal" column in The Washington Post for seven years after he retired as a financial writer in 1996. "How to Retire Happy" was inspired by this long-running column which discussed the dilemmas and challenges that confront retirees and those who are planning to retire. The "Retirement Journal" columns were inspired in turn by the experiences, good and bad, that Stan and his wife Sara had as retirees.
In 1998, the Post nominated "Retirement Journal" for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. At the same time, the column won an award from the American University School of Communication and the Investment Company Institute for "excellence in personal finance reporting."
Stan has appeared on radio and television and has spoken often on the subject, "What I Wish I Had Known About Retirement." Before he retired from The Post in 1996, he spent 12 years in the Business section writing about stocks and mutual funds. In total, he spent 23 years at The Post as a full-time writer and editor, as part of his 45 year career in journalism.
The third edition of "How to Retire Happy" was published in January 2010.
Stan now writes the "Retirement Perspectives" column for AARP Financial.
www.aarpfinancial.com
Stan's web site is www.stanhinden.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic Overview for Beginners, July 16, 2006

By 

Digital Dori (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Retire Happy: The 12 Most Important Decisions You Must Make Before You Retire (Paperback)

For a financial writer with a major newspaper, this author was surprisingly uninformed about his retirement planning. He points out the mistakes he made, primarily from being uninformed about social security, his 401-k investment options, and how much money he might need in retirement. He then goes on to tell what he would have done differently HAD HE REALIZED the implications of his inaction while young. He realized too late that a little planning during his career would have made a big difference to him in retirement. While well written, this book is pretty basic. It is a good primer for someone thinking of their retirement options. This is an easy, enjoyable read; I finished it in two evenings.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book!, March 31, 2007

By 

Wendy N. Kenney "Entrepreneur, Speaker, Author" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to Retire Happy: The 12 Most Important Decisions You Must Make Before You Retire (Paperback)

They say hindsight is 20/20, but by reading this book your foresight will be too. There is no hype here, just straight common sense from a guy who's already where you want to be.

Are you planning on living on less money in retirement? Do you really want to? Stan tells you that's not realistic and why. And what to expect about taxes, and health insurance.. Take it from someone who's already there. This book will help you ensure a comfortable and happy retirement.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better late then never, July 5, 2006

By 

Robert B. Booker "The Book" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to Retire Happy: The 12 Most Important Decisions You Must Make Before You Retire (Paperback)

Well written and easy to read. The book fills in the gaps leading to retirement and allows one to make up for lost time in looking at things that need to be considered for retirement.