Customer Reviews

Roth to Riches: The Ordinary to Roth IRA Handbook

5 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
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This would have been a very excellent book had publication been withheld until after the Taxpayers' Relief Act of 1998 had been signed into law. Mr. Bledsoe was aware there were going to be important changes and he provideded a form in the back of the book, that the reader can use to send for an update on the the new regulations. Unfortunately the turn arround time for the update is quite slow. As the book reads in its present form, some very important areas are no longer accurate and an unwary reader could be lured into making a mistake in choosing a Roth IRA.

Roth to Riches enables the average person to understand the complexities of IRA's in detail. This is an outstanding book that should be recommended to anyone with a substantial amout of money in an IRA.

this book is an excellent resource book for ordinary people with large ira's who do not know what their options are or why they should consider a roth ira. It is a great way to check and balance the advice you are getting from other sources. I have utilized this book thoroughly with many of my clients.

This is the first consumer-oriented book published (July, 1997) about the Roth IRA. As it turns out, it is a superb effort and one that other authors will be hard pressed to match with future Roth IRA titles. The author obviously spent many months fine-tuning his work. As the editor of the Roth IRA Web Site, I read this book in well under two hours and found it to be a remarkably easy-to-read book. One doesn't expect books on topics such as Roth IRAs to be pleasant reads, but this book was both fun-to-read and informative at the same time! I also gave the book to several others to read (including one person who had no idea how IRAs worked) and they confirmed my judgement. This is a great book on both traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs.

From a technical viewpoint, the information presented appears to be quite accurate and comprehensive. Although the Roth IRA technical corrections were not yet signed into law when the book was published, the author was obviously quite familiar with the proposed changes and he does reference the more important provisions. (The last page of the book provides a form to send in for a free report on the final Roth regulations when available.)

The book is 198 pages (8½" x 11" size) with the actual text running through page 90. Pages 91 through 121 are what the author calls Roth Conversion Advantage charts. Most of the rest of the book consists of a reprint of IRS Publication 590, the IRS explanation of IRAs. After you see the IRS explanation of how traditional IRAs work, you will like Roth IRAs even more!

Roth to Riches is a must read for anyone who has ever considered or currently owns an IRA. Written in plain, understandable English (my native tongue), Mr. Bledsoe demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of both the ordinary and the Roth IRA's. In this book, unlike other books that are also written in my native tongue but which make me wonder if English is in fact my native tongue, Mr. Bledsoe displays a unique ability to explain technical tax and financial planning concepts with candor and clarity. This book is interesting, informative and easy to understand. A bargain at this price. Thanks for the insights.