Let me first say that I have the utmost respect for these two authors and have read their various published financial articles/books for the past 20 years. They present well researched information that the young investor should take to heart: Save like mad, invest in index/ETF portfolios based on modern portfolio theory, and live below your means. Now, after saying all that, after reading this book, especially the first part, I felt like slashing my financial wrists. The bleak pictures they paint for the retirement of the baby boomers, (god forbid the children of the baby boomers) leaves even myself (a multi-millionaire) wondering if eating Alpo is in my future. Really, the scare tactics to get one to save is really over the top. I've been studying the demographics of the baby boomers for over two decades and have made millions based on projecting what services/housing they would be needing in the future. Therefore, while I recommend this book to those interested in obtaining freedom in retirement, if you want the real story on baby boomer demographics, why not go to the direct source? That is, why not see what the U.S. Census Bureau is forecasting for the baby boomer's retirement. To do this, simply Google: 65+ in the United States: 2005. Another excellent source (but slightly dated) is "Demography is not Destiny" put out by the National Academy on an Aging Society http://www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/publications/demography/index.html. To summarize many of the wonderful demographic gold nuggets, 7 out of 10 future retirees are doing just fine. Furthermore, yea BB number 76 million but that is only 18% (12.3 million) more children than the number of children that would have been born if fertility rates had remain at pre-World War II rates. It is also interesting to note, that there were almost as many children (72 million) born in the same timeframe (18 years) between 1977 to 1995. Next, if you include the number of children and elderly as a group, they represent "dependents". In 1960, there were 90 "dependents" for every 100 non-dependents (i.e. workers/or those of age that could work), in 2040 that rate will drop to 65.2 "dependents" to 100 non-dependents. Are raising children less expensive than helping our Moms/Dads? Ok, it is 38% more expensive than putting Jr through college? Finally, and this is a biggy, economic growth must average 1.6% over the next 25 years in order for us to afford Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries at today's equivalent expenditures (costs). In the past +32 years, real economic growth has average at or above 2.9%. Bottom line: If your reading this critic for this type of book, you no doubt are going to do just fine. But, then again, that's assuming you save like mad, invest in index/ETF portfolios based on modern portfolio theory, and live below your means.
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
