You CAN Retire Young: How to Retire in Your 40s or 50s Without Being Rich [Paperback]

Larry A. Ferstenou (Author), Joe Nendza (Author), Shannon Murdock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

If your goal is to retire before 60, this book is for you. Author Larry Ferstenou retired at age 42, even though his family’s overall income averaged less than $50,000 per year. You can do it too! This no-nonsense guide focuses on retirement in your 40s or 50s and reveals the strategies essential for a comfortable retirement at any age. You will learn:

Why you should plan to retire as early as possible,
How much is "enough" to retire young,
How to control spending, live on less, and save more,
What you can and cannot expect from Social Security,
How to wisely invest your savings and grow net worth,
How to apply the 3 Keys to retiring young,
And much more!

If retiring as young as possible with as much money as possible appeals to you, then this straightforward, easy-to-read book is one you cannot afford to be without.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A solidly practical and enthusiastically recommended instructional guide and reference." -- Midwest Book Review

"All in all this is a very worthwhile book." -- John P. Greaney, The Retire Early Home Page

"Get this book and take charge of when and how you retire." -- Randy Gilbert, host of

"More 20 and 30 year-olds should read this book—before becoming slaves to their careers!" -- Gail Liberman, Personal Finance Columnist and Author

A truly refreshing book...from someone who finally walks his talk. -- Michael A. Janke, Best-selling Author of

As a rare inside view of early retirement...this book sets out the exact steps necessary to retire young. -- Gillette Edmunds, Author,

It could help you step off the workaday treadmill and into a better life. -- Ralph Warner, Author,

Whether you are like the fabled ant or grasshopper, Ferstenou's solid financial advice will guide you towards a secure future. -- Deb Anderson, Lifestyles Editor, Dunn County News

About the Author

When it comes to retiring young, Larry Ferstenou has done more than talk. He left the full-time workforce at age 42 and has been enjoying the freedom of not having to work for over nine years. But not only did Larry and his wife, Kris (who retired at 40) retire young, they did it without any employer-funded pensions, inheritances, lottery wins, or million-dollar stock options. In fact, their combined after-tax income over the course of their careers averaged only $47,300 per year including interest, dividends, and capital gains--yet, they retired in 18 years.

In order to quit working in their early 40s without any windfalls or pensions, Larry and Kris had to figure out the "3 Keys" to retiring young and then prove those keys work--and that's what they did. Now, after nine terrific years of early retirement, Larry has written "You CAN Retire Young!" to share the time-tested, practical strategies that will make it possible for others to also retire young without being rich.

Larry grew up in north-central Wisconsin where he earned a B.S. degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, followed by an M.S. degree in vocational evaluation from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. A 17-year career in the field of vocational rehabilitation, and an unexpected family death, were central in forming Larry's philosophy on retiring as young as possible.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Amer Book Pub (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589820088
• ISBN-13: 978-1589820081
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Can Do It!, July 6, 2004

By 

takingadayoff "takingadayoff" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: You CAN Retire Young: How to Retire in Your 40s or 50s Without Being Rich (Paperback)

Larry Ferstenou got my attention right away by mentioning two books that everyone who wants to retire early should read: Paul Terhorst's Cashing in on the American Dream and Joe Dominguez's Your Money or Your Life. He also talks about a few dozen other books that can help in your goal of early retirement, but those two are must-reads.

Ferstenou has written a good how-to book on retiring early, but if you are the sort of person who has figured out that you want to quit the rat race and live life at your own speed, you probably don't need a book. You have probably already crunched the numbers and figured out what you have to do. What this kind of book does is let you know that there are others out there who have done it already. It's kind of a pep talk to let you know that it's possible and that there are several ways to get there. And you probably don't need as much money as you think.

As a pep talk, You Can Retire Young! is excellent. Ferstenou has included plenty of nuts and bolts advice to reassure you that you are on the right path and also has an upbeat attitude that makes it easy reading. He gives resources, such as books and web sites, and cites examples from his own experience. By the time you are finished, you feel confident that you can do it, too.

In my opinion, you can get all the information you need to retire early from the Terhorst and Dominguez books, along with Elaine St. James's Simple Living and Amy Daczyczn's Tightwad Gazette. But you may need an extra dose of motivation now and then along the way, and You Can Retire Early! is one of the better books on the subject.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Retirement Book that Rocks!, August 27, 2004

By 

Cyndee "Cyndee" (Smithsburg, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You CAN Retire Young: How to Retire in Your 40s or 50s Without Being Rich (Paperback)

As a veteran reader of frugal, tightwad and financial books, I was more than impressed by this book. It is not only a great book on the subject but very well written and easy to understand. The chapters on investing are especially good and Mr. Ferstenou's take on the Social Security system confirmed my personal views as well. The book also provides a wealth of resources and a good bibliography as well!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone EVER considering retiring!, November 11, 2002

By 

Andy Bryner (St. George, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You CAN Retire Young: How to Retire in Your 40s or 50s Without Being Rich (Paperback)

When I first started reading "You can retire young" I was confused why anyone would actually consider leaving the workforce early. I have always felt that our job in life is to give everything we could give until we could no longer
move. Throughout this book Larry Ferstenou has allowed me a completely different perspective on life. He has actually retired young and, more importantly, has not quit living! If anything his pace has quickened. The author's writing style is one that instills confidence that anyone can do this. He teaches you three simple rules that anyone can easily follow to build a net worth sufficient to retire. He also goes into great detail about the questions you should ask yourself before you consider retiring. With so many books out there only portraying one side of the issue it was refreshing to find one that really looks at your options from every angle. This book is well researched, well written, and down to earth. I would recommed this book not only to anyone considering retiring young but also to anyone who would like to retire at ANY point in their future!