You’re Retired Now… Now What? ISBN: 9781946633637 FiorbesPress Copyright and written by Debra Brede.
Sub-titled Discovering & Funding Your Purpose Driven Retirement, the reader first is presented with several notes of praise by highly positioned knowledgeable individuals, followed by a dedication that leads to the book itself. This opens with provision of the usual publication details, disclaimer and list of contents. After Acknowledgements and Foreword, the material is set forth in 4 parts, containing 9 chapters, a Conclusion, About the Author, Services (offered by her company) and End Notes. Part One: The Best Teacher, contains 4 Chapters, the first three provide autobiographical material with respect to details of her early background and development of the philosophy she follows in her clients’ plans. The 4th chapter explains a life-changing experience that has provided the basis for “helping clients plan for personally fulfilling, purpose-driven retirements”. Part Two: Peace of Mind, contains 2 Chapters discussing a question of definition of the phrase and the requirement of a need to be dispassionate in dealing with the vicissitudes of investing. Part Three: Strategic Wealth Management discusses at length the requirement to “Eliminate the negative” (7) and “Accentuate the Positive” (8). Part Four: Giving Back, has 2 chapters that describe and discuss the utter necessity for structuring a Purpose-Driven Retirement (9) and with the need for Paying it Forward (10) where she quotes Margaret Mead and refers to a pertinent personal story supplied earlier. A Conclusion: Live Your Dream, is followed by the features mentioned above to close the book.
Discussion: The author has presented quite clearly a knowledgeable discussion of a large amount of descriptive material of equities, bonds, annuities and the rest, much of which may be found in other of the books written by recognized individuals in the field. HOWEVER, she has been able to innumerate, explain and emphasize the importance of aspects of investing only lightly touched or missing in other texts. An absolutely fascinating but pertinent aside to the book from the perspective of this reviewer, is the quite unobtrusive manner in which she has acknowledged the importance of a higher power functional in her life. Of further interest is the uniquely interesting additional information associated with King Solomon offered later.
Summary: This book is a most helpful presentation of investing for retirement by an individual eminently qualified. Unfortunately, the target audience is relatively limited. However, it contains many facts of interest for readers not in the category targeted and has the added feature of a most interesting approach.
5* An unusual ‘must read’ for target audience; much of interest to others.