How to Retire with Enough Money: And How to Know What Enough Is

"Uses humor [and] easy-to-understand calculations... to showcase how readers from varying walks of life can make sustainable retirement savings choices." — Library Journal Here is a one-sitting read than can change the course of your retirement. Written by Dr. Teresa Ghilarducci, an economics professor, a retirement and savings specialist, and a trustee to two retiree health-care trusts worth over $54 billion, How to Retire with Enough Money cuts through the confusion, misinformation, and bad policy-making that keeps us spending or saving poorly. It begins with acknowledging what a person or household actually needs to have saved—the rule of thumb is eight to ten times your annual salary before retirement—and how much to expect from Social Security. And then it delivers the basic principles that will make the money grow, including a dozen good ideas to get current expenses under control. Why to get rid of those for-fee (or hidden-fee) financial planners who suck up valuable assets. Why it's always better to pay off a loan or a mortgage. No gimmicks. No magical thinking. Just an easy-to-follow program that works.