[Schaumburger]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Hi Schaumburger,

While I realize that your questions here about retirement accounts are specific, I would like to offer a couple of general suggestions for you, in case they might help.

There is a book that I have talked about a few times here on TOTV. Making the Most of Your Money Now by Jane Bryant Quinn. It was published at the end of 2009 so it was written for this economy.

I like this book because if a money decision question comes up, I can go to this book, flip to the index, and almost always find an entry that will tell me what I need to know -- or at least help me to narrow my focus for further research.

It is not a cover-to-cover read. You will not need all the information in it. But it is a terrific reference. (There is lots of info on the different kinds of financial planners.)

The book is written in a conversational tone. Nothing esoteric about it. And for me, it’s a lot faster start than wading through website after website looking for answers. I could say a whole lot more about why I like having this book around, but I am going to get lazy now and just put the Amazon link here. (The book is bargain priced right now. And I guarantee you will recoup your investment, and probably plus a few digits, if you decide to buy it.)

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Most-Yo...9911328&sr=8-1



Something else that has helped me is Kiplinger’s Retirement Report. I have subscribed for years. The articles are short and timely and everything in every issue has something to do with retirement. This link will take you to the part of the Kiplinger site where if you scroll down the left side of the page, you will see the publication I am talking about. It is published monthly.

http://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/

I hope you do not feel like I am giving you a homework assignment. I promise there will not be a test. Really. Not even a pop-quiz. I promise.

It is just that when I read your questions, I thought about how I felt as I got closer to retirement. I thought it was like being in an airplane that was getting close to landing. Seatbelt fastened, I listened intently (sometimes tensely) for that beautiful sound of the landing gear dropping and locking perfectly into position. From your posts, it sounds like that’s where you are now. Listening for that landing gear. I wish you a smooth landing and a wonderful retirement journey.

Boomer

Hello Boomer, Thank you for the advice about the book by Jane Bryant Quinn and Kiplinger's Retirement Report. I will have to check them out. Where I'm at on the retirement journey...well I'm going down the aisle of the airplane...looking for an overhead bin to store my carryon. Taking my seat...right in front of a toddler who is shrieking periodically during the 2 1/2 flight from Chicago to Orlando. Actually I'm describing what happened on my flight to Orlando this morning. Before I buy the book by Jane Bryant Quinn, I should go to an ear-nose-and throat specialist to have my hearing checked out. That child shrieking about split my eardrums.