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“Imagine that you board an airliner and are told that you will be piloting the plane. Such is the plight of tens of millions of Americans, on whom have been foisted a jumble of 401(k), 403(b), and 457 defined contribution plans, and are as well qualified to manage their retirement portfolios as they are to pilot a jet from Los Angeles to Boston. Since things aren’t changing any time soon, you may very well need flying lessons, and pronto. Frank Armstrong’s The Retirement Challenge: Will You Sink or Swim? is just the ground school you need.”
–William Bernstein, author of A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World and The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio
“Armstrong and Doss have written a simple and understandable guide through the maze that is our financial world. If your goal is to outperform the vast majority of investors on the road to retirement, The Retirement Challenge: Will You Sink or Swim? paves the way.”
–TAYLOR LARIMORE, coauthor of The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing
“This is a great handbook for those planning for retirement. Armstrong and Doss not only tell you the right way to build a plan, they also show you how to avoid purchasing products from the wolves of Wall Street that lead investors to be sheared like sheep.”
–LARRY SWEDROE, author of The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You’ll Ever Needand Wise Investing Made Simple
“In today’s investment markets, this is an invaluable book. If you care about the quality of the rest of your life, you owe it to yourself and your family to read The Retirement Challenge: Will You Sink or Swim?”
–HAROLD EVENSKY, CFP®, AIF®, President, Evensky & Katz
In 48 quick, practical lessons, Armstrong shows how to assess what you have and what you’ll need to build a simple, reliable retirement plan. Better yet, the book’s easy online calculators do all the math for you. Investing for retirement has never been so sensible and simple! Includes free access to comprehensive Web-based tools and resources at www.Sink-Swim.com:
Introduction to the Retirement Challenge: Will You Sink or Swim?
The Retirement Challenge: Why You Are On Your Own
Download the sample pages (includes Chapter 1 and Index)
Acknowledgements xiv
About the Authors xv
Introduction 1
Part I: Overview of the Retirement Problem 7
Lesson 1: You Are On Your Own 8
Lesson 2: The Changing Face of Retirement 15
Lesson 3: The Retirement Problem 20
Part II: Meet Your Retirement Plans 23
Lesson 4: Defined Benefit Plans 24
Lesson 5: Defined Contribution Plans—An Overview 30
Lesson 6: The Basic Defined Contribution Plan 32
Lesson 7: Profit-Sharing Plans 37
Lesson 8: Employee-Funded Plans 38
Lesson 9: Generic Problems with Pension Plans 39
Lesson 10: The 401(k) Plan 47
Lesson 11: The 403(b) Plan—Not-For-Profit Enterprises 50
Lesson 12: The Roth 401(k), 403(b) Option 55
Lesson 13: Section 457 Plans for Municipal and State Employees 56
Lesson 14: Making the Most of Your 401(k), 403(b), or 457 Plan 58
Lesson 15: IRAs 60
Lesson 16: Retirement Planning for the Self-Employed 72
Lesson 17: How Does Your Plan Stack Up? 75
Lesson 18: What Can Go Wrong 80
Lesson 19: Should You Contribute to It? 87
Lesson 20: Alternatives to Qualified Plans 89
Lesson 21: Help from the Courts 93
Part III: Where Are You in Your Career? 95
Lesson 22: Early and Mid-Career 97
Lesson 23: Changing Jobs: Smart Moves for Your Pension Plan 99
Lesson 24: At Age 50, the Catch-Up Provisions 111
Lesson 25: Approaching Retirement Transition Planning 112
Lesson 26: Early Retirement Tactics: How to Avoid the Tax Traps 114
Lesson 27: 70 is the New 65: Delayed Retirement Advantages 120
Lesson 28: At Retirement 125
Part IV: How Much Will You Need? 143
Lesson 29: Sustainable Withdrawal Rates 148
Lesson 30: Forecasting Your Needs 152
Part V: Investing to Meet Your Goals 161
Lesson 31: The Anti-Cramer Guide to Investment Success 162
Lesson 32: Start Early 163
Lesson 33: Cleaning Up Credit Card Debt 169
Lesson 34: Costs Matter 173
Lesson 35: Taxes Matter 176
Lesson 36: Control Risk 178
Lesson 37: Concentrated Stock 185
Lesson 38: The Perils of Company Stock 187
Lesson 39: Taking the Right Amount of Risk 193
Lesson 40: It’s the Portfolio, Stupid! 197
Lesson 41: Traditional Active Managers Are a Waste of Money 198
Lesson 42: Investment Vehicles 201
Lesson 43: Building Your Buckets 208
Lesson 44: Periodic Maintenance 214
Lesson 45: Investing During Retirement 216
Lesson 46: Selecting an Advisor 224
Lesson 47: Reaching Your Goals 233
Lesson 48: Public Policy Issues 240
Glossary 243
Index 251