You'RE Fifty--Now What?: Investing for the Second Half of Your Life Book

As Boomers reach midlife faster than a new Beatles CD can climb the charts, many are wondering if they'll have sufficient resources to comfortably make it through their golden years. You're Fifty--Now What?, by investment guru Charles Schwab, addresses these concerns with a step-by-step road map to help the middle-aged assess where they're at, determine where they want to go, and pick the proper mix of investments to get there. "While getting older isn't a bad thing," Schwab writes, "being unprepared for it is. And by not understanding the financial part of your future, you sabotage yourself and limit your choices." Not surprisingly--given the author's background as founder of the discount brokerage that bears his name--the book contends that you have to remain an active investor for the rest of your life in order to make it financially over the long haul. To do so it advocates using as aggressive an approach as you can comfortably handle, centred on a combination of broad-based index funds and actively managed mutual funds or individual stocks. With plenty of easy-to-use worksheets, Schwab helps you take stock of everything you've accumulated, determine how much it costs you to live now, and estimate what it will take to maintain that lifestyle into the future. The latter is determined by calculating everything from projected housing and tax obligations to food and entertainment expenses, while life-expectancy tables, inflation adjustment factors and investment return rates allow you to see where you stand versus where you need to be. Schwab then addresses reaching these goals through a proper investment mix. (Sidebars explaining the basics guide even novices through these critical steps.) Additional chapters detail ways to develop a regular long-term cash flow, and suggest how to monitor its progress while making adjustments when necessary. There also is information on financial advisors, insurance, estate plans, and charitable giving, adding up to a wealth of specifics presented in a manner that virtually everyone should be able to understand and follow. --Howard RothmanRead More