Cracking Your Retirement Nest Egg (Without Scrambling Your Finances): 25 Things You Must Know Before You Tap Your 401(k), IRA, or Other Retirement Savings Plan

In Turtlehut's review he/she said social security answer ID277 indicated that certain income was not counted in determining if there was to be an income tax on benefits. That is not correct. That information relates to the earnings limit test,or how much income is counted on which a worker pays fico taxes into the fund. There are people who collect pensions and still work. I should know, I pay income tax all my retirement income including social security and it is punitive. The tax was imposed in l983....thank Ronald Reagan and his revolting congress.

Geez, I find Tut's review inappropriate. My copy had an errata sheet with a correction for the error that is cited, which is more than I can say for some of the other books I've read on retirement. The book is readable, comprehensive and not too technical. I found answers to a lot of my questions. I particularly liked that I could find the information I needed without reading the whole book. Malaspina seems to know enough about her audience to have anticipated the key issues and organized them from the most basic to the most arcane. My advice: If you are within 5 years of retirement, this book should be on your "must read" list.

I stumbled across this book browsing in my local bookstore and I couldn't believe my eyes. It laid out everything you need to know to retire. It is extremely well-organized and well-written. I gave a copy to my financial advisor and told him I finally understood all the stuff he was trying to explain to me.

This has to be one of the most boring topics in the field of financial advice. The proliferation of retirement savings plans, the maze of regulations, exceptions, and judgement calls that have to be considered by the average retiree is almost numbing. It's boring in the abstract. But it gets your attention when it's your money and future in the balance. Bascially simple rules for accumulating retirement wealth and accessing it continue to evolve like a patchwork quilt. Malaspina is relentless in her efforts to cover the topic and we are the beneficiaries. Chapter 21 treats the issue of company stock held in a retirement plan and how it can receive tax advantaged treatment. Malaspina does an even-handed job of explaining the risks and discusses whether it makes sense to take advantage of this often overlooked opportunity. Information "For Women Only" and non-spousal partners (Chapters 22,23)is dealt with briefly, but it also very useful. One important retiree misconception that does not appear in this book: Many otherwise sophisticated investors facing annual required mandatory minimum withdrawals from their IRA's at 70 1/2 don't realize that assets do not always have to be sold to comply. Many investment assets can be moved 'as they are' into a non-IRA account at market value thus avoiding unnecessary sales charges and the loss of a worthy investment.