A straightforward, if rather basic, understanding of income considerations in one’s later years.
Financial planner Lynch provides a plan for people contemplating retirement in this financial how-to book.
“Your gut tells you that you have enough money to retire, but your head is not quite sure,” the author writes, and his book aims to help readers make up their minds. He begins with the story of a fictional potential retiree named Maria who had a sizable savings account that generated enough interest to supplement her Social Security income. But with the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, she lost most of that supplemental income. Lynch uses this example to examine earlier financial truisms that no longer work in today’s market: “It’s time for a new formula and a new definition of safety,” he says. The book aims to help readers find ways to generate wealth that aren’t subject to economic swings that are out of readers’ control. Using real-life examples, Lynch analyzes how much each family needs in various “buckets” to generate income, outlining three basic parts to any retirement plan: principal, which is a “U.S. government-denominated asset that will never decline in nominal value”; reliable income; and growth that outpaces inflation. Over the course of the book, Lynch explains these three aspects of generating retirement income in simple, clear terms, and with each example, he includes easy-to-understand charts and illustrations to clarify his points. Those who are familiar with retirement literature are likely to find it rather generic, though, with few new insights. That said, many readers will appreciate the takeaway that not considering inflation when planning for retirement can be a costly oversight: “Inflation: The carbon monoxide of retirement—the slow, silent killer that turns a dollar into fifty cents.”
A straightforward, if rather basic, understanding of income considerations in one’s later years.Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5445-3026-0
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Lioncrest Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A compelling and practical book on modern mindful leadership.
Executive coach and debut author Haddad offers a novel about personal and professional transformation.
Aidan Perez is haunted by dreams of an eagle, which appears to be a symbol of his own desire to soar. He’s built a career as a tech-company CEO but hopes to craft a new identity as an executive coach and find inspiration and renewal in the empowerment of others. However, he finds that the allure of the familiar is strong, threatening to pull him back into the mire of old labels and limiting beliefs. Determined to break free from this cycle of conformity, Aidan relies on the guidance of his mentors in his own life, learning to be vulnerable, to put aside his ego, and to face his innermost fears. Along the way, he discovers a wellspring of hope in a pamphlet, “5 Steps to Joyful Wisdom,” inspired by Hindu philosophy. The work awakens Aidan’s hunger for change and sparks a desire to know the identity of its anonymous author. As he investigates, Aidan uncovers a powerful coincidence and gains insight he needs to embrace the future. Serendipity, according to the author, is “the heart’s way of finding what the mind doesn’t know it wants.” This interweaving of heart and mind is a recurring element of Haddad’s powerful work, which compellingly fuses elements of a novel, a spiritual guide, and a leadership manual. The book offers self-help exercises, real-world examples, and parables to help readers to also seek their best selves. To this end, the book effectively outlines five crucial steps for change, including a desire for transformation and relinquishing a desire for control. These elements are clearly depicted in the main character’s growth, but they can be readily incorporated into readers’ lives, as well.
A compelling and practical book on modern mindful leadership.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2022
ISBN: 979-8846371620
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An eye-opening, maddening book that offers hope for leveling a badly tilted playing field.
A cybersecurity expert examines how the powerful game whatever system is put before them, leaving it to others to cover the cost.
Schneier, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School and author of such books as Data and Goliath and Click Here To Kill Everybody, regularly challenges his students to write down the first 100 digits of pi, a nearly impossible task—but not if they cheat, concerning which he admonishes, “Don’t get caught.” Not getting caught is the aim of the hackers who exploit the vulnerabilities of systems of all kinds. Consider right-wing venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who located a hack in the tax code: “Because he was one of the founders of PayPal, he was able to use a $2,000 investment to buy 1.7 million shares of the company at $0.001 per share, turning it into $5 billion—all forever tax free.” It was perfectly legal—and even if it weren’t, the wealthy usually go unpunished. The author, a fluid writer and tech communicator, reveals how the tax code lends itself to hacking, as when tech companies like Apple and Google avoid paying billions of dollars by transferring profits out of the U.S. to corporate-friendly nations such as Ireland, then offshoring the “disappeared” dollars to Bermuda, the Caymans, and other havens. Every system contains trap doors that can be breached to advantage. For example, Schneier cites “the Pudding Guy,” who hacked an airline miles program by buying low-cost pudding cups in a promotion that, for $3,150, netted him 1.2 million miles and “lifetime Gold frequent flier status.” Since it was all within the letter if not the spirit of the offer, “the company paid up.” The companies often do, because they’re gaming systems themselves. “Any rule can be hacked,” notes the author, be it a religious dietary restriction or a legislative procedure. With technology, “we can hack more, faster, better,” requiring diligent monitoring and a demand that everyone play by rules that have been hardened against tampering.
An eye-opening, maddening book that offers hope for leveling a badly tilted playing field.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780393866667
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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