Best Retirement Books

As I wander through the Internet, looking for inspiration and ideas I came across this article about the Best Retirement Books written by Sarah Horvath who is a Contributor to Benzinga. She wrote this article on November 1, 2018. Benzinga is, according to its website, is a fast-growing, dynamic and innovative financial media outlet that empowers investors with high-quality, unique content.

Sarah's article is interesting because she gives her criteria for her selection in a clear and brief format and she provides a link on where you can buy the book. Here are her criteria for her selections.

What makes a retirement planning book worth reading? 

Though each individual author will maintain his or her own unique tone and advising strategy, the best books all share these common characteristics:

Different strategies for younger and older investors
The best way to invest will largely depend upon how close you are to retirement when you begin. Younger investors have the added benefit of compound interest and time on their side; because they have more years to allow their money to grow before they reach retirement age, they can afford to take more risk.

Older investors may have to put off their retirement if the market takes a turn for the worse and they’ve placed their money into volatile equities, so investors closer to retirement will want to make more conservative investments when it comes to their retirement accounts. Be very wary of retirement planning books and financial experts who advertise a one-size-fits-all strategy to saving and investing—you probably aren’t getting the best advice possible for your unique situation. 

 
A fun and engaging writing stylePlanning for retirement doesn’t have to feel like work. The best retirement planning books place the voice of the author front and center, employing an interesting and unique writing style to keep you turning pages. You wouldn’t read a boring novel—so don’t force yourself to “tough it out” through a snooze fest.

Easy-to-follow and up-to-date adviceInterest rates have plummeted, tech stocks have skyrocketed, and we all have computers in our pockets—the world changes, and the best retirement advice changes along with it. If your retirement planning book is old enough to remember writing checks or life before the internet, chances are high it doesn’t have advice that is still relevant to saving for retirement in the digital age.

Realistic claimsHonest retirement planning books will tell you up front that saving for your golden years is a long and intense process that won’t happen overnight. Be very wary of retirement planning “gurus” who claim to have the secret to retiring in five years or the next Amazon or Apple stock—these so-called “experts” are more than likely trying to sell you a scam.

Here is her number one pick, for the entire list go here

The New Retirementality: Planning Your Life and Living your Dreams… At Any Age You Want by Mitch Anthony

Does the idea of working into retirement scare you? The New Retirementality author Mark Anthony wants you to challenge everything you think you know about retirement. Anthony believes that retirement is an artificial “finish line,” and expounds upon the mental, physical, and financial dangers of quitting work just because you’ve blown out the candles on your 66thbirthday cake. This doesn’t mean that Anthony advocates throwing investing to the wind and indulging in the pleasures of today—rather, the author encourages readers to create their own custom plan towards retirement and to rethink what it means to be retired.

Retirementality is unique because it’s not a step-by-step how-to book—instead, Anthony focuses on teaching readers how to think for themselves and identify the type of retirement that will help them feel personally fulfilled.

Get it on Amazon

Kindle edition: Buy it now
Paperback edition: Buy it now

Lack of Sun is as Bad as Smoking

The following is from a newsletter I receive from David A. Kekich, of the Maximum Life Foundation I thought it was an interesting read, I hope you do as well, especially as we move into Spring Break and Summer Season.

Even taking the skin-cancer risk fully into account, on May 3, 2016, a Daily Mail article reports that researchers found that getting a good dose of sunshine is statistically going to make us live longer, healthier and happier lives.

According to the research, sunlight may protect us against a wide range of lethal or disabling conditions, such as obesity, heart attacks, strokes, asthma, and multiple sclerosis outside of the effects of Vitamin D. It has also been shown to boost our libidos and general mood.

Scientists now believe exposure to sun prompts our bodies to produce nitric oxide, a chemical that helps protect our cardiovascular system — and the feel-good brain chemical serotonin.

In March investigators, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, concluded that avoiding the sun is actually as bad for you as smoking. Non-smokers who avoided the sun had a life expectancy similar to smokers in the highest sun exposure group.

Last year Dr. Richard Weller at Edinburgh University published a report warning that older people, in particular, need to get into the sun more. ‘Advice on healthy sun exposure needs to be reconsidered,’ he urges.

Dr. Weller’s team established that exposure to sunlight may lower people’s blood pressure and thus cut their risk of heart attack and stroke. This is due to the fact that the sun lowers blood pressure by causing blood vessels to widen.

It also appears that sunlight alters the way our genes behave. Last year, Cambridge University scientists showed that the expression of 28 percent of our entire genetic makeup varies from season to season.’

The Cambridge investigators reported that in summer we increase the activity of anti-inflammatory genes.

Chronic inflammation is linked to modern epidemics such as heart attacks, diabetes and cancer. The Cambridge research indicates that sunlight may prompt our bodies to switch down the inflammatory response.

There is a correlation between more sun and less disease in a variety of conditions such as multiple sclerosis and atherosclerosis.

Scientists are discovering sunlight may even help us keep slim and healthy, according to studies by the Universities of Southampton and Edinburg.

The results show that ultraviolet radiation may suppress the development of obesity and the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. 

We all tend to feel happier when the sun is out, and this is not simply a matter of morale. Research shows that the main wavelength of light in sunlight stimulates sensors in our retina which regulate our body clock. This in turn regulates the amount of melatonin, the sleep hormone that our bodies release.

Studies such as a report by Sweden’s Uppsala University last month show disruption of melatonin levels is linked to depression, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

The sun is a double-edged sword. Just the right amount is very healthful. Too much or too little isn’t.

New research has discovered the counter-intuitive concept that going out in the sun at mid-day is best, not worst for your health.

We were cautioned to avoid the sun from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Well, it turns out that this is a case where a little bit of knowledge can actually be dangerous.

Cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is the most serious form of skin cancer, accounting for about three-quarters of all skin cancer deaths. New studies now support that while avoiding the sun at mid-day will decrease your risk of painful sunburn, it will actually increase your cancer risk.

As it turns out, the optimal time to be in the sun for vitamin D production is actually between 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The reason is two-fold.

First of all, you need a shorter exposure time because the UVB is more intense. The second reason is that when the sun gets lower in the sky, the UVB is filtered out much more than the UVA. And it turns out that the long wave of ultraviolet called UVA is highly correlated with melanoma—where the UVB is the one that produces vitamin D.

This surprising concept is just beginning to permeate through the mainstream media. For instance, the September 13, 2008, issue of U.S. News & World Report featured an article on time in the sun. In it, Robyn Lucas, an epidemiologist at Australian National University, agreed with these findings.

Both UVA and UVB can cause tanning and burning, although UVB tans and burns far more rapidly. UVA, however, penetrates your skin more deeply than UVB and is thought to be a much more important factor in photoaging, wrinkles and skin cancers.

In Caucasian skin, twenty minutes of peak ultraviolet exposure may be optimal. It can take three to six times longer for a darkly-pigmented skin to reach the equilibrium concentration of skin vitamin D. Longer exposures will be needed if sunbathing occur at off-peak times for ultraviolet light or at the beginning or end of the summer. Gradually increase your time, starting in the spring. Aim toward exposing large areas of your skin to the sun.

So, if you want to get out in the sun to maximize your vitamin D production, and minimize your risk of malignant melanoma, the middle of the day is the best and safest time to go. Just use a good natural sunscreen and/or protective clothing if you exceed these recommended exposure times.

Be cautious with prolonged exposure. One of the bigger factors in how old you look is how much sun you have been exposed to over the course of your lifetime.

A suntan is actually a response by your skin cells to their DNA being damaged. Repeated, long-term exposure to direct sunlight has a direct effect on the appearance of your skin and could increase the likelihood that you will get skin cancer as you age. As a pre-emptive action, see a dermatologist every year or so to have every inch of your skin examined for cancer and other lesions.

If you have to be out in the sun for long periods, then find a good sunblock with a very high SPF number. And make sure the block protects against both types of solar rays—UVA and UVB. Be aware that most commercial sunblocks can be toxic, and they screen out vitamin D3. If you take good antioxidants, including a 1:1 ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 oils, you will increase your resistance to skin damage from the sun.

Thinking of retirement?

If you are working and have been for a long time, you may be asking yourself, as my brother did this year, “When should I (or can I) retire?”

The official age of retirement in Canada is 65 in the USA it is 66. However, the average reported retirement age in 2016 for Americans was 61. The age of retirement is not going down, it is going up. The U.S. Census Bureau did a poll that shows that Americans are retiring in 2018 at age 63. 

Retirement has been on the rise for many reasons since 2004:

1. We are healthier, so we are able to work longer.
2. We live Longer interest rates have dropped which means you need to save more money.
3. More of us work in white collar and service jobs. This means we can perform our job tasks longer when compared to manual labour jobs.

Given all of the above, it is interesting that we are still retiring three years sooner than we planned. We plan to retire at age 66, but we actually retire at 63.
As Robbie Burns once wrote… “The best-laid plans of
mice and men can sometimes go awry.”

Why do we retire sooner than we plan? There are a few reasons I can think of, for example, personal medical problems, medical concerns of a cherished one, or corporate downsizing. Some investigations conclude that 60% of us end up retiring sooner than we planned to retire.

Other reasons for retirement could be that your job gets eliminated or your job is transferred to new locations and you don't want to move. The job market has shifted which has affected numerous workers’ planned and actual retirement. 

The job market has also seen a swing in the unemployment rate in the US since 2000, Since then the unemployment rate has ranged from a low of 3.8% in April 2000 to over 10% in 2008-2009, then down to 3.9% in September 2018.

The job market has also shifted during this time, and the types of jobs, where they’re located, and the skills required have also changed. Manufacturing employed the most people in 1997. Since 1997, the healthcare/social assistance industry has gained 6 million new jobs while manufacturing has lost more than 5 million jobs. 

The skills needed in healthcare are different than those needed in manufacturing. Without training, workers cannot make the switch to the new growth area jobs. In the US healthcare is now the top sector for employment while manufacturing has slipped to 4th place. 

If you are like many of us you may find yourself behind on your retirement savings. I know that happened to me but I was lucky enough to catch up between 50 and 63. Many of us hope that we will catch up while we are at peak earning. (ages 55-65).

As you move through life and think about retirement, live within your income, and put some money into your emergency fund and your retirement.  

Time Management Skills

Don't let people that time management skills are complex, they are not. The difficulty is all of us are complex, and we have to determine which skill serves us best. Usually, when we slip and fail at a task, we feel sad, pessimistic, stressed, and our determination is challenged. Our attitude toward failure is what determines how fast we resolve to move ahead. It may only take a minute to screw up something, but it can take a lifetime to fix it. 

One saying I like to use is "Keep it Simple Smart" or KISS. If we keep our approach to time management with the idea of keeping everything simple, we are in a better place.

Keeping it simple is one method of thinking smart.  Simple thinking can be more defined as thinking that frees us from all the elements that contaminate our minds. Elements such as dishonesty and pride. Simple thinking is when we hold more of a humble attitude that believes in a modest station in life. This is one interpretation, but other explanations define simple thinking as a lack of required information and expertise or not psychologically or culturally sophisticated.

Many times I am prone to generalize in my thinking. I know this is a sign of simple laziness. Generalizing is a form of making irrational decisions. So, I think it is best not generalize or avoid complex issues when it comes to managing time. 

Keeping it simple helps us to stay sharp in any situation. Having a clear mind when it comes to preparation and organization helps us complete steps to our long-term goals. 

A focus on keeping things simple can make a difference when a bad situation arises. Most problems are not as difficult as they may seem. When a problem develops, rather than stressing and worrying about it, focus on the problem and analyze it carefully to find a resolution. By focusing on breaking the problem down into its component parts, more than one solution may be found.

If we have a tendency to overgeneralize, we may not see the central details that can end the problem.  Overgeneralization tends to waste valuable time and often leads to bigger problems. 

When we train our minds to stay focus on the "Keep It Simple, Smart" approach we are on a well-rounded path to victory and our time is managed respectively. 

If you have a problem with remembering your responsibilities, don’t be ashamed to use aids such as posted notes, or email alerts,  whatever you need so that you will see them daily. Focus on what fits and works best for you.