The Old Fool's Retirement Guide [Paperback]

Investment Web site the Motley Fool has been clarifying the business of buying shares for years, and the latest in a series of spin-off books, The Old Fool's Retirement Guide, gives you a whirlwind guide to ensuring that you reach retirement age wealthy and wise. The reason the Fool is so popular is that it cloaks hard-nosed and practical information in a jokey and readable style. Most important of all it says that with a little research you can beat the City experts at their own game. You will learn when to start investing (now), and undergo a crash course in financial demystification. Starting with basics you will work out how much you're going to need to get through your latter years, and then how to build an investment strategy to realise that sum. Shares, pension schemes, ISAs, property--all are examined and weighted according to risk and potential return. And, shockingly, for those of us who've been led to believe that pensions are everything, the book will beg to differ. You will learn more about those financial experts--and those of you who've been lumbered with under-performing endowments and commission-heavy pensions won't be too surprised to learn that you can outdo them. And you will be pointed in the direction of the excellent online sources of information that will keep you clued up on your portfolio. Share-based investment portfolios have taken a considerable battering in recent times, of course. But the book makes a convincing argument that a long-term share strategy (and if you are aiming for retirement this is what you are building) will always smooth out the peaks and troughs in prices. Things are neatly concluded with solid advice on making your will, and how to release the equity in your (hopefully mortgage-free) home on retirement. If you learn nothing else from this book, the authors plead, remember the mantra "Start early!" As ever, the Motley Fool makes the serious business of money seem a lot of fun. --John Rennie

Nowadays most people want to retire before they hit 65. According to the Fools it's never too early to start planning.

The Old Fool's Retirement Guide is a no-nonsense guide to long-term investment decisions, whether readers are in their twenties and starting a career, or their fifties and worried about their lack of investments. The book works through the basics of investing in shares using the Fools' trademark no-nonsense, witty approach. It also covers how to use the Internet to invest. Many people find themselves at a loose end when they retire, so The Old Fool's Retirement Guide features many of the different options available, including foreign travel, hobbies and property. It also includes a guide to Web sites which can help people plan their new-found leisure time. People of all ages want to plan their retirement, and the Fools can show them how. The Motley Fool is a Web site aimed at enabling people to invest money without using the professionals. Visit it at www.fool.co.uk