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The Number: What Do You Need for the Rest of Your Life and What Will It Cost?
Do you know your Number? What happens if you don't make it to your Number? Do you have a plan? The Number is no ordinary finance book—it offers an intriguing and entertaining tour of weath gurus, life coaches, and financial advisers, and our hopes and fears for the future. The result is a provocative field guide to your psyche and finances and an urgently useful book for anyone over thirty.
The often-avoided, anxiety-riddled discussion about financial planning for a secure and fulfilling future has been given a new starting point in The Number by Lee Eisenberg. The buzz of professionals and financial industry insiders everywhere, the Number represents the amount of money and resources people will need to enjoy the active life they desire, especially post-career. Backed by imaginative reporting and insights, Eisenberg urges people to assume control and responsibility for their standard of living, and take greater aim on their long-term aspirations.
From Wall Street to Main Street USA, the Number means different things to different people. It is constantly fluctuating in people’s minds and bank accounts. To some, the Number symbolizes freedom, validation of career success, the ticket to luxurious indulgences and spiritual exploration; to others, it represents the bewildering and nonsensical nightmare of an impoverished existence creeping up on them in their old age, a seemingly hopeless inevitability that they would rather simply ignore than confront. People are highly private and closed-mouthed when it comes to discussing their Numbers, or lack thereof, for fear they might either reveal too much or display ineptitude.
In The Number , Eisenberg describes this secret anxiety as the “Last Taboo,” a conundrum snared in confusing financial lingo. He sorts through the fancy jargon and translates the Number into commonsense advice that resonates just as easily with the aging gods and goddesses of corporate boardrooms as it does with ordinary people who are beginning to realize that retirement is now just a couple of decades away. Believing that the Number is as much about self-worth as it is net worth, Eisenberg strives to help readers better understand and more efficiently manage all aspects of their life, money, and pursuit of happiness.
The often-avoided, anxiety-riddled discussion about financial planning for a secure and fulfilling future has been given a new starting point in The Number by Lee Eisenberg. The buzz of professionals and financial industry insiders everywhere, the Number represents the amount of money and resources people will need to enjoy the active life they desire, especially post-career. Backed by imaginative reporting and insights, Eisenberg urges people to assume control and responsibility for their standard of living, and take greater aim on their long-term aspirations.
From Wall Street to Main Street USA, the Number means different things to different people. It is constantly fluctuating in people’s minds and bank accounts. To some, the Number symbolizes freedom, validation of career success, the ticket to luxurious indulgences and spiritual exploration; to others, it represents the bewildering and nonsensical nightmare of an impoverished existence creeping up on them in their old age, a seemingly hopeless inevitability that they would rather simply ignore than confront. People are highly private and closed-mouthed when it comes to discussing their Numbers, or lack thereof, for fear they might either reveal too much or display ineptitude.
In The Number , Eisenberg describes this secret anxiety as the “Last Taboo,” a conundrum snared in confusing financial lingo. He sorts through the fancy jargon and translates the Number into commonsense advice that resonates just as easily with the aging gods and goddesses of corporate boardrooms as it does with ordinary people who are beginning to realize that retirement is now just a couple of decades away. Believing that the Number is as much about self-worth as it is net worth, Eisenberg strives to help readers better understand and more efficiently manage all aspects of their life, money, and pursuit of happiness.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
33 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
November 10, 2013
This book's retirement advice is aimed at people who have retirement funds, or at least make enough extra to put money into them. Like most such books, the advice boils down to "You should really save as much as you can starting early and MAGIC OF COMPOUND INTEREST!" No kidding (though even this basic advice is being ignored by far too many people). That said, it's more of use to people who have pensions, 401Ks, and whose major retirement concern is whether or not they'll be able to take an annual European vacation or indulge in alpaca-raising. If you're closer to the "worrying about whether Medicare will still be around and will I have to move in with my grandkids?" end of the spectrum, the "Number" in this book may as well be a purely theoretical construct.
Of course, if we have the total economic meltdown some people are predicting, then everyone but the 1% will be using books like this to keep from freezing to death in the winter.
Basically, retirement advice for affluent Baby Boomers.
Of course, if we have the total economic meltdown some people are predicting, then everyone but the 1% will be using books like this to keep from freezing to death in the winter.
Basically, retirement advice for affluent Baby Boomers.
February 8, 2009
I'm puzzled as to how to rate this book. The argument in it -- that we all need to save up for our retirements, and also think clearly about what we want to be doing in our retirements, because that affects how much we need -- is inarguable. But the author spends the first 9/10ths of the book telling us annoying stories about people who (mostly) fail to follow the advice. Way too much time on the problem. All you really need (if you buy the argument) is p. 251, a simple formula for calculating your number. If you don't buy the argument, then it's dog food on social security for you.
August 27, 2008
Being in the Financial Planning busines, I have always found it curious as to why nobody even thinks about planning for their future. Why do you work aside from paying the bills? One day you won't be working and what if you don't have any money to live on? This book examines the dicotomy of why it is so important to figure out your own number, why such a majority don't and what are the consequences. Very interesting and insightful read.
July 16, 2017
Do yourself a favour and don't read this book. Do you want a number? Go here
January 30, 2018
If you'd like to become terrified by the fact that no one in the world is saving enough money for retirement this is a great place to start.
In all seriousness, this book goes well into detail on not only how to calculate your financial number for the rest of your life, but why you should think about what you truly want to do with the rest of your life.
In all seriousness, this book goes well into detail on not only how to calculate your financial number for the rest of your life, but why you should think about what you truly want to do with the rest of your life.
June 1, 2008
I have abandoned this book. The author is well intentioned, but he is also disconnected from the reality of day-to-day life for the majority of Americans. One of the foundations of writing is to ask the question "Who is my audience?" This was not a question that the author asked himself in any way at all. He essentially decided to write a book about retirement saving and investing based purely on his own experience and his friendships with people in the minority of earnings and positions. Nowhere is this more obvious than when he must resort to making up "regular people" as examples to use for illustrative purposes. His friendships which he discusses are all with people in very high corporate positions with concerns such as how they will maintain their "lifestyle" as opposed to concerns about how they will pay for their small 2BR ranch house before they die and also be able to eat healthy and no go broke from America's failing health care system. Yes, wealthy people have these concerns as well, but when someone's "number" is $15 million to live a life that they feel isn't horrible, well, it's difficult to believe that the author knowns a single real person in the country that has lost their job and sold their house and moved into an apartment with a family of four just to survive.
In addition to his bizarre disconnect from normal people, he also is unable to stick to a metaphor or any other writing convention for more than half a page. The metaphors are mixed throughout. These mixed metaphors lead to enormous confusion throughout the book. A particular topic may be started with one metaphor and then mid chapter the metaphor is switched but the topic is still the same, then the point he is trying to make is severely weakened by his lack of follow through from where he started. Every chapter in the book could have been cut 3/4 in length and stated in a short, simple paragraph with clarity and succinct precision. Instead, he picks a topic and rehashes it repeatedly using metaphor after metaphor. Real-world examples are few and far between (see my mention of his need to make up example cases), and when they do show up, again, they are so far out of line with real world struggling Americans that they seem outlandish and essentially themselves like fantasy cases.
That is only the FIRST half of the book, sadly. I had to abandon it half way through. Good intentions alone do not lead to a clear picture of what he is attempting to address and help people resolve. Good writing is essential in keeping the reader's interest. In the case of making suggestions for how regular people should plan and save for their upcoming retirements, a book should engender confidence that that the writer knows what he is talking about. This book fails to do that because of its inability to state its message in a coherent, meaningful way.
My wife suggested reading A Random Walk Down Wall Street instead as a well written, educational statement about investing serving the average person in a reasonable way, and she was absolutely correct. A Random Walk Down Wall Street is practically the polar opposite of The Number. Well written and thoughtfully constructed, it educates and entertains all at once. Reading it is a joy because the author sticks on topic and rarely uses metaphors, instead opting for clear explanations in the most simple language he can and defining his terms along the way and building on them.
In addition to his bizarre disconnect from normal people, he also is unable to stick to a metaphor or any other writing convention for more than half a page. The metaphors are mixed throughout. These mixed metaphors lead to enormous confusion throughout the book. A particular topic may be started with one metaphor and then mid chapter the metaphor is switched but the topic is still the same, then the point he is trying to make is severely weakened by his lack of follow through from where he started. Every chapter in the book could have been cut 3/4 in length and stated in a short, simple paragraph with clarity and succinct precision. Instead, he picks a topic and rehashes it repeatedly using metaphor after metaphor. Real-world examples are few and far between (see my mention of his need to make up example cases), and when they do show up, again, they are so far out of line with real world struggling Americans that they seem outlandish and essentially themselves like fantasy cases.
That is only the FIRST half of the book, sadly. I had to abandon it half way through. Good intentions alone do not lead to a clear picture of what he is attempting to address and help people resolve. Good writing is essential in keeping the reader's interest. In the case of making suggestions for how regular people should plan and save for their upcoming retirements, a book should engender confidence that that the writer knows what he is talking about. This book fails to do that because of its inability to state its message in a coherent, meaningful way.
My wife suggested reading A Random Walk Down Wall Street instead as a well written, educational statement about investing serving the average person in a reasonable way, and she was absolutely correct. A Random Walk Down Wall Street is practically the polar opposite of The Number. Well written and thoughtfully constructed, it educates and entertains all at once. Reading it is a joy because the author sticks on topic and rarely uses metaphors, instead opting for clear explanations in the most simple language he can and defining his terms along the way and building on them.
July 18, 2016
The Number is a book about retirement. It's very accessible, and somewhat informative, but it's also a bit scatterbrained. The subtitle is also almost entirely misleading: while the book does discuss how many retirement calculators don't do a good job of assessing what a person actually needs to retire, it doesn't offer a better approach.
The main purpose of the book--belying its subtitle--appears to be an attempt to document some of the history of the idea and practice of retiring in the United States in a very conversational way. It presents a number (ha-ha) of vignettes describing the important people who shaped the concept or retirement, and a number of people who help others achieve it.
The book does have a number of interesting statistics scattered throughout it.
While entertaining, The Number doesn't achieve its stated purpose. The takeaway message of the book can be stated in a few sentences: "Retirement isn't just about money. Make sure you know why you're retiring. And make sure that you have a plan to get there, because the historical methods of funding retirement no longer apply."
The main purpose of the book--belying its subtitle--appears to be an attempt to document some of the history of the idea and practice of retiring in the United States in a very conversational way. It presents a number (ha-ha) of vignettes describing the important people who shaped the concept or retirement, and a number of people who help others achieve it.
The book does have a number of interesting statistics scattered throughout it.
While entertaining, The Number doesn't achieve its stated purpose. The takeaway message of the book can be stated in a few sentences: "Retirement isn't just about money. Make sure you know why you're retiring. And make sure that you have a plan to get there, because the historical methods of funding retirement no longer apply."
May 16, 2016
This audiobook was in the bargain bin, and I bought it for my girlfriend, with her being a bit older than me and needing some guidance in the retirement/financial planning department. There's a reason why it was in the bargain bin for under $8.
Eisenberg is a well-travelled professional, magazine editor, internet business consultant, and elite rich guy for much of the last 30 years. He has some interesting points of view, but most of them are from a very wealthy standpoint. He talks about people socking away millions...not really much the average, middle class American can use. He creates a pseudo-family and goes through their individual plights and outlooks, an interesting example, but aside from strangling a rough formula out of him, he fails to provide much in the way of actual, usable core content. When he does, you feel like you're getting lessons from a stuck up socialite on another planet regarding wealth - which, of course, you are.
Eisenberg is a well-travelled professional, magazine editor, internet business consultant, and elite rich guy for much of the last 30 years. He has some interesting points of view, but most of them are from a very wealthy standpoint. He talks about people socking away millions...not really much the average, middle class American can use. He creates a pseudo-family and goes through their individual plights and outlooks, an interesting example, but aside from strangling a rough formula out of him, he fails to provide much in the way of actual, usable core content. When he does, you feel like you're getting lessons from a stuck up socialite on another planet regarding wealth - which, of course, you are.
September 15, 2008
“I received THE NUMBER book yesterday at my office, and earnestly delved into it last evening after supper. As of two a.m., I sat and grappled with both wonder and bewilderment. You have conveyed a remarkable tale to your readership, and for that I thank you. Your book is now my "number one" financial and behavioral book, and the essence of it both soothes and terrifies me. As one who has chosen planning as my profession, I plan to impart your ideas to my clients and, at the same time, re-examine my goals and my life – earnestly seeking to quantify "My Number" and the direction I wish my life to take.
November 10, 2007
An interesting read on what the author terms "The Number" - the sum which one can retire on. Deals with how people set or more commonly, fail to set targets for their retirement savings, and the myriad reasons why we often underestimate the amount needed. Contains some good financial advice.
September 12, 2023
This book was a COMPLETE disappointment.
At least based on what I expected from it.
I thought it was going to be an interesting and thoughtful exploration of how Americans are thinking about retirement with a lot of useful insights.
First of all it was written in 2006, and it just generally feels very outdated.
Secondly, I could not find a single shred of information that I didn't already know. The discussion is at a very basic level with little that is actionable.
Thirdly, it's so WORDY! After the first 70 pages or so, I ended up just skimming the rest of the book, because it was giving me nothing.
But it did make me reflect on my own retirement journey as a 40 something who is in the prime retirement demographic.
Eisenberg claims that there are 4 broad categories of people with respect to retirement:
(1) Procrastinators - people who don't even want to think retirement about it because they find the whole topic confusing and scary
(2) Pluckers - people who "pluck" a retirement number out of thin air with no thought process. "I'll retire when I have a million dollars!"
(3) Plotters - super nerdy financial fanatics, who make detailed spreadsheets for everything.
(4) Probers - people who ask thoughtful questions about what a good retirement would look like, but are still very "head in the clouds" about how they'll actually make it happen.
From college graduation until about 35 I was definitely in the "procrastinator" category. I never thought about retirement. I didn't even know what a 401k was. Fortunately I always lived within my means and put a token amount into savings (For example 50$ a month when I was in grad school and earning $1700 a month as a stipend).
Around 35 I finally learned what a 401K was and started putting more into an index fund (but still not very much, like 6% of my income). I thought a bit about retirement but I wasn't too stressed about it and didn't have any concrete plan so I was a "plucker", sort of.
Only in my early 40s, did I get hardcore serious and became a bit obsessed with retirement planning, I spent hours and hours reading early retirement blogs and filling up spreadsheet after spreadsheet tracking my spending and net worth and forecasting at what age I would be have enough to retire. I am become "plotter", dreamer of early retirement.
Thing is, I actually don't know if my life would have been THAT different if I had started to take it seriously earlier. I would probably have a higher 401K balance but I don't think I would be a rich or anything.
But the point is, I know from experience how easy it is (even for someone who thinks of themselves as being fairly financially responsible) to not think about this stuff when it seems so irrelevant and far away. Your income is increasing, you are living within your means, nothing to worry about.
In fact, the more I study the situation the more it seems to me that only 2 groups of people will be able to cheerfully and confidently look forward to a comfortable retirement (i.e. one where they never have to spend a second worrying about money and can just enjoy life):
(1) People who had above average robust incomes (say at least $200,000 per household) and were fairly frugal. The problem is most Americans don't make that much. Current median household income is only 89,000$ according to a search I just did.
(2) People who were extremely frugal from a young age. As in rice and beans every day and living with 10 room mates for 50 years.
Everyone else may retire, but they will be biting their nails and second guessing if they really have enough.
I certainly hope I am wrong and that many average people will be able to retire comfortably even if they weren't high earners or financial wizards, just moderately responsible.
At least based on what I expected from it.
I thought it was going to be an interesting and thoughtful exploration of how Americans are thinking about retirement with a lot of useful insights.
First of all it was written in 2006, and it just generally feels very outdated.
Secondly, I could not find a single shred of information that I didn't already know. The discussion is at a very basic level with little that is actionable.
Thirdly, it's so WORDY! After the first 70 pages or so, I ended up just skimming the rest of the book, because it was giving me nothing.
But it did make me reflect on my own retirement journey as a 40 something who is in the prime retirement demographic.
Eisenberg claims that there are 4 broad categories of people with respect to retirement:
(1) Procrastinators - people who don't even want to think retirement about it because they find the whole topic confusing and scary
(2) Pluckers - people who "pluck" a retirement number out of thin air with no thought process. "I'll retire when I have a million dollars!"
(3) Plotters - super nerdy financial fanatics, who make detailed spreadsheets for everything.
(4) Probers - people who ask thoughtful questions about what a good retirement would look like, but are still very "head in the clouds" about how they'll actually make it happen.
From college graduation until about 35 I was definitely in the "procrastinator" category. I never thought about retirement. I didn't even know what a 401k was. Fortunately I always lived within my means and put a token amount into savings (For example 50$ a month when I was in grad school and earning $1700 a month as a stipend).
Around 35 I finally learned what a 401K was and started putting more into an index fund (but still not very much, like 6% of my income). I thought a bit about retirement but I wasn't too stressed about it and didn't have any concrete plan so I was a "plucker", sort of.
Only in my early 40s, did I get hardcore serious and became a bit obsessed with retirement planning, I spent hours and hours reading early retirement blogs and filling up spreadsheet after spreadsheet tracking my spending and net worth and forecasting at what age I would be have enough to retire. I am become "plotter", dreamer of early retirement.
Thing is, I actually don't know if my life would have been THAT different if I had started to take it seriously earlier. I would probably have a higher 401K balance but I don't think I would be a rich or anything.
But the point is, I know from experience how easy it is (even for someone who thinks of themselves as being fairly financially responsible) to not think about this stuff when it seems so irrelevant and far away. Your income is increasing, you are living within your means, nothing to worry about.
In fact, the more I study the situation the more it seems to me that only 2 groups of people will be able to cheerfully and confidently look forward to a comfortable retirement (i.e. one where they never have to spend a second worrying about money and can just enjoy life):
(1) People who had above average robust incomes (say at least $200,000 per household) and were fairly frugal. The problem is most Americans don't make that much. Current median household income is only 89,000$ according to a search I just did.
(2) People who were extremely frugal from a young age. As in rice and beans every day and living with 10 room mates for 50 years.
Everyone else may retire, but they will be biting their nails and second guessing if they really have enough.
I certainly hope I am wrong and that many average people will be able to retire comfortably even if they weren't high earners or financial wizards, just moderately responsible.
September 23, 2021
This was a re-read for me. Published in 2006, this book came to my attention about a year later when I first started getting deep into personal finance reading and starting serious financial planning. I thought it would be interesting to re-read 14 years later now that I am retired. It was a NYT bestseller, and yet I have not seen it referenced at all in the many PF blogs I have read over the years. I'm rather surprised at that as I think it's very much in keeping with other older PF classics like The Millionaire Next Door and Your Money or Your Life (both of which get mentions in this book). It's also got a great deal of humor in it, which I thoroughly enjoyed! Overall, it holds up rather well despite being published prior to the Great Recession. Many of the themes are still very much relevant and are frequently discussed in current PF blogs - namely the importance of non-financial aspects to retirement and finding your purpose. One dated drawback - all references to financial advisors are in he/him gender terms. This book isn't really about the calculation of your Number - indeed that topic is relegated briefly to an appendix. This is really what I would call a personal finance philosophy book (if that's a genre), and it's a very good one.
March 25, 2019
Uneven, with some common sense reminders to consider the how and why of saving for the post career retirement. Uneven as the first half of the book is stories of financial writers and stories of interviewed people, not personally helpful but entertaining reading at times.
Most helpful was the recommendation to look inward to establish what retirement looks like to each person - it varies - and the emotional anxiety of money, is it ever enough?
For those wondering what does their "Number" look like, there's a quick and dirty "Number" calculator formula at the end of the book, familiar to anyone who has run the numbers for themselves. This book was helpful in considering the "Satisfaction Factor" in thinking about your "Number" needed to retirement living.
Post retirement here, would be helpful to younger, middle career people looking for the basic guidelines of financial and life planning, like the author's 10 Commandments for financial planning, and life planning in view of our ever lengthening time in retirement years today.
Most helpful was the recommendation to look inward to establish what retirement looks like to each person - it varies - and the emotional anxiety of money, is it ever enough?
For those wondering what does their "Number" look like, there's a quick and dirty "Number" calculator formula at the end of the book, familiar to anyone who has run the numbers for themselves. This book was helpful in considering the "Satisfaction Factor" in thinking about your "Number" needed to retirement living.
Post retirement here, would be helpful to younger, middle career people looking for the basic guidelines of financial and life planning, like the author's 10 Commandments for financial planning, and life planning in view of our ever lengthening time in retirement years today.
August 26, 2025
No.
You know how this meeting could have been an email? Well this book could have been an essay (or less!)
This book spent 250 pages talking about everything but whatever the number is. I read the whole thing and still don’t know. Instead we got anecdotal stories of him researching the book, stories of going to conferences, all the names of a retired biker gang, and about 10 pages dedicated to just the amenities of a 1960s retirement community.
This book is basically the author being very detached from reality and the common American and just about how the reader is ill-prepared, worthless, and poor.
You know how this meeting could have been an email? Well this book could have been an essay (or less!)
This book spent 250 pages talking about everything but whatever the number is. I read the whole thing and still don’t know. Instead we got anecdotal stories of him researching the book, stories of going to conferences, all the names of a retired biker gang, and about 10 pages dedicated to just the amenities of a 1960s retirement community.
This book is basically the author being very detached from reality and the common American and just about how the reader is ill-prepared, worthless, and poor.
January 6, 2024
This book should be mandatory reading for everyone over 50. I would recommend it to younger folks as well except I expect few would take it seriously. Before reading it I had little idea what my personal number ought to be to finance my ideal retirement lifestyle. The book doesn't provide easy answers. Instead it offers up the questions you should be asking yourself to make the best short and long term decisions.
August 11, 2022
Advice on the number you need for retirement comfortably.
He goes, mainly, with 4 percent withdrawal annually from a bulk figure.
Work on how much to spend each year and then multiply by 25 for corpus of
funds to draw on.
Also includes thoughts on places according to surveys and the good/bad aspects of each
recommendation for each. book published in 2006, so dated with some points.
He goes, mainly, with 4 percent withdrawal annually from a bulk figure.
Work on how much to spend each year and then multiply by 25 for corpus of
funds to draw on.
Also includes thoughts on places according to surveys and the good/bad aspects of each
recommendation for each. book published in 2006, so dated with some points.
February 8, 2024
A very simple concept that could have been explained in maybe 2 chapters. But the author felt the need to drag it out with what can only be described as fluff. Not a bad book, but not one that would be recommended as a really helpful financial book. More of a book to just kill time and get ready for retirement.
Read
August 17, 2019A book to make you think about retirement and what you want out of it. There is no magical number, but it's about evaluating what's important and how you want to spend 30+ years of your life. A few laughs from his writing, but great perspectives too. An entertaining read.
December 25, 2019
Interesting twist to the goal of retirement planning. Not so much how rather different perspectives of what could this look like. A very eye opening summary of generations and their spending habits. Makes you think and ponder the how, then take action!
November 12, 2023
This is some weird self-help style fluff about getting rich. I don't even know if there's any point this book was trying to make, as if it was written to fulfil a contractual obligation to help the author to get to his number.
March 7, 2018
Pop-finance to the max. Pretty much a waste of anyone’s time.
May 26, 2020
Some chapters are helpful and educational, while others are simply entertaining.
June 29, 2022
Dated, but explained concepts clearly. Thanks, Dad!
May 18, 2023
A couple of good points, but very dated.
August 11, 2024
Three million, eight hundred & forty two thousand 5 hundred & sixty nine
June 30, 2017
From the public schools of the 1950's and 1960's, baby boomers learned how to read, write and solve mathematical problems. Their meticulous teachers taught them science, geography, history, art and music. But forty and fifty years ago, the public school curriculum lacked instruction in financial literacy... and it shows. With over 25 million boomers broke today, the potential cost to this generation and its successors is incalculable.
In this erudite and accessible book, author Lee Eisenberg reveals his own youthful limitations in financial planning and finally an awakening in middle-age. His journey, and the lessons imparted by many sage teachers, is an exceptional gift for boomers who have avoided understanding what it will take to retire, monetarily and psychologically. The good news: it's not too late. The bad: most boomers urgently need to demystify the mysteries of money.
"The Number" maps an intelligent path to long-term solvency and a second chance for freedom-loving boomers to actualize their creativity - to trek again those unfettered byways they've always craved. And this well-crafted tome presents many thought-provoking excursions into the lives and careers of those who have found a satisfying and sustaining balance between monetary pursuits and personal fulfillment.
This is the right book at exactly the right time as roughly 8,000 boomers are turning 60 every single day for the next nineteen years.
In this erudite and accessible book, author Lee Eisenberg reveals his own youthful limitations in financial planning and finally an awakening in middle-age. His journey, and the lessons imparted by many sage teachers, is an exceptional gift for boomers who have avoided understanding what it will take to retire, monetarily and psychologically. The good news: it's not too late. The bad: most boomers urgently need to demystify the mysteries of money.
"The Number" maps an intelligent path to long-term solvency and a second chance for freedom-loving boomers to actualize their creativity - to trek again those unfettered byways they've always craved. And this well-crafted tome presents many thought-provoking excursions into the lives and careers of those who have found a satisfying and sustaining balance between monetary pursuits and personal fulfillment.
This is the right book at exactly the right time as roughly 8,000 boomers are turning 60 every single day for the next nineteen years.
February 21, 2010
I have some financial training and an economic mindset: Incentives Matter is one of my favorite mantras. I've labored in my mind on how best to inspire others to want to save with a plan - it seems this is an attribute one is either born with or is not.
This book is not about calculating the amount of money you will need in retirement - it is about ascertaining what achievable lifestyle you wish to target that can be maintained on your resources to and beyond your estimated but unknown date of demise.
The myriad variables that contribute to the calculation, when explored in Eisenberg's dry "witticism" and both observed and fabricated anecdotes, is entertaining and enlightening. I realized that even for the few people who have succeeded at assigning a value to their retirement savings goal, most of them don't really know what they are saving for. There may be as many that are over or under as there are that are on track.
What everyone needs to do is work to envision what they want to be "when they grow up", then establish a road map, financial and otherwise that will realistically lead to that destination.
This book is not about calculating the amount of money you will need in retirement - it is about ascertaining what achievable lifestyle you wish to target that can be maintained on your resources to and beyond your estimated but unknown date of demise.
The myriad variables that contribute to the calculation, when explored in Eisenberg's dry "witticism" and both observed and fabricated anecdotes, is entertaining and enlightening. I realized that even for the few people who have succeeded at assigning a value to their retirement savings goal, most of them don't really know what they are saving for. There may be as many that are over or under as there are that are on track.
What everyone needs to do is work to envision what they want to be "when they grow up", then establish a road map, financial and otherwise that will realistically lead to that destination.
June 2, 2012
It was written aimed at people in their forties and fifties. He spends the first 80% of the book talking about how people are not planning for retirement and why, and explaining how today's retirement planning is different from yesteryear's. Mildly interesting. In the last 20%, he spends time talking about how much money you need to retire is dependent on what you plan to do when you retire, and that most people honestly have no idea what they're going to spend their time doing. He offers you three questions to help you figure out what's really important to you, and they were interesting and helpful for me. For example, I've always thought and said, when I retire, I'm going to travel. Yes, okay, but what are you going to do the rest of the time? I highly recommend the last 20% of the book, but I could take or leave the first 80%.
Spencer has been reading a lot about retirement savings lately and recommended this one to me.
Spencer has been reading a lot about retirement savings lately and recommended this one to me.
November 11, 2013
This book is about your (retirement) Number, but not a straight calculation to arrive at your Number, but really why my Number is different from your Number and what that number means to you. The whole point of a good book is to make you think about yourself and your place in the world. The middle, Part 2, was a bit old hat for me. I guess I have read one too many personal finance books. But the beginning and end, Parts 1 and 3 , give you reason to pause and self reflect. I'm glad that I was never that materialistic for most of my life. I will be reflecting upon my Number, my wife will also be reading this book. Then we can work on a Number that will allow us to complete the most important retirement career phase of our life.
You will learn something about yourself if you seriously consider the discussions in this book. Have a GoodReads.
You will learn something about yourself if you seriously consider the discussions in this book. Have a GoodReads.
December 29, 2021
Long story short, if you really want an answer to the question in the title of this book, look elsewhere. If, however, you want a really interesting look at how the retirement "system" came to be the way it is today, the psychology between how different people approach money, and an extensive explanation of why there is no easy, one-size-fits-all way to get "the number", then you'll enjoy this book. It brings up a lot of interesting perspectives as well as examines different strategies and approaches to retirement planning. By the end, Eisenberg poses some questions of his own to the reader, which really becomes more about "what kind of life do you want to lead and why", which I think is probably a helpful question to think about no matter what you may think about retirement.
"number"
"number"
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