Preparing for Retirement

by Larry Burkett

"This book is not meant to be merely an investment guide for retirees (or those approaching retirement), but rather a comprehensive handbook for retirees, present and future. To be sure, if you fail to plan financially, retirement can be a frustrating and fearful time. But the best financial planning in the world done in the nineties may be worthless in the twenty-first century if you don't take into account future health care costs, inflation, the economy, taxes, and so on. Therefore, I will try to help you think through each of these areas and make the best decisions possible as you approach retirement age. But more important, it is my desire that you understand how to evaluate future change for yourself and adjust accordingly.
"This book is meant to be a handbook for the plethora of decisions you must make, such as whether to buy more life insurance, purchase nursing home insurance, use a living trust, or prepay funeral expenses. The decisions you must make between now and the year 2000 are critical. But again I emphasize that the best any person can do is give good advice. Only God can give true wisdom."

278 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Larry Burkett was an American radio personality whose work focused on financial counseling from a Christian point of view.

Reviews

[Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book while I was still providing for my family and found it useful as a guide to retire early. I was able to retire at the age of 56 but I had been preparing for early retirement since the age of 25. I didn't discover anything earth shattering from this book. What this book did was to reassure me that I was on track to retire early. Some people might find this book as a wake up call that they are not prepared for retirement. I think a lot of people are just dreaming that they will be able to retire and not doing the things that they need to do. This book will help them more than anyone else.

[Bill Nohmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some 'food for thought' moments, but, on page 27, he writes:

"The real issue is: Is retirement itself a biblical principle God established for His people? Since there is so little Scripture dealing with this subject, it would seem logical to make one of two assumptions: Either God forgot to discuss the subject of retirement, or it is not a part of His plan for us. I discovered long ago that God doesn't forget anything; therefore it has to be that our whole perspective of retirement is out of balance."

He goes on to write another 232 pages telling us how to do it.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in 1992. Quite dated, but there is a little food for thought. Worth a buck or 50 cents at a thrift store.