The Smartest Retirement Book You'll Ever Read

by Daniel R. Solin

Follow the advice in The Smartest Retirement Book You'll Ever Read and you "If you want a handy guide that provides information in small chunks, Solin's book is it." - Newark Star-Ledger

Genres: Finance, Money, Nonfiction, Personal Finance, Self Help

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Dan Solin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Smartest series of books which include: The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read, The Smartest 401(k) Book You'll Ever Read, The Smartest Retirement Book You'll Ever Read, The Smartest Portfolio You'll Ever Own The Smartest Money Book You'll Ever Read, The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read and Does Your Broker Owe You Money?

His latest book, Ask: How to Relate to Anyone, is based on cutting edge research he did to find out why he wasn't better at sales. What he discovered turned everything he previously believed upside down, increased his conversion rate exponentially and transformed his business and personal relationships.

Dan has taught the lessons in Ask with great success to audiences in North America, Europe and Asia.

Dan blogs regularly for Advisor Perspectives and also has a newsletter distributed to thousands of subscribers.

He graduated from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Visit the website for Ask for more information: askdansolin.com

Reviews

[Malin Friess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid advice from Dan Solin:

1- Stick with passively managed Index Funds (lower taxes and lower cost) and studies show they consistently beat actively managed mutual funds.
2- Say no to Annuities
3- The 4% rule of withdrawal is mostly right (but have 2 years of income in MMA to lean on during bear markets)
4- Delay retirement and delay collection of SS if you can until age 70
5- Reverse Mortgages are too good to be true. Avoid them.
6- Most people should have a long term insurance plan--50% of us will end up needing long term hospital stay or assisted living and it can drain your income. Go with a short fat policy (most stays are less than a year but very expensive)--rather than a long-thin policy.
7- Have a Will
8- Transfer 401 K's to IRA's with a low cost carrier (Vanguard, T-Rowe Price). One of the best thing you can do for your kids is leave them a ROTH IRA (collects and divests tax free).

Solin is straight-forward and no nonsense. 4 stars.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good guide to many of the issues one faces in retirement. The chapters are quite short, so they do not present a comprehensive look on the chosen issue. Overall, though, they cover quite a lot of ground as they frame the problems with informed guidance.

[Mark Hartzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much like ‘The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read’ except geared toward retirement issues. As a retiree already, I would recommend this to someone who has 1-5 years before retirement.

This was written in 2009, so it is showing its age a little bit. There are a couple of essential chapters for every near retiree. I was impressed with Mr. Solin’s explanation of TIPS securities. He does not like them and gives reasons. However, given the current state of both the stock and bond markets in April of 2025, I think that TIPS may be an excellent option, particularly if we are ever faced with stagflation. Those of us who lived through those years won’t soon forget.

The rest of the book is a very good overview of a pre-retirement checklist. Since we are currently in uncharted waters given our current idiotic trade situation, some of this may be not helpful predicting the future. Still, even given our current economy, I recommend the book to get a better grounding in pre retirement ideas. Solid 4 stars.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has been around for about 15 years now but still holds up pretty well. The examples are dated but the advice is still solid. I’m reading a lot about retirement these days—much of it online and in newsletters—but found this book to be useful and interesting.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This covers a lot of material, occasionally a bit superficially, but I think overall the advice is solid and useful.

[Sharan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this book 4.0/5.0
Author hits all major finance topics concisely. You'll read everything in investments related to 401k, Roths, real-estates, life insurances, retirement trusts etc. Writing Wills, trustees, having reliable attorneys etc. This book is right up there on my list if I want to suggest it to someone, or just refer it later for myself. A definite read for newbies. If you implement everything this book preaches, you are pretty much around 85% close to hitting your financial goals.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, as always. Very understandable and accessible. I sent a copy to my mom. I am relatively far away from traditional retirement age so not all of the content seems immediately relevant, but I have a better overall understanding of the issues and will use this book as a reference when I need to make some of these decisions myself.

[Adam L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief and simple chapters about a wide variety of subjects regarding retirement and personal finance. I enjoyed this book and encourage others to read it. The only downside it is old and some of the subjects have updated rules and federal regulations in 2023.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for those of us that want to know what to do but find it hard to stay focused on such topics--very basic and understandable.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview on many financial topics related to retirement. I liked the no nonsense advice and one-line summaries at the end of each chapter.

[Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I refreshed personal finance concepts and gain some new insights on 401K/IRA/Roth and many others.

[Bing Cacnio maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good read!

Clear, concise, full of good advice. This book guides a newbie retiree to hopefully outlast his or her retirement funds.

[Douglas Drees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful reading for anyone older than 50. I don't agree with his position on annuities, but the rest has been very helpful to me in planning my retirement.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a bit dated, but the basic principles endure.

[Robert Luebke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Smartest Retirement Book You'll Ever Read is written so you can come back to it as a reference.
It has 59 short chapters which dwell on individual financial topics with a summary "What's the Point?" enclosed in a box at the end of each chapter. This makes it easy to quickly review the book weeks or months after reading it to refresh your memory on the important parts of the book. The author doesn't try to sell you any particular financial product and in the Chapter 59 gives references on sources he used for each chapter of the book so you can check out their authenticity for yourself.

[Todd Landrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, blunt and basic. And if the two-page chapters are too much material, then he even includes a one sentence summary.

This is a very good book if you know very little about investing, are intimidated by the topic, or this is the first book you're going to read. He explains what to do in straight-forward, very basic language in very short, easily digested chapters.

The drawback is that he doesn't spend much time on WHY you should do those things. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you don't need the WHY.

[J Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made me feal smart all right. Then again, it was extremely basic. And yes, this is the second book I read today, thanks for asking. That fact sums up how useful this book was. At best, the quick read will help give a reader basic knowledge. At worst, it could possibly be the only book an investor reads. My advice… seek a qualified RIA or CFP.

[Azure · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I made my big move from the working world into retirement, I was reading everything I could get my hands on, taking workshops, and surfing the net. This book combines all the best advice I found into an organized read that is grounded and reliable. My copy is full of yellow highlights and I now use it as a handy reference tool.

[Gina Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for a good, well rounded book on investing for those who have very little knowledge and not much interest in investing. This is a good, short book that will keep people out of trouble and yet will prepare them for investing for their retirement. Hint: don't invest all your money in your 401k.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A finance book written in language that a normal person can understand. If anyone you know is asking questions about retirement, point them this way. I plan to use several of the ideas in here with the retirement plans I'm currently creating for people whose money I'm managing now.

[Bruceschneider21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

He has said most of this in his other books. I did not learn much new but he sure is convinced that index investing is the only way to go and you are likely to beat almost all of the managed funds over any given period of time.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with lots of sound advice. He breaks down advice into different possibilities and how they will change the numbers in the long term. I will read more of his books. I got mine through Itunes so there are lots of links to follow up on just by clicking.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent book on basics of retirement. I would save it is geared toward someone closer to retirement though. I am looking at another 30 years before I am ready to retire and I don't feel like it had enough information for me.

[Gus Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good book if you own any of the retirement plans. But not good for a beginer.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is the smartest retirement book. I loved it.

[Bonnie Odin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and written in easy-to-understand English. A quick read for beginners or an excellent review for personal finance nerds...

[Bill Donhiser · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic retirement book with sound advice. Highly recommended for novices, nothing new for those who are well read in life planning and finance. Solid and a good starter book on this subject.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't agree it is the 'smartest retirement book' out there, but I did find it informative and helped me understand more of the terminology related to investing.

[Kenny Oyama · Rating 2 out of 5]

All breadth, no depth.

[KJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading retirement books for my mom who has just retired. This book was excellent! It took ideas and concepts that people tend to complicate and made it simple and easy to understand.