A useful book that wraps a familiar financial topic in a slightly different (vacation) package.
A financial planner positions retirement as the “ultimate vacation” and offers related advice in this debut work.
Carver, the founder and head of a financial services firm, puts an unusual spin on the idea of one’s retirement years by suggesting that “you have to put the same amount of effort planning for them as you would for a vacation.” This analogy effectively anchors the book’s content, which is mostly standard fare for an otherwise financially focused retirement guide; the author covers such oft-discussed areas as assessing one’s finances, budgeting, and managing debt. Things get a bit more interesting, though, when he proposes a process that his firm calls “personal vision planning,” which involves “establishing a clear, actionable vision for your retirement by establishing where you want to go and why.” This self-assessment section is perhaps the most valuable in that it offers solid, specific financial guidance for funding one’s retirement; also worthwhile are the author’s tips on how to minimize expenses in the years leading up to it. The book addresses various types of insurance, how to generate income during retirement, and when to collect Social Security benefits. A chapter on the trendy “FIRE” (“Financial Independence, Retire Early”) movement is included, as well; Carver discusses the pros and cons of the strategy and concludes that it’s rather risky for most. Although the author offers a comprehensive chapter on selecting a financial adviser, he does eventually gravitate toward a sales pitch for his own firm; that said, his authoritative counsel is generally objective in tone. Appendices contain additional substantive materials, including a goal-determining exercise, a monthly expense worksheet, a retirement planning sheet, a comparison chart of different types of life insurance, and a description of key estate-planning documents. In keeping with the “vacation” theme, there are sidebars labeled “Vacation Planning Checklist” and “Avoiding Costly Road Hazards”; this conceit starts to wear a bit thin after a while, but the book remains neatly organized and cohesive throughout.
A useful book that wraps a familiar financial topic in a slightly different (vacation) package.Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5445-0648-7
Page Count: 236
Publisher: Lioncrest Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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