Author: Wade Pfau
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781945640179
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Retirement Planning Guidebook
Author: Wade Pfau
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781945640179
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781945640179
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Safety-First Retirement Planning
Author: Wade Donald Pfau
Publisher: Retirement Researcher Guid
ISBN: 9781945640063
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
Two fundamentally different philosophies for retirement income planning, which I call probability-based and safety-first, diverge on the critical issue of where a retirement plan is best served: in the risk/reward trade-offs of a diversified and aggressive investment portfolio that relies primarily on the stock market, or in the contractual protections of insurance products that integrate the power of risk pooling and actuarial science alongside investments. The probability-based approach is generally better understood by the public. It advocates using an aggressive investment portfolio with a large allocation to stocks to meet retirement goals. My earlier book How Much Can I Spend in Retirement? A Guide to Investment-Based Retirement Strategies provides an extensive investigation of probability-based approaches. But this investments-only attitude is not the optimal way to build a retirement income plan. There are pitfalls in retirement that we are less familiar with during the accumulation years. The nature of risk changes. Longevity risk is the possibility of living longer than planned, which could mean not having resources to maintain the retiree's standard of living. And once retirement distributions begin, market downturns in the early years can disproportionately harm retirement sustainability. This is sequence-of-returns risk, and it acts to amplify the impacts of market volatility in retirement. Traditional wealth management is not equipped to handle these new risks in a fulfilling way. More assets are required to cover spending goals over a possibly costly retirement triggered by a long life and poor market returns. And yet, there is no assurance that assets will be sufficient. For retirees who are worried about outliving their wealth, probability-based strategies can become excessively conservative and stressful. This book focuses on the other option: safety-first retirement planning. Safety-first advocates support a more bifurcated approach to building retirement income plans that integrates insurance with investments, providing lifetime income protections to cover spending. With risk pooling through insurance, retirees effectively pay an insurance premium that will provide a benefit to support spending in otherwise costly retirements that could deplete an unprotected investment portfolio. Insurance companies can pool sequence and longevity risks across a large base of retirees, much like a traditional defined-benefit company pension plan or Social Security, allowing for retirement spending that is more closely aligned with averages. When bonds are replaced with insurance-based risk pooling assets, retirees can improve the odds of meeting their spending goals while also supporting more legacy at the end of life, especially in the event of a longer-than-average retirement. We walk through this thought process and logic in steps, investigating three basic ways to fund a retirement spending goal: with bonds, with a diversified investment portfolio, and with risk pooling through annuities and life insurance. We consider the potential role for different types of annuities including simple income annuities, variable annuities, and fixed index annuities. I explain how different annuities work and how readers can evaluate them. We also examine the potential for whole life insurance to contribute to a retirement income plan. When we properly consider the range of risks introduced after retirement, I conclude that the integrated strategies preferred by safety-first advocates support more efficient retirement outcomes. Safety-first retirement planning helps to meet financial goals with less worry. This book explains how to evaluate different insurance options and implement these solutions into an integrated retirement plan.
Publisher: Retirement Researcher Guid
ISBN: 9781945640063
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
Two fundamentally different philosophies for retirement income planning, which I call probability-based and safety-first, diverge on the critical issue of where a retirement plan is best served: in the risk/reward trade-offs of a diversified and aggressive investment portfolio that relies primarily on the stock market, or in the contractual protections of insurance products that integrate the power of risk pooling and actuarial science alongside investments. The probability-based approach is generally better understood by the public. It advocates using an aggressive investment portfolio with a large allocation to stocks to meet retirement goals. My earlier book How Much Can I Spend in Retirement? A Guide to Investment-Based Retirement Strategies provides an extensive investigation of probability-based approaches. But this investments-only attitude is not the optimal way to build a retirement income plan. There are pitfalls in retirement that we are less familiar with during the accumulation years. The nature of risk changes. Longevity risk is the possibility of living longer than planned, which could mean not having resources to maintain the retiree's standard of living. And once retirement distributions begin, market downturns in the early years can disproportionately harm retirement sustainability. This is sequence-of-returns risk, and it acts to amplify the impacts of market volatility in retirement. Traditional wealth management is not equipped to handle these new risks in a fulfilling way. More assets are required to cover spending goals over a possibly costly retirement triggered by a long life and poor market returns. And yet, there is no assurance that assets will be sufficient. For retirees who are worried about outliving their wealth, probability-based strategies can become excessively conservative and stressful. This book focuses on the other option: safety-first retirement planning. Safety-first advocates support a more bifurcated approach to building retirement income plans that integrates insurance with investments, providing lifetime income protections to cover spending. With risk pooling through insurance, retirees effectively pay an insurance premium that will provide a benefit to support spending in otherwise costly retirements that could deplete an unprotected investment portfolio. Insurance companies can pool sequence and longevity risks across a large base of retirees, much like a traditional defined-benefit company pension plan or Social Security, allowing for retirement spending that is more closely aligned with averages. When bonds are replaced with insurance-based risk pooling assets, retirees can improve the odds of meeting their spending goals while also supporting more legacy at the end of life, especially in the event of a longer-than-average retirement. We walk through this thought process and logic in steps, investigating three basic ways to fund a retirement spending goal: with bonds, with a diversified investment portfolio, and with risk pooling through annuities and life insurance. We consider the potential role for different types of annuities including simple income annuities, variable annuities, and fixed index annuities. I explain how different annuities work and how readers can evaluate them. We also examine the potential for whole life insurance to contribute to a retirement income plan. When we properly consider the range of risks introduced after retirement, I conclude that the integrated strategies preferred by safety-first advocates support more efficient retirement outcomes. Safety-first retirement planning helps to meet financial goals with less worry. This book explains how to evaluate different insurance options and implement these solutions into an integrated retirement plan.
Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning
Author: U.S. Department of Labor
Publisher: GPO FCIC
ISBN: 9781612210407
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 68
Book Description
Designed for those about 10 years from retirement, this comprehensive publication has step-by-step worksheets to help you figure out how much money you need to retire and how to make sure your funds will last during your retirement.
Publisher: GPO FCIC
ISBN: 9781612210407
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 68
Book Description
Designed for those about 10 years from retirement, this comprehensive publication has step-by-step worksheets to help you figure out how much money you need to retire and how to make sure your funds will last during your retirement.
Reverse Mortgages
Author: Wade Pfau
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781945640001
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Reverse mortgages have been surrounded by negativity. They were often mentioned alongside phrases like "last resort," "out of money," and "bad choice." In 2014, intrigued by the seemingly universal bad rap reverse mortgages had cultivated, Dr. Wade Pfau began researching them in depth. Over the course of the next year, he came to the conclusion that reverse mortgages aren't inherently a bad idea, though they are often misunderstood and not used in a most beneficial way. In fact, Dr. Pfau realized that reverse mortgages---when used correctly---can provide an added layer of security for retirees and allow them to enjoy retirement more by gaining liquidity from an illiquid asset.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781945640001
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Reverse mortgages have been surrounded by negativity. They were often mentioned alongside phrases like "last resort," "out of money," and "bad choice." In 2014, intrigued by the seemingly universal bad rap reverse mortgages had cultivated, Dr. Wade Pfau began researching them in depth. Over the course of the next year, he came to the conclusion that reverse mortgages aren't inherently a bad idea, though they are often misunderstood and not used in a most beneficial way. In fact, Dr. Pfau realized that reverse mortgages---when used correctly---can provide an added layer of security for retirees and allow them to enjoy retirement more by gaining liquidity from an illiquid asset.
The Procrastinator's Guide to Retirement
Author: David Trahair
Publisher: Cormorant Books
ISBN: 1770866124
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
Let’s face it, planning and saving for retirement is not easy. We are told that the earlier we start the better and that the “magic of compounding” will make our dreams come true if we simply trust the stock market and our investment advisor. But for most people it’s simply not possible. People in their twenties are often saddled with student debt and may be struggling to find suitable full-time employment. Saving for retirement is the last thing on their minds, as it should be. Then in our thirties and forties we tend to do things like get married, have kids, and buy houses. All these things cost a lot of money! So for many people there simply isn’t any money left to put away for retirement. Therefore many of us become procrastinators when it comes to saving for retirement. But there is hope. This book will take you step-by-step though planning and saving for retirement starting in your fifties and the best way to fund your retirement years. It is designed for people approaching retirement who want to ensure it is comfortable and stress-free.
Publisher: Cormorant Books
ISBN: 1770866124
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
Let’s face it, planning and saving for retirement is not easy. We are told that the earlier we start the better and that the “magic of compounding” will make our dreams come true if we simply trust the stock market and our investment advisor. But for most people it’s simply not possible. People in their twenties are often saddled with student debt and may be struggling to find suitable full-time employment. Saving for retirement is the last thing on their minds, as it should be. Then in our thirties and forties we tend to do things like get married, have kids, and buy houses. All these things cost a lot of money! So for many people there simply isn’t any money left to put away for retirement. Therefore many of us become procrastinators when it comes to saving for retirement. But there is hope. This book will take you step-by-step though planning and saving for retirement starting in your fifties and the best way to fund your retirement years. It is designed for people approaching retirement who want to ensure it is comfortable and stress-free.
Your Complete Guide to a Successful and Secure Retirement
Author: Larry E. Swedroe
Publisher: Harriman House Limited
ISBN: 0857198386
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
Fully revised and updated second edition. This is your one-stop, definitive resource as you prepare for a secure and comfortable retirement. Investment and personal finance experts Larry Swedroe and Kevin Grogan present uniquely comprehensive coverage of every important aspect you need to think about as you approach retirement, including: Social Security, Medicare, investment planning strategy, portfolio maintenance, preparing your heirs, retirement issues faced by women, the threat of elder financial abuse, going beyond financials to think about your happiness, and much more. These topics are explained with the help of specialists in each subject. And everything is based on the "science of investing" – evidenced with studies from peer-reviewed journals. Overall, this adds up to a complete retirement guide, packed with the latest and best knowledge. Don't enter your retirement without it.
Publisher: Harriman House Limited
ISBN: 0857198386
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
Fully revised and updated second edition. This is your one-stop, definitive resource as you prepare for a secure and comfortable retirement. Investment and personal finance experts Larry Swedroe and Kevin Grogan present uniquely comprehensive coverage of every important aspect you need to think about as you approach retirement, including: Social Security, Medicare, investment planning strategy, portfolio maintenance, preparing your heirs, retirement issues faced by women, the threat of elder financial abuse, going beyond financials to think about your happiness, and much more. These topics are explained with the help of specialists in each subject. And everything is based on the "science of investing" – evidenced with studies from peer-reviewed journals. Overall, this adds up to a complete retirement guide, packed with the latest and best knowledge. Don't enter your retirement without it.
How to Make Your Money Last - Completely Updated for Planning Today
Author: Jane Bryant Quinn
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1982115831
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 432
Book Description
NOW COMPLETELY UPDATED to reflect the changes in tax legislation, health insurance, and the new investment realities. In this “highly valuable resource” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Quinn “provides simple, straightforward” (The New York Times) solutions to the universal retirement dilemma—how to make your limited savings last for life—covering mortgages, social security, income investing, annuities, and more! Will you run out of money in your older age? That’s the biggest worry for people newly retired or planning to retire. Fortunately, you don’t have to plan in the dark. Jane Bryant Quinn tells you how to squeeze a higher income from all your assets—including your social security account (get every dollar you’re entitled to), a pension (discover whether a lump sum or a lifetime monthly income will pay you more), your home equity (sell, rent, or take a reverse mortgage?), savings (how to use them safely to raise your monthly income), retirement accounts (invest the money for growth in ways that let you sleep at night), and—critically—how much of your savings you can afford to spend every year without running out. There are easy ways to figure all this out. Who knew? Quinn also shows you how to evaluate your real risks. If you stick with super-safe investment choices, your money might not last and your lifestyle might erode. The same might be true if you rely on traditional income investments. Quinn rethinks the meaning of “income investing,” by combining reliable cash flow during the early years of your retirement with low-risk growth investments, to provide extra money for your later years. Odds are, you’ll live longer than you might imagine, meaning that your savings will stretch for many more years than you might have planned for. With the help of this book, you can turn those retirement funds into a “homemade” paycheck that will last for life.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1982115831
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 432
Book Description
NOW COMPLETELY UPDATED to reflect the changes in tax legislation, health insurance, and the new investment realities. In this “highly valuable resource” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Quinn “provides simple, straightforward” (The New York Times) solutions to the universal retirement dilemma—how to make your limited savings last for life—covering mortgages, social security, income investing, annuities, and more! Will you run out of money in your older age? That’s the biggest worry for people newly retired or planning to retire. Fortunately, you don’t have to plan in the dark. Jane Bryant Quinn tells you how to squeeze a higher income from all your assets—including your social security account (get every dollar you’re entitled to), a pension (discover whether a lump sum or a lifetime monthly income will pay you more), your home equity (sell, rent, or take a reverse mortgage?), savings (how to use them safely to raise your monthly income), retirement accounts (invest the money for growth in ways that let you sleep at night), and—critically—how much of your savings you can afford to spend every year without running out. There are easy ways to figure all this out. Who knew? Quinn also shows you how to evaluate your real risks. If you stick with super-safe investment choices, your money might not last and your lifestyle might erode. The same might be true if you rely on traditional income investments. Quinn rethinks the meaning of “income investing,” by combining reliable cash flow during the early years of your retirement with low-risk growth investments, to provide extra money for your later years. Odds are, you’ll live longer than you might imagine, meaning that your savings will stretch for many more years than you might have planned for. With the help of this book, you can turn those retirement funds into a “homemade” paycheck that will last for life.
Get What's Yours
Author: Laurence J. Kotlikoff
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476772290
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
Learn the secrets to maximizing your Social Security benefits and earn up to thousands of dollars more each year with expert advice that you can't get anywhere else. Want to know how to navigate the forbidding maze of Social Security and emerge with the highest possible benefits? You could try reading all 2,728 rules of the Social Security system (and the thousands of explanations of these rules), but Kotlikoff, Moeller, and Solman explain Social Security benefits in an easy to understand and user-friendly style. What you don't know can seriously hurt you: wrong decisions about which Social Security benefits to apply for cost some individual retirees tens of thousands of dollars in lost income every year. How many retirees or those nearing retirement know about such Social Security options as file and suspend (apply for benefits and then don't take them)? Or start stop start (start benefits, stop them, then re-start them)? Or-just as important-when and how to use these techniques? Get What's Yours covers the most frequent benefit scenarios faced by married retired couples, by divorced retirees, by widows and widowers, among others. It explains what to do if you're a retired parent of dependent children, disabled, or an eligible beneficiary who continues to work, and how to plan wisely before retirement. It addresses the tax consequences of your choices, as well as the financial implications for other investments. Many personal finance books briefly address Social Security, but none offers the thorough, authoritative, yet conversational analysis found here. You've paid all your working life for these benefits. Now, get what's yours.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476772290
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
Learn the secrets to maximizing your Social Security benefits and earn up to thousands of dollars more each year with expert advice that you can't get anywhere else. Want to know how to navigate the forbidding maze of Social Security and emerge with the highest possible benefits? You could try reading all 2,728 rules of the Social Security system (and the thousands of explanations of these rules), but Kotlikoff, Moeller, and Solman explain Social Security benefits in an easy to understand and user-friendly style. What you don't know can seriously hurt you: wrong decisions about which Social Security benefits to apply for cost some individual retirees tens of thousands of dollars in lost income every year. How many retirees or those nearing retirement know about such Social Security options as file and suspend (apply for benefits and then don't take them)? Or start stop start (start benefits, stop them, then re-start them)? Or-just as important-when and how to use these techniques? Get What's Yours covers the most frequent benefit scenarios faced by married retired couples, by divorced retirees, by widows and widowers, among others. It explains what to do if you're a retired parent of dependent children, disabled, or an eligible beneficiary who continues to work, and how to plan wisely before retirement. It addresses the tax consequences of your choices, as well as the financial implications for other investments. Many personal finance books briefly address Social Security, but none offers the thorough, authoritative, yet conversational analysis found here. You've paid all your working life for these benefits. Now, get what's yours.
How Much Can I Spend in Retirement?
Author: Wade Pfau
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781979199049
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
How much can you spend in retirement? Naturally, this is an essential question for those approaching this important life transition. Essentially, if you wish to retire one day, you are increasingly responsible for figuring out how to save during your working years and convert your savings into sustainable income for an ever-lengthening number of retirement years. The nature of risk also changes in retirement, as the lifestyle of retirees become more vulnerable to the impacts of market volatility, unknown longevity, and spending shocks. Retirees have one opportunity to build a successful plan. It is not an easy task, but it is manageable. This book focuses on sustainable spending from investments, which is an important piece of any retirement plan. People want to know if they have saved enough to be able to fund their lifestyle in retirement. In this book, I explain the findings of a large body of financial planning research regarding sustainable spending from investment portfolios in the face of a variety of retirement risks. That body of research tends to begin with the 4 percent rule of thumb for retirement spending. I explain how and why it was developed, what it means, and when it may or may not be appropriate for retirees. William Bengen''s 1994 study gave us the concept of the SAFEMAX, which is the highest sustainable spending rate from the worst-case scenario observed in the US historical data. The Trinity study added portfolio success rates from the historical data for different spending strategies. Both studies suggest that for a thirty-year retirement period, a 4 percent inflation-adjusted withdrawal rate using a 50-75 percent stock allocation should be reasonably safe. I have reservations about the 4 percent rule. It may be too aggressive for current retirees for reasons including increasing longevity, historically low interest rates coupled with higher than average stock market valuations, the impact of the international experience with the 4 percent rule casting a different light than 20th century US historical data, the need to maintain a rather aggressive asset allocation to have the best shot at success, and because the 4 percent rule assumes that investors do not pay any fees or otherwise underperform the underlying market indices. However, other factors suggest that sustainable spending may be even higher than traditional studies imply. Reasons for this include that actual retirees may tend to reduce their spending with age, that they build more diversified portfolios than used in the basic research studies, that real-world retirees may be willing to adjust spending for realized portfolio performance, and that some retirees may have the capacity and tolerance to accept higher portfolio failure probabilities because they have other sources of income from outside their portfolios. Related to these points, I also analyze nine variable spending strategies for retirees as well as the use of strategies that support short-term spending needs with individual bonds and longer-term spending needs with stocks. Retirees need to weigh the consequences between spending too little and spending too much-that is, being too frugal or running out of assets. This book is about implementing what I call the "probability-based" school of thought for retirement planning. It is especially relevant for people who plan to fund their retirements using an investment portfolio and those who are hesitant about using income annuities or other insurance products. I will explore annuities and insurance more extensively in later volumes since I do believe in the value of risk pooling as an additional source of returns to more efficiently meet retirement spending goals. But for now, we have plenty to discuss within the world of sustainable spending from an investment portfolio in retirement. The book concludes with a discussion about how to put these ideas together into a retirement spending plan.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781979199049
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
How much can you spend in retirement? Naturally, this is an essential question for those approaching this important life transition. Essentially, if you wish to retire one day, you are increasingly responsible for figuring out how to save during your working years and convert your savings into sustainable income for an ever-lengthening number of retirement years. The nature of risk also changes in retirement, as the lifestyle of retirees become more vulnerable to the impacts of market volatility, unknown longevity, and spending shocks. Retirees have one opportunity to build a successful plan. It is not an easy task, but it is manageable. This book focuses on sustainable spending from investments, which is an important piece of any retirement plan. People want to know if they have saved enough to be able to fund their lifestyle in retirement. In this book, I explain the findings of a large body of financial planning research regarding sustainable spending from investment portfolios in the face of a variety of retirement risks. That body of research tends to begin with the 4 percent rule of thumb for retirement spending. I explain how and why it was developed, what it means, and when it may or may not be appropriate for retirees. William Bengen''s 1994 study gave us the concept of the SAFEMAX, which is the highest sustainable spending rate from the worst-case scenario observed in the US historical data. The Trinity study added portfolio success rates from the historical data for different spending strategies. Both studies suggest that for a thirty-year retirement period, a 4 percent inflation-adjusted withdrawal rate using a 50-75 percent stock allocation should be reasonably safe. I have reservations about the 4 percent rule. It may be too aggressive for current retirees for reasons including increasing longevity, historically low interest rates coupled with higher than average stock market valuations, the impact of the international experience with the 4 percent rule casting a different light than 20th century US historical data, the need to maintain a rather aggressive asset allocation to have the best shot at success, and because the 4 percent rule assumes that investors do not pay any fees or otherwise underperform the underlying market indices. However, other factors suggest that sustainable spending may be even higher than traditional studies imply. Reasons for this include that actual retirees may tend to reduce their spending with age, that they build more diversified portfolios than used in the basic research studies, that real-world retirees may be willing to adjust spending for realized portfolio performance, and that some retirees may have the capacity and tolerance to accept higher portfolio failure probabilities because they have other sources of income from outside their portfolios. Related to these points, I also analyze nine variable spending strategies for retirees as well as the use of strategies that support short-term spending needs with individual bonds and longer-term spending needs with stocks. Retirees need to weigh the consequences between spending too little and spending too much-that is, being too frugal or running out of assets. This book is about implementing what I call the "probability-based" school of thought for retirement planning. It is especially relevant for people who plan to fund their retirements using an investment portfolio and those who are hesitant about using income annuities or other insurance products. I will explore annuities and insurance more extensively in later volumes since I do believe in the value of risk pooling as an additional source of returns to more efficiently meet retirement spending goals. But for now, we have plenty to discuss within the world of sustainable spending from an investment portfolio in retirement. The book concludes with a discussion about how to put these ideas together into a retirement spending plan.
The Road to FDNY Retirement
Author: Cfp Peter Thomann Ea
Publisher: Thomann Tax & Asset Management Incorporated
ISBN: 9780615815008
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 164
Book Description
The Road to FDNY Retirement: A tax and retirement planning guidebook for active & retired FDNY members is the second book of a series of New York City retirement planning books. The first book of the series, The Road to NYPD Retirement, has been edited to be relevant to FDNY members. Both FDNY & NYPD members face similar retirement planning decisions and often have the same questions regarding their retirement. The Road to FDNY Retirement will provide active, soon-to-retire, and retired FDNY personnel with a working knowledge of retirement planning and an in-depth consideration of important matters, including determining an optimal retirement date, election of final distribution, New York City Deferred Compensation Plan distributions, rollovers, union annuity plan distributions, and tax issues. This straightforward and easy to read guidebook will assist FDNY members in understanding relevant retirement planning issues. Topics include: FDNY pension calculations based on twenty years of service and beyond; Analysis of final distribution and rollover choices; Tax and distribution issues; IRC 72(t) exception; Roth IRA; and Tax planning case study for an accidental disability retiree. Retiring from the FDNY today is very different from thirty years ago. While The Road to FDNY Retirement is not meant to provide all of the answers to the complex decisions facing active and retired members of the FDNY today, it will unquestionably provide a solid understanding of tax and retirement planning issues specific to this community and help ensure a secure and stable foundation for the years to come.
Publisher: Thomann Tax & Asset Management Incorporated
ISBN: 9780615815008
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 164
Book Description
The Road to FDNY Retirement: A tax and retirement planning guidebook for active & retired FDNY members is the second book of a series of New York City retirement planning books. The first book of the series, The Road to NYPD Retirement, has been edited to be relevant to FDNY members. Both FDNY & NYPD members face similar retirement planning decisions and often have the same questions regarding their retirement. The Road to FDNY Retirement will provide active, soon-to-retire, and retired FDNY personnel with a working knowledge of retirement planning and an in-depth consideration of important matters, including determining an optimal retirement date, election of final distribution, New York City Deferred Compensation Plan distributions, rollovers, union annuity plan distributions, and tax issues. This straightforward and easy to read guidebook will assist FDNY members in understanding relevant retirement planning issues. Topics include: FDNY pension calculations based on twenty years of service and beyond; Analysis of final distribution and rollover choices; Tax and distribution issues; IRC 72(t) exception; Roth IRA; and Tax planning case study for an accidental disability retiree. Retiring from the FDNY today is very different from thirty years ago. While The Road to FDNY Retirement is not meant to provide all of the answers to the complex decisions facing active and retired members of the FDNY today, it will unquestionably provide a solid understanding of tax and retirement planning issues specific to this community and help ensure a secure and stable foundation for the years to come.