Book Review: Save Your Retirement

One of the biggest fears that many people have right now is that it might be impossible to salvage one's retirement. The good news is that it is not impossible to recover some of what has been lost. Save Your Retirement: What to Do If You Haven't Saved Enough or If Your Investments Were Devastated by the Market Meltdown offers a look at how you can save your retirement effectively -- even if you are already retired. Save Your Retirement is written by financial adviser Frank Armstrong, III and personal finance columnist Paul B. Brown.

Save Your Retirement is organized in a thoughtful, intuitive manner. It addresses fears about retirement, and provides hope. Then the book points out that many people are happy with "second acts". I especially liked the example of a retired general who moved to the Caribbean to teach yoga. That still sounds like retirement, but with a pay check. The idea is that retirement doesn't have to mean sitting around doing nothing. It can involve doing something you enjoy doing part-time, and getting paid for it. Armstrong and Brown also provide helpful insights into avoiding digging yourself deeper.

The rest of the book deals with how you can save your retirement, depending on where you are at. The book is divided into sections help you develop retirement strategies if you are retiring in 20 years, 15 years, 10 years, 5 years, now or if you are already retired. The advice is sensible and doable, and explained in language that is easy to understand.

Overall, I found Save Your Retirement a good read, and one that can be helpful to you -- no matter your stage in life or how long you have until retirement.