The fear of running out of money has grown from a lingering, nagging concern to widespread dread. People ask themselves “Will we have enough to live comfortably for the rest of our lives? What kind of legacy will we leave our children and grandchildren? Are we proactively taking the right steps to get the most out of what we’ve got?”
Unfortunately, many people devote too much time worrying about the day-to-day fluctuations in the market and lose sight of the big picture. They need long-term effective tax-savvy strategies and good advice to implement now. Effective strategies are even more important for IRA and retirement plan owners because of the heavy tax burden on these plans. The difference between effective and ineffective tax planning for IRA and retirement plans can be the difference between prosperity and financial ruin.
To provide direction in the IRA and retirement plan field, I have authored several books, and write a monthly IRA and retirement planning newsletter that goes to over 4,000 professional advisors. I also deliver more than 150 presentations each year—all in an effort to provide much-needed advice to both consumers and professional advisors on how to build, preserve and protect their retirement savings.
Jim Lange shares my passion and vision in this area. He is making a powerful impact by providing cutting-edge advice for IRA and retirement plan owners and their advisors. Jim’s valuable analysis and recommendations are unique to Retire Secure! You won’t find his combination of information and analysis anywhere else—not even in my published work.
But don’t think for a minute that Jim’s recommendations are new and untested. In 1998, Jim wrote a ground breaking, peer-reviewed article on Roth IRA conversions for the American Institute of CPAs. In that same article, Jim outlined his comprehensive and now-famous cascading beneficiary plan; an estate plan that many IRA and retirement plan owners should consider. Fortunately for you, the details are all in this book. Jim’s advice has stood the test of time and has been thoroughly vetted.
Retire Secure! covers all of the classic directives for sound retirement and estate panning, but the book evaluates them in light of the most recent tax laws. Thankfully, it is also spiced with humor. There are numerous cartoons, fun quotes, and flashes of Jim’s good sense of humor.
Jim’s overarching recommendation to “Pay Taxes Later” is as valid today as it was when the first edition of Retire Secure! was published. This simple phrase applies to all three stages of retirement planning: accumulating retirement assets, spending your assets in retirement, and planning for your heirs.
But let’s not forget whose book this is. Jim is a champion of Roth IRAs, Roth 401(k)s, and Roth IRA conversions, and those investments reflect the one place where Jim makes an important exception to his “Pay Taxes Later” mantra. Fortunately for us, Jim succeeds in untangling the myriad of complexities of IRAs and Roth IRAs that can derail even the best of intentions. Jim also delves into an area that deserves much more attention than it’s getting—Roth IRA conversions for high-income taxpayers. Due to changes in the 2010 tax laws, Jim and I agree that Roth IRA conversions are going to become a game changer for many families.
I highly recommend that you do yourself and your family a big favor and read Retire Secure! Planning for the future is not something to leave to chance. Knowledge is the first defense against mistakes, and taking action is what wins the game. Use Retire Secure! to effectively plan for your future.
— ED SLOTT, CPA,
Author and Speaker,
www.irahelp.com