Cracking Your Retirement Nest Egg (Without Scrambling Your Finances)

January 1, 2003
The title may be unwieldy, but the book is not: Malapsina's modest volume is a simple, straightforward guide to the Byzantine subject of retirement planning. Twenty-five short chapters instruct readers on the basics of plan types, on organizing, withdrawing from, rolling over, avoiding taxes on and investing in plan assets, and on "special situations," such as domestic partnerships, women's retirement, inheritance, company stock and estate planning. Even those who fancy themselves knowledgeable about pensions and defined contribution plans may find new information here. For instance, Malaspina points out that, contrary to popular belief, most large companies in the U.S. still offer traditional, defined benefit retirement plans that reward loyalty and deliver a regular percentage of pre-retirement wages. (The problem is, the modern workforce doesn't stay in one place long enough to maximize these benefits). Designed as a reference rather than a sit-down read, this book is brief and clear. But readers should not misled: retirement rules are frequently convoluted and arcane, and a book is no substitute for a competent attorney or financial planner. But if used as a broad outline to retirement planning issues, Malaspina's volume can serve to highlight important areas for further consideration.