Review of Reconfigurement
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Philip Mahlangu
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Review of Reconfigurement
[Following is a volunteer review of "Reconfigurement" by E. Alan Fleischauer.]
Sometimes a book lands in your hands unexpectedly and it completely takes you by surprise. Reconfigurement had that effect on me. Who knew that I was most probably ill-prepared for retirement? E. Alan Fleischauer knows that some of us, in fact, most of us, are going to run out of money during our retirement, and this book was written with the intention to be a wake-up call that sets us on a better path. The author has been helping people plan for their retirement for decades, and this valuable experience makes him an actual expert in retirement planning. And nothing captures the true beauty of this book than this quote plucked out of the book: "To truly meet the reality of aging Americans, I believe retirement strategies need to include a plan of action that actively incorporates pre- and post-retirement activities."
The book first tries to re-educate us on the topic of retirement. This is needed because it helps us dismantle some of the false ideas we may have had about retirement. People who have 401(k)s or pension probably believe that they are doing everything right in preparation for retirement, but E. Alan Fleischauer argues that people aren't even putting enough money into their 401(k)s and pension programs. That's the first wake-up call we have to grapple with, and it may be the most important because there is nothing that would suck more than realising that the only plan you had towards retiring well ended up being a huge failure.
Chapters 6, 7, and 9 were my favourite part of the book. I'm into investment strategies, and Chapter 7 talks more about investment opportunities and how to go about trying to make your money grow. Chapters 6 and 9 talk about Social Security and health insurance respectively. The covering of a wide variety of topics and ideas is what makes this book so great, and what makes the author so respectable. You can tell someone knows about what they are talking about when they make you see something from a completely different view, one that you had no ability to even think of, and that's what the author does best in this book.
I personally didn't care for the humour, though. It wasn't that sharp and didn't really do anything for the book. The author explains why the use of humour felt necessary to be included, but our sense of humour differs from person to person that I felt it was an unnecessary risk to take. One person's joke is another's cringe fest.
I still think that the book is worth the 4 out of 4 stars I am rating it. It's brilliant in all other areas and offers great advice on a topic that is essential in life. Worrying about money should be the last thing on our minds after we retire, but it seems that a lot of people actually retire without enough, and this book may help reduce the number of those destined for a spectacular disaster.
A book like this should reach as many people as possible, and I think that recommending it to people who want to be more financially savvy seems like the right beginning. We are not born with all the knowledge, and this type of book is a good way to learn more about finances and how to better manage them.
******
Reconfigurement
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Sometimes a book lands in your hands unexpectedly and it completely takes you by surprise. Reconfigurement had that effect on me. Who knew that I was most probably ill-prepared for retirement? E. Alan Fleischauer knows that some of us, in fact, most of us, are going to run out of money during our retirement, and this book was written with the intention to be a wake-up call that sets us on a better path. The author has been helping people plan for their retirement for decades, and this valuable experience makes him an actual expert in retirement planning. And nothing captures the true beauty of this book than this quote plucked out of the book: "To truly meet the reality of aging Americans, I believe retirement strategies need to include a plan of action that actively incorporates pre- and post-retirement activities."
The book first tries to re-educate us on the topic of retirement. This is needed because it helps us dismantle some of the false ideas we may have had about retirement. People who have 401(k)s or pension probably believe that they are doing everything right in preparation for retirement, but E. Alan Fleischauer argues that people aren't even putting enough money into their 401(k)s and pension programs. That's the first wake-up call we have to grapple with, and it may be the most important because there is nothing that would suck more than realising that the only plan you had towards retiring well ended up being a huge failure.
Chapters 6, 7, and 9 were my favourite part of the book. I'm into investment strategies, and Chapter 7 talks more about investment opportunities and how to go about trying to make your money grow. Chapters 6 and 9 talk about Social Security and health insurance respectively. The covering of a wide variety of topics and ideas is what makes this book so great, and what makes the author so respectable. You can tell someone knows about what they are talking about when they make you see something from a completely different view, one that you had no ability to even think of, and that's what the author does best in this book.
I personally didn't care for the humour, though. It wasn't that sharp and didn't really do anything for the book. The author explains why the use of humour felt necessary to be included, but our sense of humour differs from person to person that I felt it was an unnecessary risk to take. One person's joke is another's cringe fest.
I still think that the book is worth the 4 out of 4 stars I am rating it. It's brilliant in all other areas and offers great advice on a topic that is essential in life. Worrying about money should be the last thing on our minds after we retire, but it seems that a lot of people actually retire without enough, and this book may help reduce the number of those destined for a spectacular disaster.
A book like this should reach as many people as possible, and I think that recommending it to people who want to be more financially savvy seems like the right beginning. We are not born with all the knowledge, and this type of book is a good way to learn more about finances and how to better manage them.
******
Reconfigurement
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
