Every year more and more Australians are giving up full-time employment. They are often retiring at lower ages than formerly. At the same time scientific advances are prolonging human life.

In combination these two factors mean that the actual number of years which a typical Australian worker is now spending in retirement is greater than it has ever been before.

Superannuation coverage for people in the workforce is also improving. However, the question of how to invest their retirement money to their best advantage is a great source of worry to many people.

Ideally, planning for retirement should start in middle life and not the week before a person's 65th birthday. This book is a plain English guide which seeks to explain the basic issues involved in this process.

As well as dealing with budgeting, investing, tax, social security and legal issues, the book discusses various lifestyle aspects, such as the use of leisure and the possibility of having a "second career" after retirement. The book also analyses housing options and retirement villages.

336 pages   9780731400133   RRP $A24.95

Book Review by Garnett Znidaric:

N E Renton has provided information for me on everything from meeting procedures to the workings of the stock market for years. This time, in his usual clear, factual style, he has put together a very readable and comprehensive book on retirement planning. Why should this book be included in a magazine on trading? Simple. In many cases the reason we trade is to create a bigger pool of dollars to live on in later life. The book helps us understand more clearly the financial goals we need to set for various stages of our lives.

The book is not bedtime reading. But sit at your desk and study it and you will find that it is thorough, comprehensive and, with a relatively light touch, brings understanding to a generally very dry subject.

The author explores what can and can't be done, what the laws allow and what they don't. At the end of the book you may well find yourself a little more excited at the options you have in front of you. Keep in mind that it is most unwise to wait until you are in your fifties to start planning for retirement. As Fred Astaire once said, "Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it you have to start young."

In many ways Learn More About Retirement Planning is a straightforward book. It doesn't get carried away with the hype that many books do while pushing a particular concept. The realities, good and bad, are laid out to consider, making this book a most worthwhile addition to the bookshelf.