Author: Mark Fried
Publisher: Advantage Media Group
ISBN: 978-1-59932-797-6

“A Wealth Strategy anticipates problems before they happen, provides answers to questions beyond just what asset allocation you should use, and always keeps you on track,” Mark Fried writes at the beginning of his book, Road Rules for Retirement: Set Your Destination & Enjoy the Journey.

This one-hundred-and-seventy-four-page hardbound targets those planning or getting ready to retire from work. After acknowledgments, a preface, introduction, and word of caution, it contains ten chapters, ending with a conclusion and wealth strategy checklist. With a few black and white photographs and charts, each chapter ends with questions to consider.

An expert in the financial services industry, the writer purports that there are specific post-retirement strategies that can be enacted to enjoy a less stressed-out lifestyle when one is no longer employed. Covering topics such as considering how to take disbursements of pensions or tax shelters, Social Security, and savings accounts, it also discusses tax ramifications, life and long-term insurance, and creating a legacy. The last chapter promotes using the author and his team at TFG Wealth Management to aid in the retirement process.

I like that this book advocates one should be aware of what is ahead when retirement approaches. Since my husband and I are to retire next year, we already know the tax laws if cashing in on IRAs, TSAs, and pensions. I appreciate the details regarding these three avenues of income in the book and how taxes should be considered.

While the book is well-written, there is plenty of the writer’s personal experiences and touting of his wealth management strategies that surpass all others, especially since he approaches it supposedly differently. There is little dialogue of downsizing a home for income or suggestions of what to do with savings accounts that have already been taxed (except for any interest earned). I found the promotion of long-care insurance a sales pitch, while it also noted to buy a large over-priced life insurance policy if your spouse is ill and use it to offset the taxes when your loved one passes and your status changes from joint to single.

While reading this book, I felt it was a written infomercial to contact Mark and use his services as they are better than any financial advisor’s. Since I did not learn anything new (except for the life insurance trick), I wish it had charts to fill out for tracking instead of simplistic questions to ask.

If you are looking for a wealth management advisor, you may want to take advantage of contacting the writer to get a free “second opinion” consultation, but, sorry, I was not too impressed with this book. Not knowing the future, I wonder what the best strategy for the money we have accumulated over the years is, so most likely my best option is to continue to trust God for guidance as I keep reading any material about retirement that is available to me.

Thanks to News & Experts and Bookpleasures for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.