Review
Jim: Thank you for forwarding your book. I downloaded it early this morning and just now, after several hours, completed the first read. I'll sum it up in one word "SUPERB"!!! In my opinion, Jim, your book should be mandatory reading for every financial advisor - regardless of the area of their present or future professional focus. Well done, and thank you!!! ...and you may quote me on the above. Ami Maislish, President, Life Guide Jim: Your book is awesome! Very well written and crisply organized. It's a great encapsulation of your ideas and concepts. I can't wait for the hardcopy version. Thank you for the huge effort! Brant O. Greene, CFP®, CRPC®, MBA, Ameriprise Financial Jim: Thank you for early access to your work. You have successfully derailed my entire day's schedule as I've been power-reading through the pdf document. I confess, I did begin to get depressed and skipped to the zone chapters to see what hope you offer. First and foremost, thank you for the research, clear communication and prolific illustrations. Too many papers and reference books fail to break out the exact thought processes and calculations behind the text. Your illustrations are uniformly easy to read and support each contention. Thank you. Second, your consideration of a wide range of strategies and mixed tools demonstrates that you are a planner yourself. You did not take the simple way out, merely critiquing stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Including analysis of various annuity structures and consideration of life and long term care insurance bring the document from the realm of the academic to the pragmatic. Very helpful. Kevin J. Reperowitz, CFP®, SAGE Financial Group, LLC. Jim has applied his exceptional analytical skills to create a ground-breaking contribution to pre- and post-retirement financial planning - a must read for all serious students of the subject. Gail Bebee, personal finance speaker and author of No Hype - The Straight Goods on Investing Your Money. Jim: I perused your book and it is wonderful. Adele Gipson, CFA, CFP, CPA, Consolidated Planning Corporation. Jim: It is interesting to see what I consider "real" planning for retirement. There is so much hype about the right amount of money to have, so much about diversified investments, etc. that I am pleased to see a realistic and pragmatic approach. I especially liked the story about the financial advisor the client a muffin and coffee, determining that he had $1 million saved and needed $100,000 per year to live on.... and the advisor basically said "I can't help you" rather than trying to get a "retirement plan" for the fellow. That is the best story. Toni Chasmar. Jim: I absolutely loved your newest book and would like to employ this rational and the Zone strategy with all my clients. Graham Cook, CFP, CIM, FMA, RDA, Composite Finance Inc. Jim: I have been reading at your website for some years now and you are my hero for telling it how it really is, unlike the rest of the financial industry. Sharon Rowan --sources as indicated
About the Author
Jim completed his B.A.Sc. (Bachelor of Applied Sciences) degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto in 1975. Subsequently, he received his M.Eng. (Master of Engineering) degree at the same university. After spending several years in engineering and investing for his own account, he started his financial planning career in 1995. He is the author of three books; his most recent is Unveiling the Retirement Myth - Advanced Retirement Planning based on Market History. In 2001, he published the High Expectations & False Dreams - One Hundred Years of Stock Market History Applied to Retirement Planning . His first book was about Canadian dividend reinvestment plans. He contributed a chapter to Retirement Income Redesigned - Master Plans for Distribution, published in 2006. He also contributed content for Canadian Securities Institute courses on distribution planning. He has written over one hundred articles for various magazines internationally. He is quoted in the news media on retirement and financial planning issues. Jim's expertise stems from applying his engineering and technical analysis background to retirement planning. His article series in Retirement Planning won him the prestigious CFP-Board Award for 2001. He won this award a second time in 2002 on the same subject. Jim is an independent financial advisor. He gives workshops on advanced retirement planning. He is the founder of retirementoptimizer.com
