Retirement Fail: The 9 Reasons People Flunk Post–Work Life and How to Ace Your Own

PRAISE FOR RETIREMENT FAIL

"Greg Sullivan reveals why the choices we make are sometimes more important than the income we make. In a very conversational way, Greg reveals how people in retirement create unnecessary stress in their golden years by buying things, building things, or pursuing immediate gratification without regard to the impact on their long–term life style and their pursuit of happiness. With this book, Greg brings wonderful perspective from his years of experience in working with those transitioning to the last third of their lives. He also does a masterful job of provoking other financial professionals to dig into the human side and not just rely on the numbers to give meaningful guidance to their clients."
Mark Tibergien, Chief Executive Officer, Pershing Advisor Solutions, a BNY Mellon Company

"As a trained accountant, Greg Sullivan knows the numbers behind retirement success. What sets him apart, however, are the stories he′s accumulated over his distinguished career of how even the best of us can fail at retirement. This rare right–brain/left–brain view provides valuable guidance that can help all of us better navigate the road to a successful retirement and a more meaningful life. Leave it to a CPA to write the best story–based guide to retirement that you′ll ever read!"
Don Phillips, Managing Director, Morningstar

"With a thoughtful effort to focus on the most practical points, Sullivan lays out for the readers of Retirement Fail a step–by–step guide to mastering a successful and financially stable retirement. Drawing on decades of experience and wisdom in helping people avoid or recover from their money mistakes, he illuminates a litany of must–do rules and real–life lessons to ensure retirement funds last. It is a worthy read for any investor Bravo!"
Sterling Shea, Associate Publisher, Head of Advisory Programs, Barron′s

"The average person spends more than 50 years of his or her life working, and many of those years saving for and preparing for retirement. Greg Sullivan′s Retirement Fail: The 9 Reasons People Flunk Post–Work Life and How to Ace Your Own serves as a guide to avoiding behavioral and lifestyle mistakes that can trip us up, and frankly, are easy to make. This book opens our eyes to how much of our retirement success is truly within our own control."
Bernie Clark, Executive Vice President, Advisor Services, Charles Schwab & Co.

"If you′re approaching or are in retirement, this is a book you need to read. Think of Retirement Fail as tough love. Reading all of the possible reasons your retirement may fail might seem to be an unpleasant experience but Greg Sullivan′s very readable real–world vignettes on issues from ′imprudent spending′ to ′graying divorce′ will provide you with the awareness and knowledge you need to ensure you don′t fail."
Harold Evensky, CFP®

Foreword

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 A (Too) Free Flow of Cash 1

Chapter 2 The Nest That Won t Empty 20

Chapter 3 Graying Divorce 36

Chapter 4 That Home Away from Home 55

Chapter 5 The Lure of the Entrepreneur 69

Chapter 6 Swindler s Mark 85

Chapter 7 Health Matters 99

Chapter 8 Life s Unpredictabilities 114

Chapter 9 Underliving Your Wealth 136

Finding the Right Financial Advisor 144

Checklist: Finding the Right Advisor 149

About the Author 151

Resources 152

Notes 153

Index 159

GREG SULLIVAN, CPA, CFP®, is president and CEO of Sullivan Bruyette Speros & Blayney, a wealth advisory firm providing financial advice to high–net–worth and ultra–high–net–worth clients. He is a founding member of both the Alpha Group and Blind Squirrels, national consortia of wealth managers and business owners. Barron′s has recognized Greg as one of the nation′s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors and Washingtonian magazine named him as one of the Best Financial Advisers in Washington, DC.

For more, visit RetirementFail.com