GROW · VOLUME 1 OF 3 · FOUNDATIONSRetirement shelf
Retirement Planning Fundamentals
The first book to read on retirement. It explains why the years you start matter, how to estimate the portfolio you need, how 401(k)s, IRAs and Roth accounts differ, what to do in each decade, and the basics of turning savings into a paycheck that lasts.
Chapters7
Reading time40 min
Worked examples15
Updated2026-10-01
What you will be able to do
- Estimate your retirement number and the range around it, using your own spending and other income.
- Explain how a 401(k), a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA differ, and decide between traditional and Roth contributions.
- Capture your full employer match and choose an order for filling your accounts.
- Name the ages at which retirement rules change, and the action that matters most in your current decade.
- Judge whether a withdrawal rate is likely to last, and why the first years of retirement carry the most risk.
Contents
7 CHAPTERS · ABOUT 40 MIN- 01Why Starting Early Matters How compounding makes the years you save worth more than the amount, why people put off starting, and the automatic habits that research shows actually raise saving.6 min3 computed
- 02Deciding What Retirement Means for You Five ways to retire, from full retirement to semi-retirement and early retirement, what each does to your savings target, and the non-financial costs worth planning for.5 min2 computed
- 03Your Retirement Number The 25 times rule and the withdrawal rate behind it, how inflation, Social Security and other income change the target, and what the simple number leaves out.5 min3 computed
- 04401(k), IRA and Roth: How the Accounts Differ Traditional versus Roth tax treatment, the 2026 limits and income ranges for 401(k)s, traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs, early-withdrawal rules, required distributions, and how to choose.6 min
- 05The Employer Match, the Order to Save In, and Fees How employer matches and vesting work, a common order for filling accounts, simple low-cost ways to invest, how fees delay retirement, and how to move a 401(k) when you change jobs.6 min2 computed
- 06A Retirement Timeline by Age What matters most in each decade from your twenties to your sixties, the 2026 catch-up contributions, and the ages at which federal rules for withdrawals, Social Security and Medicare change.6 min2 computed
- 07Turning Savings into Income How much a portfolio can pay each year, why the order of returns early in retirement matters, ways to make a withdrawal plan sturdier, and a basic order for drawing from accounts.5 min3 computed
CALCULATORS USED IN THIS BOOK