Finance and Investing Book Club

During this meetup, we will discuss How to Retire: 20 Lessons for a Happy, Successful, and Wealthy Retirement by Christine Benz.

"What are the secrets to a healthy, happy, and wealthy retirement?

To answer that question, longtime Morningstar columnist and podcaster Christine Benz asked 20 retirement thought leaders to go deep on a single lesson that they believe contributes to success in retirement.

These lessons range from nitty gritty financial matters to quality-of-life considerations that help pre-retirees and retirees maximize their 'time on earth' allocations.

On the financial side of the ledger, the book delves into knowing your retirement income style (Wade Pfau), understanding how your spending might change in retirement (David Blanchett), and organizing your portfolio to support in-retirement cash flows (William Bernstein).

Other interviews probe softer but no less important considerations, such as how to spend in order to optimize happiness (Ramit Sethi), the value of burnishing relationships later in life (Laura Carstensen), and living life so that you have no regrets in the end (Jordan Grumet). These lessons help soon-to-retire and already-retired individuals and their advisors tackle retirement with confidence, wisdom, and a specific plan for maximizing their financial and human capital."

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Some more general notes about the book club:

• We rotate through different types of books, with some covering historical or current events and others more along the lines of practical advice about how to do something.
• No specific ideas are necessarily endorsed – we try to read a variety of topics to expose ourselves to new ideas and ways of thinking.
• We try to grab the room to the back-right of Fortnight Brewing Company's main inside seating area (coming in the door on the front of the building, facing Maynard Road), but will get a table nearby if the room isn't available.
• No worries about coming in mid-discussion ― we usually manage to get off-topic anyways ― and feel free to come even if you didn't manage to finish the book. Also, no shame if you listen to it on Audible!

During this meetup, we will discuss The Permanent Portfolio: Harry Browne's Long-Term Investment Strategy by Craig Rowland and J.M. Lawson.

"An up close look at an investment strategy that can handle today's uncertain financial environment.

Market uncertainty cannot be eliminated. So rather than attempt to do away with it, why not embrace it? That is what this book is designed to do. The Permanent Portfolio takes you through Harry Browne's Permanent Portfolio approach - which can weather a wide range of economic conditions from inflation and deflation to recession - and reveals how it can help investors protect and grow their money.

Written by Craig Rowland and Mike Lawson, this reliable resource demonstrates everything from a straightforward four-asset Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) version of the strategy all the way up to a sophisticated approach using Swiss bank storage of selected assets for geographic and political diversification. In all cases, the authors provide step-by-step guidance based upon personal experience. This timeless strategy is supported by more than three decades of empirical evidence.
The authors skillfully explain how to incorporate the ideas of the Permanent Portfolio into your financial endeavors in order to maintain, protect, and grow your money. Includes select updates of Harry Browne's Permanent Portfolio approach, which reflect our changing times.

The Permanent Portfolio is an essential guide for investors who are serious about building a better portfolio."

***

Some more general notes about the book club:

• We rotate through different types of books, with some covering historical or current events and others more along the lines of practical advice about how to do something.
• No specific ideas are necessarily endorsed – we try to read a variety of topics to expose ourselves to new ideas and ways of thinking.
• We try to grab the room to the back-right of Fortnight Brewing Company's main inside seating area (coming in the door on the front of the building, facing Maynard Road), but will get a table nearby if the room isn't available.
• No worries about coming in mid-discussion ― we usually manage to get off-topic anyways ― and feel free to come even if you didn't manage to finish the book. Also, no shame if you listen to it on Audible!