This review is an excerpt of Michael Pellechia's monthly BookPage business and finance book round-up.

Get a Life

You Don't Need a Million
to Retire Well

By Ralph Warner
Nolo Press, $18.95

ISBN 0873373278

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Review by Michael Pellecchia

Are you a victim of retirement industry scare tactics? You may be if you read too many ads and articles about the small fortune you'll need to retire independently. It's enough to make you hold three jobs now. And put off life forever. We are frequently admonished to have 80 percent of our maximum annual working income available for retirement. How different would your planning be if that figure were more like 40-60 percent?

Ralph Warner's research has shown that many middle-class retirees, with incomes from $20,000 to 200,000, share a sense that they have "enough." And the premise of his book is to think about other things that will affect your retirement besides money, such as "health, spiritual life, relationships with family and friends and having a plate full of interesting things to do."

As the author points out, his book "is one of the few sources of retirement information you'll ever read by a person not directly or indirectly in the pay of the retirement or investment industry."

It would be nice if someone in the industry spoke as candidly.

Michael Pellecchia writes about business and finance books for this publication. He can be reached at michael_pellecchia@bookpage.com.

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