Wes Moss - You can retire sooner than you think: the 5 money secrets of the happiest retirees

I love, love, love this book. Wes Moss has knocked it out of the park. So many people are intimidated by saving for retirement, spending in retirement, and living in retirement. Wes deals with all three of these concerns with plain-talking good sense backed by rock solid research. The goal is to be happy, not rich.

The keys that Wes identifies to having a happy retirement are simple but brilliant. Read this book.

CLARK HOWARD, consumer advocate, nationally syndicated radio talk show host, and author of Clark Howards Living Large in Lean Times

You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think is the modern day version of The Millionaire Next Doorit gives you an honest guide to an early and happy retirement. Through his national survey on money and happiness, Wes Moss discovered a groundbreaking answer to the question Can money buy happiness? and in this book he gives you the steps to retire early and happy. This book is packed with great advice regardless of your age or financial situation.

ANDY DEAN, nationally syndicated radio host of America Now with Andy Dean

Copyright 2014 by Wes Moss. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-183903-7

MHID: 0-07-183903-8

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-183902-0, MHID: 0-07-183902-X.

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This book is dedicated with love
to my wife, Lynne,
and three sons,
Ben, Luke, and Jake.

CHAPTER 4 Secret #1
Determine What You Want and Need Your Retirement Money For

CHAPTER 5 Secret #2
Figure Out How Much Money You Need to Save Before You Retire

CHAPTER 6 Secret #3
Pay Off Your Mortgage in as Little as Five Years

CHAPTER 7 Secret #4
Develop an Income Stream from Three or Four Sources, Not Just One

CHAPTER 8 Secret #5
Become an Income Investor

CHAPTER 9 How Risky Can You Be?
Come Up with the Right Mix of Stocks, Bonds, Real Estate, and Cash

APPENDIX C Chart Labeling
Happy Versus Unhappy and H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5

I try so hard to get my listeners and viewers to save for a rainy day and save for retirement. You may intend to do both, but life somehow gets in the way. Even if you have a mind to save, most of us find saving money intimidating. It is confusing to know how much to save, where to save it, what kind of investments to have, and who to trust.

I believe that you should start with a map: where are you trying to go? I know a guy who plays the lottery twice per week. He dreams of being the winner of one of those mega jackpots. I asked him what he would do if he won. His answer, I wont be at work tomorrow. Then I asked him what he would do with his life after he stopped working. I was met with a blank stare.

Retirement or not working is fine, but only if you have a plan for doing what you enjoy, how you would spend your days, and what your ideal life would cost. Then you can start to set goals.

My 67-year-old brother Gary is a retired lawyer. He spends his days volunteering, and he and his wife take about a trip a month to see the United States and the world.

Gary and his wife Debra began planning 20 years ago. They hired a fee-only financial planner. The planner did what any great planner will do. He asked what they enjoyed and what their dreams were. He then estimated what that lifestyle would cost and how much they would have to save to make it happen by the time my brother was 65. Debra has decided not to retire yet and is still working full time, which has made my brothers transition to retirement easier.

But it isnt just about dollars and cents. Retirement should be a joy. As you read this book, you will learn the keys to having a happy retirement. You might think that happiness is strictly personal. What would make you happy is completely different from what would make me happy. However, you will be surprised and ultimately convinced that certain traits and steps are common if you want real, lasting happiness when your workdays sail into the sunset.

Wes Moss uses his many years of experience as an investment advisor to real-life families to create a must-read for you if you want to retire happy. He has facts and many of the important keys that lead to true happiness as work goes into the rear-view mirror.

Wes unlocks the secrets to a happy retirement.

Clark Howard
Nationally syndicated talk show host,