Clement Greenberg: A Life

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Appalling

Lets hope the next biographer does better

A Fascinating Look at Clem Greenberg and Post-war art

superb biography of brand-name critic

Clement Greenberg: A Life
Florence Rubenfeld
Manufacturer: University of Minnesota Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism

ASIN: 0816644357

Book Description

Love him or hate him, admire him or revile him, there is no doubt that Clement Greenberg was the most influential critic of modern art in the second half of the twentieth century. His championing of abstract expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, and David Smith put the United States on the international art map. His support for color-field painters Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland dramatically accelerated their careers. The intellectual power of his polemical essays helped bring about the midcentury shift in which New York replaced Paris as the art capital of the Western world; his aggressive personality and fierce involvement in the New York art scene triggered a backlash so potent that one critic termed it a "patricide."

Customer Reviews:

Appalling.......2007-05-08

The unabashed bias with which this book was written is appalling. Hardly worthy of being deemed a biography--the last few chapters blather through the 60s, 70s and 80s with no regard to chronology--this book reads more like a collection of (mostly useless and uninformative) anecdotes about Greenberg and the group of critics and artists that surrounded him. Most of it reads like a late-night confession: telephone calls from drunken, disgruntled artists; fistfights with surrealists; battered and abandoned women; and bottle after bottle of devil liquor.

With regard to Greenberg's writing, a single paragraph discusses the polemical essay "Modernist Painting." The entire thrust of Greenberg's arguement is limited to one sentence, shocking in its ignorance: "...Clem emphasized modern art's continuity with the past and took an indirect shot at Rosenberg..."

Needless to say, this book is utterly useless to anyone interested in Greenberg's life and his writing. As a historical document, one of only two biographies written of Greenberg, this book is frankly offensive.

Lets hope the next biographer does better.......2004-02-15

The usefulness of this biography of the greatest art critic of the 20th Century is fatally compromised by its unfortunate tendency to use rumor, innuendo and the undependable testimony of disgruntled art world second-raters to cast Greenberg as an nasty, abusive all-around bad character.
I knew him for 35 years. He was sometimes cranky and disputatious, but he was also gentle, civil and always helpful, and he went out of his way to crit my paintings and listen to and tolerate my bitching and complaining about the art world. I do not recognize the man I knew in this book. Lets hope the next biographer does better

A Fascinating Look at Clem Greenberg and Post-war art.......2002-09-24

Florence Rubenfeld tells a magnificent story about a topic that might otherwise be rather dull: art criticism. She does, however, have great material to work with. Greenberg is intelligent, insightful, and had a difficult personality. The latter should not be seen as a drawback, however. A strong personality was needed to convince Americans and Europeans of the value of abstract expressionism and color field painting.

Rubenfeld provides a thorough story. I have written one book, Art in the Courtroom, and am busy on another one. Therefore, I consider myself fairly well-read with respect to art. I learned a tremendous amount. Nothing can be better than an informative book that is written well. Thank you F Rubenfeld.

superb biography of brand-name critic.......1998-04-03

Best biography in years about manufacture of American culture.As recently as 1951,you could not give away examples of abstract American art.With the assistance of powerful art collectors such as Ben Sonnenberg,( who revolutionized the public relations industry) an obscure,hard-drinking,cocaine-loving New York journalist named Clement Greenberg-- almost single-handed--hoisted American art to the commanding heights.This is romantic stuff.But no other book is so honest about the creation of value in Abstract Expressionism,Color Field painting,Pop Art and Minimalism.This is like reading the honest recollections of people who created the computer-driven stock markets.It is the book of the year. And maybe the book of the decade.Do not miss this smog-clearing gem!

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Clement Greenberg A Life

Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HZ9ADQ

Clement Greenberg: A Life.(Review) : An article from: New Criterion

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Clement Greenberg: A Life.(Review) : An article from: New Criterion
Karen Wilkin
Manufacturer: Foundation for Cultural Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Criterion, published by Foundation for Cultural Review on June 1, 1998. The length of the article is 3704 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Clement Greenberg: A Life.(Review)
Author: Karen Wilkin
Publication: New Criterion (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 1998
Publisher: Foundation for Cultural Review
Volume: 16 Issue: 10 Page: 74(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Here are the women who, over the past century, have captivated our imaginations, fueled our libidos, and won our eternal love. Now these luscious ladies are all in one extraordinary volume.Glamour Girls encompasses the world's most sensual goddesses from the Gay '90s of Lillian Russell through Clara Bow's Roaring '20s and Rita Hayworth's WWII years, on into the Swinging '60s of Raquel Welch and up to the hottest beauties at the brink of the new millennium. Actresses, figure and fashion models, performers, cult queens, porn stars, news anchors---more than 1,500 women from every field of entertainment are covered with incisive profiles and hundreds of rare photos.With rankings that are sure to provoke debate and with coverage so thorough that it inspires awe, Glamour Girls is the definitive book on the subject.

Customer Reviews:

I just want to correct something.......2001-12-10

Someone mentioned Caroline and Janet Munro. The late actress Janet Munro is not actress Caroline Munro's mother. This bit of misinformation has been around for decades and Caroline Munro has been refuting it for years. They are not related. Just ask her.

This Disappointing Compilation Underdelivers.......2000-12-30

I really was looking forward to this book. On the positive side, the author did do a lot of research into the pre-1950 glamour pin-ups of which most of us today are not familiar. On the negative side, the artwork is entirely disappointing - small black & white images do not capture glamour very well. In addition, he puts too many models in the book with insufficient detail to each. Rather than doing a sad overview of the top 1,000 - he should have done a nice portrayal of the top 500. As it was, he was getting pretty desperate to get to 1,000. Elvira (the horror film commedienne), Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek's Lt. Uhuru)and Lily Munster are all fine actresses/characters - but glamourous - not at all. Finally, amazingly, he left out some modern superstars like Emme. Save your money and avoid this one.

What part of "glamour" confused you, Steve?.......2000-10-31

For those of you who like to skim, here's the short review: cheesy, self-promoting "nudie" stars mixed with actresses we've all heard too much about. "Glamour" has nothing to do with it, only a woman's breast size (every bio includes a woman's measurements).

And for those looking for, as cheese-ball Steve would put it, "mammarian satisfaction", look somewhere else: the pictures here are terrible, small and silly. Any other review that says otherwise was probably written by a friend of the publisher. Look for better information on many websites.

For those of you, like me, who picked up this book thinking you would actually learn something about glamour girls (maybe get some movie recommendations)--wow, no chance. Here's the world according to Steve: Audrey Hepburn gets this rating: 96. He comments: "[she substituted] a delicacy masking inner strength in place of sex appeal". What a wonderfully backhanded comment. Kitten Natividad, on the other hand, has a ranking higher-than-Audrey ranking of 62 (as does other classless, un-glamour girls like Heather Locklear and Pam Anderson(!)). His comments on Kitten: "The essential quality that endears [her] is not her seductive face or epic-scaled breasts; it is her utter joy in performing." Um, yeah, *that's* what you're selling.

The writing is hackneyed, and the constant references to his other books weigh the whole effort with the smell of despiration. I'm not even going to sell this book or give it away--it goes right in the trash.

Poor Judgement.......2000-09-26

While some of the negative reviews are too extreme, I agree that "Glamour Girls" is a deeply flawed effort. First, the "GGs" should have been listed alphabetically or chronologically. The arbitrary descending-order approach is SO wrong-headed. How can the fabulous Diana Rigg be as low as #69? And the delectable Diana Dors is #70! Absurd! Second, Steve Sullivan should have focused on those women who are genuine personifications of glamour. I have nothing against Nichelle Nichols, but glamorous she ain't. Also, how can Mr. Sullivan include Caroline Munro, while neglecting her truly bewitching mother, Janet Munro? And I share the dismay of a previous reviewer at the inclusion of Madonna: ugh! Mr. Sullivan's worst offense in this regard is including a seemingly endless (and tedious) supply of Playboy centerfolds and, worse, porn actresses. Talk about a total suspension of judgement! Third, there are NOT some 1,000 glamour girls -- a little discrimination, a little taste. Magnificent mammaries do not a glamour girl make. Sure, Jayne Mansfield had them (boy, did she have them!), but she had much else besides. Fourth, I'm disappointed in Mr. Sullivan's indifferent research. For example, he mentions that Inger Stevens (#258) "played Robert Morse's sexy wife in the hit 'A Guide for the Married Man' (1967)." No, she didn't -- she played Walter Matthau's wife.

Despite all my carping, this isn't a bad book. The problem is that it was such a damned good idea so abominably handled, and that makes it appear so much worse than it is.

very good book.......2000-08-07

Given its subject matter, there really should be a photo for every entry. Also the picture in the color section labeled "Heather Thomas" is clearly "Donna Dixon". Hopefully this is the only mislabeled photo in an otherwise very good book.

Glamour Girls, The Illustrated Encyclopedia

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Glamour Girls, The Illustrated Encyclopedia
Steve Sullivan
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MZPS5K

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GLAMOUR GIRLS: THE ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA
Steve Sullivan
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTOJNQ

Book Description

A tell-all account of Studio Gainax, the creators of the classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Yasuhiro Takeda, a member of the Gainax company since its inception, talks about everything from the untold stories of Eva to the Gainax tax evasion scandal that plagued its production. Including a series of stunning revelations, this history of Gainax is a must-read for any serious anime fan.

Customer Reviews:

A quick, fun read, but not exactly a Gainax bible.......2005-09-12

The Notenki Memoirs, originally published in Japan in 2002, is a memoir by Yasuhiro Takeda, a longtime producer at Gainax. After reading nearly 200 pages of what is essentially a business memoir, however, I am hard pressed to say what, if anything, Takeda ever did at the company.

He started out as a student running sci-fi conventions, developed a relationship with Hideaki Anno and the crew who created the Daicon animations, ended up working at a model kit store, General Products, and eventually joined Gainax when the store got folded into the studio. What he did at Gainax is a mystery, but he remains there to this day.

A "producer" is someone who supplies or raises money for a production and oversees the creative people who make the actual anime, but, according to his memoir, Takeda was a miserable failure in all of these capacities. Due to his complete ignorance of the rudimentary basics of accounting and tax law, Gainax was convicted of massive tax evasion in the wake of Evangelion and its company President, Sawamura, carted off to jail. Under the worthless management skills of these same men, the company that boasted the visionary talent of Hideaki Anno and created such classics as Gunbuster and Nadia could barely even remain in the black.

In sum, after reading The Notenki Memoirs, I am convinced that the problem with Gainax has always been a lack of experienced business people handling the management and day-to-day problems of running a successful business. Men like Takeda are to blame, and his memoir reinforces the recent statement by Business Week that, despite its global visibility, the production of anime remains an immature cottage industry.

So what's in this memoir? Due to the fact that Takeda never took a creative role at Gainax, there is little information that illuminates the creative process behind our favorite Gainax shows. The first half of book details the rise of amateur sci-fi fandom in Japan and the creation of the Daicon anime shorts and Daicon films. There are some interesting details about how Yamaga, Akai, and Anno created Daicon III and IV, but also a lot of inconsequential memories regarding the petty politics and minor problems of running various sci-fi conventions.

It is not well-known that Gainax created a number of live-action films, including The Return of Ultraman and Patriotic Taskforce Great Japan! The information that Notenki Memoirs contains about these films is invaluable. Before this book's publication, English-speaking fans have had almost no reliable facts about these obscure bits of Gainax history.

The book's second, shorter half chronicles Gainax's move to Tokyo and the creation of its various anime, including a number of aborted projects we never knew much about. The details about each production, completed or not, are pretty thin-a grand total of two pages is devoted to Nadia. The book closes with a roundtable interview of the original three Gainax founders, Anno, Akai, and Yamaga. They are only asked about Takeda, however, so not many details about the productions or themselves are revealed here, either.

The Notenki Memoirs is not the Gainax bible some (I) had hoped for, but it is a quick, cheap, enjoyable read that fills in some gaps about Gainax history. Our entire knowledge of Gainax was based previously on a handful of translated scraps that end up on the internet or magazines, and it is valuable to have 200 pages of material straight from the horse's mouth. Also, if Notenki Memoirs sells well, it will encourage ADV and other companies to translate similar material.

The Notenki Memoirs.......2005-07-13

"Memoirs of madness

Yasuhiro Takeda reveals the secrets of a world-famous anime production studio in this tell-all account of the horrors and hopes that accompanied GAINAX's rise to fame. From beginners' luck to the edge of defeat, this journey through the life and mind of one witness sheds light on the production of Neon Genesis Evangelion and what it takes to make a runaway hit."

First of all, it should be mentioned that, contrary to the synopsis printed on the back of the book, this book is not about Evangelion. In fact, in the near 200 pages of the book's text, only a few pages pertain directly to Evangelion. For the Evangelion fan, this is not a disappointment. In fact, this book is quite an enjoyable read, and provides a wonderful look into the life and times of Studio Gainax.

I have long been intrigued by the reputation that follows the Gainax name. In-depth information on the studio, in terms of its makeup and foundation, is generally scarce at best in the English language. In general, the majority of the information about Gainax circulates within the realm of Evangelion fandom. While it is arguably unfair that a single studio be defined and revered due to a single work, Evangelion is a unique exception. It should be noted that Gainax came close to extinction in the early 90s, and would not have survived if it were not for Evangelion. Not only did it solve the studio's money woes, it also firmly entrenched the studio in the industry as a major player.

The Notenki Memoirs takes you up until the time of Evangelion, but speaks very little of Evangelion's success and the subsequent transformation of the studio. It would be interesting if Hiroyuki Yamaga, who took over as president of the studio following Evangelion's success, were to write his own memoirs, in order to flesh out the post-Evangelion era in Gainax's history. Both eras are of equal interest and importance, sadly, Takeda does not delve into the later era. This book was initially published in 2002, and could have covered more events from 1996 onwards. Why Takeda did not cover much of the events past Evangelion is unknown to me at this time. The content of the book spans from the late seventies up until Evangelion's success, and then quickly concludes. It includes various notes on names and things, so those not familiar with various items of Japanese or Sci-Fi culture can cross reference as they read. Some can be redundant, but in general, they are quite helpful. Sandwiched between the two halves of the book is a report from the 40th Annual Japan Sci-Fi Convention, where Takeda's resigned from his position as Chairman of the Japan Sci-Fi Fan Group Association. Concluding the book is "Trial in Absentia!" an interview in which Hiroyuki Yamaga, Hideaki Anno, and Takami Akai speak candidly about Yasuhiro Takeda.

The Notenki Memoirs builds to the point where you think you're about the get to the really interesting stuff, such as Evangelion behind the scenes, or the reformation of the company after the success of Eva. Sadly it does not. However, it does in great detail discuss the vague early years of Gainax in a fascinating retrospective. It's the sort of book that appeals more to fans of Otaku no Video rather than fans of Evangelion. This is not to say that Evangelion fans would not enjoy The Notenki Memoirs, Evangelion fans must simply realize that they are not reading a book about Evangelion. I would argue that any fan of anime would enjoy this book, especially those interested in convention culture, and various forms of fan produced works and products. As the story goes, a bunch of Sci-Fi geeks started holding Sci-Fi events, and wound up running one of the most influential animation studios in Japan. That is impressive in its own right. Realize that you're reading about amateurs who simply had nothing else to do but cling to their interests, and refused to give up. From Sci-Fi events, to General Products, to Daicon Film, to Gainax, this book is a rare look into the lives of young men who refused to make it in the real world. Rather than climb the mountain, they made their own, stood atop it, and yelled "I" at the heart of the world.

Book Description

Clay Thompson's Valley 101: A Slightly Skewed Guide to Living in Arizona

Customer Reviews:

I Discovered Clay Thompson!.......2005-01-25

Well, not really. I did work with him back in the '80s and I discovered that he was a damn good writer and I wondered why he was the religion editor and/or an assistant city editor rather than a superstar columnist. But I didn't mention this to anybody, because who would have listened to me? These things tend to work themselves out in time, and I'm glad to see that this one did. Get the book, and anything else he writes.

Great fun, even if you've never been to Arizona.......2004-02-14

I've been reading Clay Thompson's Valley 101 columns in The Arizona Republic for years now. I grew up in Phoenix, but have not lived there for 20 years. Thompson has answered questions about Arizona's quirks (and our own) that I always wondered about but never knew where to ask, or had the time and inclination to find out for myself.

He has an irreverent, yet never offensive style. 90% of his answers would make great subjects for bar bets, if you're into that sort of thing.

Book Description

Early Cinema in Russia chronicles one of the great lost periods in cinema history, that of Pre-Revolutionary Russia. In contrast to standard film histories, Yuri Tsivian focuses on reflected images: it features the historical film-goer and early writings on film as well as examining the physical elements of cinematic performance.

"Tsivian casts a probing beam of illumination into some of the most obscure areas of film history. And the terrain he lights up with his careful assembly and insightful reading of the records of early film viewing in Russia not only changes our sense of the history of this period but also . . . causes us to re-evaluate some of our most basic theoretical and historical assumptions about what a film is and how it affects its audiences."—Tom Gunning, from the Foreword

"Early Cinema in Russia . . . reveals Tsivian's strengths very well and demonstrates why he is . . . the finest film historian of his generation in the former Soviet Union."—Denise Y. Youngblood, Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television

"A work of fundamental importance."—Julian Graffy, Recent Studies of Russian and Soviet Cinema

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Beethoven a Documentary Study
H C Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: MACMILLAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDYC4M

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Beethoven a Documentary Study Abridged
H C Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: MACMILLAN PUBLISHING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SMSPWA

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Beethoven a Documentary Study Abridged
H C Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: MACMILLAN PUBLISHING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDDO5A

Average customer rating:

Close to the soul of the composer

Beethoven: A Documentary Study
H. C. Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: Macmillan & Company/Collier Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Beethoven, Ludwig van | Composers | Classical | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0025678302

Customer Reviews:

Close to the soul of the composer.......1999-09-04

I am sorry for anyone who has not read this. This is closer to understanding Beethoven than anything other than his string quartets. Certainly, his letter writing was utilitarian and not artistic, but this book is mostly by contemporaries, describing which portrait looked most like him, the way he spent his days, his habits, his manners, his conducting style, his attitudes, dress, hair, and love. I found the story of the discovery of his deafness profoundly moving, real, not a lost fact of history about a person who never existed. Beethoven created the string quartets. I rely on those compositions to understand his deepest feelings. This book is the construction upon which the man himself lived and breathed. Also, since these are primarily letters to and from him or his contemporaries, this book makes excellent reading for the toliet. I am very serious.

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Beethoven: A Documentary Study
H.C. Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: MACMILLAN COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLDWLO

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Beethoven: A documentary Study
H. C. Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: MACMILLIAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OMMCJ6

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Beethoven a Documentary Study Abridged
H C Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: MACMILLAN PUBLISHING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PWDE1K

Average customer rating:

Beethoven-a Documentary Study
H. C. Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: Macmillan, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBBPPG

Book Description

Murders most foul, criminal capers, and miscellaneous mysteries:
welcome to the world of wily logician Thomas P. Stanwick. Join him
as he fingers the guilty parties in homicides, robberies, frauds,
and espionage--and helps his neighbors with less felonious puzzlers.
Take a careful look at the facts, the timing, and the suspects--and
try to get to the bottom of these whodunits as quickly as Stanwick!

Customer Reviews:

Another Stanwick winner.......2002-06-28

These short "mind benders" are great puzzling fun! Now that I've finished this book, as well as Five-Minute Whodunits, I'm ready for another. Is there a third Stanwick book in the works?

Average customer rating:

Agree with 90% of the recommendations

Warnings with hope and answers

Great book.

Just what you need to understand what you face...solid

Carlson is up to date!

The New Rules of Retirement: Strategies for a Secure Future
Robert C. Carlson
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Praise for THE NEW RULES OF RETIREMENT

"As a Wharton graduate, money manager, Chief Financial Officer, and Certified Financial Analyst, I didn't think I needed help in making investment choices and planning for my retirement. I was wrong. I have been a subscriber to Retirement Watch since 1997. I trust Bob Carlson completely and follow his investment, tax, and planning advice personally."
—Sandy Kagan, CFA
CFO Partner, Tatum Partners

"A clear, practical, and wisely unconventional guide to the new world of retirement."
—Humberto Cruz
Nationally syndicated financial columnist, Tribune Media Services

"Bob Carlson does a magnificent job preparing readers for the many challenging issues they will face over the next several decades. Retirees can no longer count on generous asset returns and employer-provided defined benefit plans. Bob provides readers with creative approaches for contending with these challenges to help ensure financially and emotionally secure 'freedom years'."
—Lawrence E. Kochard, PhD, CFA
Chief Investment Officer, Georgetown University

"Bob Carlson shows that three trends—demographics (baby boomers), increasing longevity, and fewer offspring—have changed forever the landscape facing America's retirees. Stereotype retirement based on Social Security and employer pensions is out; making ends meet on your own is in. Better get yourself ready—and you can do so by reading this book."
—James C. Miller III
Former U.S. Budget Director, Chairman of The CapAnalysis Group, LLC

Download Description

Proven, profitable, and unique strategies for achieving a financially secure retirement In this step-by-step financial program for retirement, nationally recognized retirement expert Bob Carlson explains why people will need more money than they think during their upcoming retirement, then shows them how to use innovative and carefully researched strategies along with all of their assets to ensure financial security throughout their retirement years. In a world in which a long, comfortable retirement has become more difficult to achieve than ever, with workers uncertain of who they can trust, The New Rules of Retirement is both beneficial and reassuring. Robert C. Carlson, JD, CPA (Fairfax, Va.), is Editor of Retirement Watch, a monthly newsletter. The managing member of Carlson Wealth Advisors, LLC, Carlson is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fairfax County Employees Retirement System, which manages $2 billion in assets, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Retirement System, which manages $40 billion in assets. He has published a number of research papers and has been quoted in numerous publications, including Money, Barrons, Readers Digest, the Washington Post, and others.

Customer Reviews:

Agree with 90% of the recommendations.......2007-09-23

Over-all, this is a very thorough review of the rules of retirement.

I am a believer in the passive index fund approach to investing as opposed to the actively managed approach.

Carlson advocates 3 levels of investments for the accumulation phase, and all 3 are based on an active versus passive management approach. The first level is his Core level and he recommends actively managed value stock funds.....or actively managed balanced funds (stocks and bonds) like Vanguard's Wellington. I think most investors would be better
served using a combination of Vanguard's Total Stock Market and Total Bond Market funds for this core portfolio. The ratio of stocks to bonds depends on the investor's risk tolerance, as well as their need to take risk. Using Vanguard's passively managed index funds versus Carlson's actively managed approach should result in higher returns to the investor because of the lower annual expenses of the index funds.

Carlson recommends large cap value funds because his theory is that in retirement....retirees can give up some returns in exchange for lower chances in the portfolio declining with value stocks. The Fama-French 3 factor study would suggest that large cap value stocks will outperform all large cap stocks....if history repeats itself in the future. If you believe that history will repeat itself, you could choose a Vanguard large cap value index fund instead of the Total Stock Market fund.

Carlson's other 2 levels of portfolios focus on trying to pick in advance, which asset classes are currently not over-valued.....or be really aggressive and take on high risks with private equity funds. These two strategies are high risk and I know of no long term data which supports this approach performing better than a simple index fund approach. I don't believe either of these 2 strategies is appropriate for most investors.

Bengen's and Bierwirth's studies back in 1994 were seminal events in financial planning in that they found 4% was the maximum SWR (Safe Withdrawal Rate). If the stock market experiences a prolonged drop early in a retirement period, SWR's higher than 4% will cause the retiree to exhaust his portfolio before this death.

In 1998, the Trinity Study also found the same basic results as Bengen and Bierwirth.....and recommended a maximum SWR of 4%.

I have read about some mechanical rules which suggest that you can withdraw more than 4% if you spend less money in years the stock market is down, and more money when it is up. Carlson suggests the Yale distribution rule....in which 30% of the annual distribution is based upon portfolio value. I had not heard of this specific rule before, and I will have to do some Monte Carlo analysis to determine its effectiveness.

I found the book easy to read.....and I agree with his recommendations except for the construction of his investment portfolios.

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Warnings with hope and answers.......2006-09-28

As the author of a similar book entitled, "When Can I Tell My Boss, I Quit!," I offer Mr. Carlson the highest compliment: I used his book in the research for my book. He alerts the reader to impending problems facing the new retirees but also offers many solid and creative solutions. Mr. Carlson's book is well researched and thorough but easy to read. I've re-read it several times to answer questions I have.

Great book........2006-07-13

I'm getting down to the specifics about my retirement plans, eg--how much do I need in investments, what do I need to do about health insurance, where should my investments be, which investments do I withdraw and when, can I reduce my income before I retire & still make it, etc. I've read several books and so far this is by far the best. It's extremely readable, very specific, covers the big questions well, and takes a common-sense approach. I have a great financial planner but I want to educate myself, too--and I'm recommending this book to my financial planner!

Just what you need to understand what you face...solid .......2005-02-24

If you only read one sentence,let me say this -- this book is a straightforward description of what anyone needs to think about when investing in the new environment, and it isn't a gimmick book with a quick answer.

This book is clear, solid, thorough and sensible on what faces investors today, whether you are in retirement or planning for retirement. The environment is different now -- we live longer, interest rates are lower, the stock market will see ups and downs, and most of us don't have adequate pension plans -- and Carlson clearly explains why the simple rules of thumb and simple strategies from the past just don't fit anymore. For example, he is persuasive in laying out why index investing is not appropriate for many investors. Also, he makes it clear you need to make your own retirement spending budget, not rely on rules of thumb. He also discusses the risk of "buy and hold" strategies. In short, the background to make your critical decisions -- whether about investing, what type of IRAs, annuities, or health care -- is all here.

A final note -- personally, I like the tone of this book. It's very clear and very informative, but it is not a gimmick book oversimplifying things, which is good, because investment and planning for retirement is a serious topic.

Carlson is up to date!.......2005-01-08

As someone who has recently retired, I have read a number of books and magazine articles on financial issues in retirement, and I have consulted a financial planner. Now I find that much of what I was seeking in a number of different places can be found in Bob Carlson's new book on retirement. He does an excellent job of describing the effect that baby boomer retirement will have on many different financial areas.His advice also considers a number of different options (for example, on where and whether one might relocate during retirement), so he does not advocate a "one size fits all" pattern for what he calls the "retirement process." His investment advice is sound on constructing a simple core portfolio before thinking of adding a managed portfolio or an aggressive portfolio. He is critical of some of the classic advice for retirees to transfer most of their investments to bonds for safety; that advice, he notes, was fine for the times in which retirees might expect to live in retirement for about five years, rather than the 20 to 30 years that is more typical today. In short, Carlson discusses and considers much of the traditional advice for retirees and then evaluates that advice in view of current demographic trends. Most people planning to retire or planning in advance for retirement can benefit from this book.

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