Buckets of Money: How to Retire in Comfort and Safety

This is an excellent book for the beginner to the more sophisticated person to consider when managing your retirement funds. Ray gives thoughtful insight into the potential investment strategies for three different "buckets of money". The difference in the 3 buckets is the time horizon the funds will be needed and the various amounts of investment risk that could be assumed in each time period. His plan makes amazing sense and I have utlized it successfully in my personal retirement plan (I am 46 & retired) and my mother's (who is now 70 1/2). I have listened to Ray's business talk show for the past several years and also seen him speak at a free weekend morning seminar in Portland, OR. His personal judgement and that of his "brain trust" is safe, sound and easily followed. I have purchased this book for myself and multiple family members/friends for their consideration. It has always gotten favorable reviews. I just purchased his newest book, "Ready..Set..Retire: Financial Strategies for the Rest of Your Life". I am anxiously awaiting it's delivery for any new information he has to share!

In some ways this book is like the other books out there: work hard, save money, let it compound. However, he does preach something that no other book I have read teaches. Most people say you save all your life and then you retire, and that is where they end their story. They focus on all the ways to save up enough money to retire and live off the interest. However, for most people that is impractical, and impossible for some. This book on the other hand gives you a good way to think about how to deal with your money in stages, and realize that retirement is not the end of your investing. Easy read, lots of good info, not too many stats to bog you down. Overall, very glad I read it.

Recommended even to other CPA, financial planers, and insurance agents. Ray's personality shoots through the pages make it a "Fun" book to read. I can't believe I used the work fun, but it is appropriate. Helpful illustrations allow those negligent in retirement planning to understand the importance of "Bucketizing" (read the book). If you enjoy his radio show you will find the book beneficial as well.

I first became aware of Mr. Lucia and his "BrainTrust" (Rick Plum, Rob Butterfield, Jr., and John Dean) when his long-running (14 year) San Diego-based radio show went national and became syndicated with Business Talk Radio at the end of 2000; I thank the day I stumbled upon this sage. The show has become increasingly popular and now airs in around 60 markets. Once limited to the greater San Diego area, this show is now educating people all across the country. This book continues the process of finally bringing Ray Lucia to an even broader audience. Lucia's show and this book avoid the ridiculous "buy, sell, hold" approach that permeates the work of so many other financial gurus. This is not a "get rich quick" or "doom and gloom" book. Lucia does not pretend to know what direction markets or any individual security is going in the short-term. He sticks to what he knows (and what you need to know). This book is about much more than asset allocation and diversification. It is solid advice based on the prestigious 30-year career of Lucia and his highly competent associates. If you want books that teach you how to learn how to do a solid fundamental analysis of securities, I recommend the classics by Benjamin Graham, by Peter Lynch, by Philip Fisher, by Louis Engel and about Warren Buffett. If you want a book that takes a refreshing approach and truly carves out a niche by focusing on financial planning, Lucia's book is the book for you. In many ways, Lucia's book is a more relevant read than any of the above mentioned authors.Believers in an efficient market understand the other authors can only take you so far. Lucia takes you several steps further by sharing financial planning strategies that will work for everybody. This is what is lacking in the vast majority of financial literature. Authors spend too much time trying to tell you how to find the next Microsoft. In the process, they neglect powerful basic and advanced personal finance strategies and investment tools. This is what truly reduces risk and adds value to one's portfolio over time. The vast majority of investors will get more from Lucia's book than any other book they read in their lifetime.I enthusiastically recommend Lucia as must reading for any investor in any stage of his/her life. This is a great book for a grandfather to buy to read and pass on to his daughter, who can then pass it on to her son. People just starting out will greatly benefit from this book in that it will tell them as much about what not to do, as what to do. More sophisticated and astute investors will benefit from Lucia's empirical study based recommendations on how to allocate and balance one's portfolio. I have acquired more practical knowledge from Mr. Lucia than I have through my undergraduate studies, graduate studies, and other studies combined. It is a rare and refreshing treat to find someone in this field who not only has such a vast body of knowledge that he is willing to share

I really enjoyed reading Ray's book, and it helped me to understand the "Buckets" philosophy he talks about on the radio. It's a great retirement strategy, although you do have to be somewhat disciplined at saving to make it all work properly. It also requires you to take money from only about 5% of your portfolio each year, which some people may or may not be able to do, so if you're used to taking huge chunks of cash from your savings each year you might not be able to follow it. It seems rather foolproof (which I like), and while it doesn't promise huge returns on your money (it's very conservative), it does make sure that you never run out of money even if we run into another "bad run" in the stock market. I wish I read it two years ago, but that's the breaks. I also enjoy his radio show, he's much better than that boring Ramsey guy that follows him. Maybe I'll get the nerve to call in one day and ask a question to the Braintrust!