With this as an overall theme, this book will walk you down the road to retirement, providing you with options and choices that are most appropriate for your particular situation. No one said the road would be easy, but do not worry, we will face those speed bumps head on, and we will do it together.


The best time to start planning for retirement is now! A significant change in the last 20 years is the position of global investments. In 1990, 75 percent of investment opportunities were in the United States and 25 percent in other places around the world. Currently, it is almost the opposite with about 75 percent of the opportunities outside the United States.


The U.S. is still the #1 financial leader in the world. Japan is #2. In 2010, China overtook Germany to become #3. We need to recognize that other countries are maturing and we want to make sure you have considered all investment opportunities that exist.


By the end of this book, you will be comfortable enough to make your own decisions regarding your investments. If you are not, it will allow you to be comfortable asking any financial consultant the right questions.


This book is about giving you new tools. So, we brought in Morningstar® to enable you to evaluate your options and introduced a global perspective to help you maximize potential returns. Think of it this way: if this were your favorite coffee blend (with all the right ingredients), you would want a refill.]]>