It’s the Income, Stupid: The 7 Secrets of a Stress-free Retirement

A straightforward and sensible guide to investing so that after retirement you can still sleep at night.

Congratulations. You are in a rare minority. You have saved and invested for your retirement. But after decades of accumulation, have you thought about how to organize your portfolio once you begin de-cumulating? Can you have a virtual paycheck to replace your former real one? This book will guide you through a major life transition--assuring that your savings last at least as long as you will.

In It's the Income, Stupid Philip J. Romero, an academic who has shaped the economies of several U.S. states, and Riaan Nel, a wealth manager who helps clients transition into retirement, provide a street-smart guide to your money. Get no-nonsense, no sales pitch advice about the types of investments to embrace--and the ones to avoid. Many of the lessons about investing that were learned before the recession have been overtaken by events. This book will help you plan your portfolio in the "new normal."

It's the Income, Stupid will provide a road map to this new world. But it doesn't stop there. It also offers practical recommendations for structuring your portfolio so that it can provide you with a virtual paycheck once work no longer provides a real one. It's the Income, Stupid offers unbiased advice about the vast range of investment choices you face, so you can assure that your investments meet your needs--and not a salesman's.

Dr. Philip J. Romero is professor of finance at the University of Oregon. He is a public policy economist who consults actively with companies and governments, helping them to enhance their competitiveness. As chief economist to the governor of California in the 1990s, he led landmark legislation that lowered taxes, deregulated uncompetitive industries and broke up government monopolies. These policies revived the state’s flagging economy and turned it around sharply, from losing to adding 1,000 jobs per day. In the 2000s, he was dean of two graduate business schools, the University of Oregon and California State University, Los Angeles.

Romero has also consulted on the interplay between economic change and corporate performance or public finance for two presidents, scores of Fortune 500 companies, five state governors, and several U.S. presidential candidates.

For seventeen years Riaan Nel has been working with clients to ensure their financial stability. He brings them an international perspective as well as strong experience in the U.S. system. Prior to forming Detlefsen Nel & Associates and managing ＄85 million, he was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley. Riaan’s education and licensures include the following:

- Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

- Honors Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science (International Political Economy) from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

- Certificate of Achievement (Economics), Edinburgh Business School, Harriot-Watt University, Scotland

- Fundamentals of Estate Planning, Financial and Insurance Planning, American College, Pennsylvania

- Securities registration include FINRA Series 7 Registration, General Securities Representative; Series 66, Investment Advisor Representative; and Series 31 Registration, Futures Managed Funds, National Futures Association, held through LPL Financial.

Nel was born and raised in South Africa and worked as an economics researcher, strategic planner and Manager of a Parliamentary Research Unit in the South African Parliament before immigrating to the United States in 1998. He was also a contributing staff member on the Constitutional Assembly which finalized the negotiations between Nelson Mandela’s party and the previous governing party of South Africa.

Nel is currently the managing partner of Detlefsen, Nel & Associates.