REVIEWS


Note: THE NUMBER was recently the subject of an hour-long segment on NPR's "On Point," hosted by Tom Ashbrook. To listen to the program, click here.

“A new book titled THE NUMBER, by Lee Eisenberg, is one of the best books I have read on the subject [of planning for retirement]. It digs far deeper than the simple arithmetic and demographic probabilities. It shatters many myths that most of us harbor with regard to how we will live the last third (hopefully) of our lives and pay for that retirement experience. Most important, it demands that we answer some questions that help us shape the quality of life in retirement. Beyond its information and advice, the book is humorous, with a narrative style that makes it a riot to read, which, considering the subject matter, comes as a pleasant surprise.”
» Read the full book review in the Contra Costa Times now.

-- Steve Butler, Conta Costra Times

"Lee Eisenberg has written a great book that should be required reading for the 76 million baby boomers in this country. Make that, anyone over the age of 30....I've been dutifully reading 'The Number' with my highlighter in hand, and not a moment too soon."

-- Marney Rich Keenan, Detroit News

"THE NUMBER belongs alongside Malcom Gladwell's BLINK and Steven Levitt's FREAKONOMICS. Think of THE NUMBER not as financial how-to guide, but as a call to arms.

-- Ellen Uzelac, Wealth Manager

"The NUMBER takes you on a journey through cocktail parties, hotel meeting rooms, and financial-planning seminars.... Eisenberg writes with grace about stuff that bores most people."

-- Bill McGuire, Philadelphia Inquirer

"Three hundred years after Ben Franklin's birth, Lee Eisenberg ...has compiled just about every bit of modern conventional wisdom on remaining healthy, wealthy and wise."

--The Washington Post

"Lee Eisenberg tears the concept [of retirement financing] apart, confronting both inner demons and life dreams to come up with the answer. Plenty of research has turned into a field guide on how to successfully downshift into retirement and on reinventing the second half of life."

-- Paul Marck, CanWest News Service (Canada)

"A search of the term “retirement planning” on the Barnes and Noble website spits out more than 400 titles. Why, then, buy this one? For starters, it's a smooth and engaging read — rare for a personal financial book — and Eisenberg comes off as erudite and droll."

-- Michelle Archer, USA Today

"THE NUMBER ends up being a useful, entertaining general tour of the subject, full of points to ponder for all those procrastinators who have been entrusting their long-term future to the Retirement Fairy."

-- Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times Book Review

"THE NUMBER takes readers on a tour ...of retirement planning in the U.S. The point of the journey is to show how each of us has a better shot at a financially secure and emotionally fulfilling future if we can better understand what's involved in calculating the Number -- expenses in later life, inflation and long life spans, among much else. But we also need to realize, Mr. Eisenberg notes, what pure calculation may leave out -- intangibles such as a sense of "what it takes to lift your spirits and make your heart sing through old age," assuming that such a thing is possible."

--Glenn Ruffenach, The Wall Street Journal

"In his breezily written book THE NUMBER, Lee Eisenberg tells how even late starters can plan and live a creative life that doesn't resemble a treadmill - or break the bank, either."

-- The Christian Science Monitor

"Anyone contemplating retirement, especially early retirement, would do well to read it before pulling the trigger.... Eisenberg's book is a wakeup call and with its breezy style, it's more readable than most. It also gets points for prodding readers to think beyond money to what they'll do with their time and energy in retirement."

-- Helen Huntley, St. Petersburg Times

"This is not a typical personal finance book, thank goodness. The value of The Number lies in its conversation about getting older, insights about key questions for any financial blueprint [and] ruminations on what makes for a satisfying life. Eisenberg is a good storyteller with a sense of humor ...and a real ability to distill complex information."

-- Christopher Farrell, BusinessWeek

"Eisenberg traces how the American system of pensions gave way to a shakier future of "salary-reduction programs"—early lingo for 401(k)s. He looks at how, despite all those Web sites telling us how much to save to retire comfortably, most people remain in denial or uncertain about what their number really is. He cites one financial planner who asks clients if they floss their teeth daily: regular flossing may increase life expectancy, increasing their need for retirement savings."

-- Daniel McGinn, Newsweek

"Eisenberg is quick-witted, displaying a sharp — sometimes stinging — sense of humor. This may only be January but I'm already pegging The
Number
as one of my favorite financial books of 2006."

-- Angela McQuade, Better Investing Magazine

"There are precious few works that deal with the central issues of existence - life, death, and money - with this much elegance and wit. This amusing, essential book succeeds in tapping into the dreams and schemes of an entire generation who learned how to hang out and do very little in the 60s - and would now like to hang out and do very little in its 60s. Back then we were listening to Hendrix. Today we're tuned into Eisenberg."

-- Stanley Bing, author of Sun Tzu Was a Sissy: Conquer Your Enemies, Promote Your Friends, and Wage the Real Art of War

"Lee Eisenberg has somehow found the sweet spot when it comes to 'financial planning' and, indeed, life. I started to read this book to write an endorsement, and ended up using it as a personal guide to my future. Yikes!"

-- Tom Peters, author of Re-Imagine! and In Search of Excellence

"Thinking about retirement is as pleasant as a colonoscopy. Not in Lee Eisenberg's hands, however. He has written a funny and wise book about how to think about your future but also, and more important, how to think about life."

-- Ken Auletta, author of Media Man: Ted Turner's Improbable Empire

"It provides an illuminating and charmingly written consideration of an aging generation's retirement worries and of the investment business designed to profit from them."

-- Publishers Weekly

"Most books on retirement do little more than illustrate the usual financial planning exercises. The Number is much more. As Eisenberg explains, retirement planning is worth little unless we begin by thinking deeply about the kinds of lives we aspire to live. There are many paths to satisfaction in retirement, and some of them are a lot more affordable than others."

-- Robert Frank, author of Luxury Fever and co-author of The Winner-Take-All Society

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