The new book by Laurence Kotlikoff

Money Magic: An Economist's Secrets to More Money, Less Risk, and a Better Life

Every financial decision we make about our education, careers, jobs, lifestyles, marriages, retirement ages, Social Security, taxes, or investments affects our living standard – the income we get to spend and enjoy over our lifetimes. Yet, most of us make these decisions with no clear idea about their living‑standard impact. We typically rely on crude rules of thumb or take questionable advice from friends and family, media gurus, self‑described experts, and advisers who are frequently little more than self‑interested salespeople. We end up losing boatloads of money, feeling unhappy, and putting ourselves at risk. This book puts an end to that vicious cycle.

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Book also available for order on Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and IndieBound.

A Sample of Money Magic’s Financial Shockers

The poor should hold stock, the rich should hold bonds.

Borrowing for college is one of life’s riskiest moves.

Cashing out your IRA to pay off your mortgage can generate a huge windfall.

Almost everyone should wait till 70 to collect Social Security retirement benefits. Almost no one does.

Plumbers can make more than doctors over their lifetimes.

You can invest in the stock market with only upside risk to your living standard.

A few hours of research can identify careers and jobs with dramatically higher lifetime earnings.

Retirees should invest more of their financial assets in stock the older they get.

These days, many people end up retired longer than they worked.

Virtually all conventional financial advice is at total odds with common economic sense.

Social Security's earnings test is a shame. Yet it keeps millions of early retirees from going back to work.

Paying a lot for housing? Consider moving to Bali and working in New York.

Going to an expensive elite college doesn't pay.

Social Security is systematically scamming widows.

Spending aggressively can be riskier than investing aggressively.

Two in five college matriculants don't graduate. Many/most borrow for the privilege of dropping out.

Stock returns are unpredictable, but you should still time the market.

Marrying for money is no sin and may be your best financial move.

The more children you have, the less life insurance you likely need.

You can’t count on dying on time. Longevity is likely your greatest financial risk.

Money Magic is a delightful book. With wit and wisdom, Kotlikoff delivers rich economic insights, concrete advice, and hard-nosed, yet soft-hearted guidance on financial planning, all well-grounded in the science of finance. It will change your financial thinking and improve your financial life. Wherever in the lifecycle—beginning student to beginning retiree, the reader is in for a treat: Bon Appetit!

- Robert C Merton, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1997 and author of Worth the Risk

Fact-filled, wisdom-filled, Money Magic is quite probably the best financial advice book ever written. You can read it for Laurence Kotlikoff’s sage advice, which tells how to manage your finances for a happier, better life. You can also read it for fun: there is a laugh on almost every page. You should read it for both.

- George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2001 and co-author of Phishing for Phools

Money Magic is financial freakonomics, delivering non-stop financial shockers –– all based on common economics sense. You'll love this amazing book. It's full of wit, wisdom, and startling paths to a better financial life.

- John Mauldin, author of Thoughts from the Frontlines

Money Magic is a must-read. An unconventional and entertaining page-turner, it will transform your financial thinking and show you how to improve your financial future.

- Jane Bryant Quinn, author of How to Make Your Money Last

Money Magic is funny, ironic and an easy, brilliant read – all great things in a book about personal finance. But Kotlikoff does so much more. He shows us that true personal finance is about real-life decisions we can make. He shows us how to make them. Those choices are wildly powerful, often contrary to convention, and deeply empowering. “Money Magic” can literally change your life.

- Scott Burns, personal finance columnist, The Dallas Morning News

Full of invaluable guidance, this is a must-read for anyone concerned about their financial future.

- Publisher Weekly

Kotlikoff’s valuable insights will appeal to a wide audience seeking financial wisdom.

- Booklist Online

Other Books

Larry Kotlikoff is a New York Times Best Selling author. Below are some of his other titles, including some available for free download.

You're Hired! A Trump Playbook For Fixing America's Economy

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Get What's Yours: The Revised Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security

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The Economic Consequences of the Vickers Commission

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The Clash of Generations

Purchase Book

Jimmy Stewart is Dead – Ending the World's Ongoing Financial Plague with Limited Purpose Banking

Purchase Book

Spend ‘Til the End – The Revolutionary Guide to Raising Your Living Standard, Today and When You Retire

Purchase Book

The Healthcare Fix – Universal Insurance for All Americans

Purchase Book

The Coming Generational Storm

Purchase Book

Generational Policy (Cairoli Lectures)

Purchase Book

Essays on Saving, Bequests, Altruism, and Life-Cycle Planning

Purchase Book

Generational Accounting Around the World

Purchase Book

Macroeconomics: An Integrated Approach - Second Edition

Purchase Book

Macroeconomics: An Integrated Approach

Purchase Book

Generational Accounting

Purchase Book

What Determines Savings

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The Wage Carrot and the Pension Stick: Retirement Benefits and Labor Force Participation

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Dynamic Fiscal Policy

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Pensions in the American Economy

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Boston University economist, Laurence Kotlikoff, is a prolific columnist whose writings on economics and personal finance have appeared in the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, CNBC, Yahoo, PBS NewsHour, and other leading outlets.
The Economist named Kotlikoff one of the world's 25 most influential economists. His co-authored Get What's Yours -- the Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security -- was a NY Times Bestseller.
In Money Magic Kotlikoff pulls one huge financial rabbit after another out of his powerful economics hat. This book will dramatically improve all aspects of your personal financial life.