Key lessons from 6 new books: Rethinking money, meaning, and retirement by late 2025
Fall season is made by putting your feet on the fire and entering the big book. If you’re looking for mental clarity, we found 6 new releases that will expand how you think about money, markets and life.
We’ve included quick Takeaways so you can capture key lessons – even if you don’t have time to read every page.
The Art of Spending: Simple Options for a Wealthy Life by Morgan Housel
Morgan Housel has done it again. Following are his famous best sellers The psychology of money and Same as beforehis new book, The Art of Spending: Simple Options for a Wealthy Lifeexplore the art (and emotions) of good use. Instead of giving you another list of financial “rules”, Housel helps you understand why you spend the way you do – and how your decisions really show.
He reminds students that wealth is not just what you are rescuebut for your purpose work WHAT YOU SHOULD DO TO TRAIN AND HAVE FUN.
Important lessons
1) Money is emotion and identity, not math: We like to believe that we make rational money decisions, but so much of what we do with our money reflects how we see ourselves – powerful, generous, successful, secure. The sooner you understand the emotional issues behind your use and retention, the easier it is to make decisions that really work for you.
2) Need to define “enough?”: Without a clear sense of what “enough” means, it’s easy to chase for more – a bigger house, a new car, or one year of work. Defining your own version of the pegs is sufficient for your financial goals for satisfaction instead of comparison.
3) A rich life is tied to your values, not your balance sheet: Money is just a tool – a powerful one, but still a tool. A meaningful financial plan is not about maximizing wealth; It’s about directing resources to the things that matter most, so you can live in alignment with your purpose and priorities every day.
Entering courses from The art of spending money in your retirement plans
Your future budget is the best way to align your financial plan with your values and identity. Within the Boldlin Retirement Planner, you can use basic Busting and define how your total income will move through the stages of your life.
However, we strongly recommend that you use the detailed budget in Boldn Planner to consider your spending. With the tool, you can define your expenses as “must spend” and “like to spend” in 75 different categories. Also, you can add all your one-time expenses during your lifetime.
Don’t think of this as budgeting; It’s like planning your dreams. Also, how you define your future expenses is the foundation of your retirement success, both financially and emotionally.
1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin
between 1929Andrew Ross Sorkin brings history alive – and uncomfortably close to the present. He also looks at the Stock-Market Boom of the ’20s and the crash that followed, showing that easy credit, perceived certainty, and overconfidence among investors and policymakers led to one of the most devastating financial crashes in US history.
By telling clear and clean stories, Sorkin draws parallels between 1929 and today: The hype of innovation, the belief, and the shared belief that “this time is different.”
Important lessons from 1929
1) Market euphora hides fragethility: The most meaningful times are often when investors take a big risk, looking for optimism and blind spots. Understanding this cycle helps you avoid getting swept away when the crowd forgets that downturns are part of every market story.
2) crash is about human behavior: Greed, fear, and overconfidence have driven markets for over a century, and they continue to do so today. Recognizing these patterns can help you stay grounded when others react emotionally.
3) Resilience comes from preparation, not prediction: No one times the next downturn perfectly, but everyone can build flexibility into their schedule. By compressing your funds before the storm, you will feel more confident and you will not have to panic if an accident occurs.
Entering courses from 1929 in your retirement plans
Boldn’s new Market risk assessment It allows you to test how well your program can hold up to different pull-down conditions – from multiple approvals to 1929. You can save what happens when the markets go down, or see how much money you have changed – see how much they love your income.
Planning is not about avoiding risk; It’s about understanding how much flexibility you need to build into your plans so you can still get a good night’s sleep.
A rich retirement by William Bengen
William Bengen, best known as the creator of the “4% Rule,” returns with a new, thoughtful take on what it really means to retire well. between A rich retirementgoes beyond the mechanics of withdrawal levels and delves into how people can access it – feeling and -for programs retirement wealth – not financial security.
Important lessons from A rich retirement
There are many benefits and advantages to using a consistent withdrawal method, as Bengen recommends. However, this book has many other important lessons:
1) Retirement planning is not a math problem – it’s a life design challenge: Numbers are important, but they are only useful when they support a perspective on your life. Start with what makes life meaningful, then build the numbers around it.
2) Dismissing flexibility is more powerful than any set “law”: Ben now insists that retirees who change their spending on markets and lifestyles are more likely to spend less money and worry less.
3) A wealthy retirement comes from being financially balanced by definition: Bengen research shows that the happiest retirees don’t have much, themselves work their services for the purpose.
Apply these lessons to your retirement plans
Boldn Planner lets you test any “What if,” including Bengen’s cover ideas A rich retirement:
- Plan your income and spending
- Try different withdrawal strategies
- Visualize your retirement savings in your lifetime
- And, much more…
Fortune building: The hidden economy needs to find more of thatt by Judd Kessler
In Lucky by Design: The hidden economy you need to get more of what you wantWhaton economist Judd Kessler refers us to the often invisible organizations and “markets” that influence how opportunities are distributed in life – who gets the job, who gets the bid, who gets it. It’s a great book for anyone happy Freekwonononicspeople who are interested in economic concepts that are used in everyday life, and explain in plain English.
Important lessons
1) Markets are everywhere: Understand that markets don’t just exist for stocks or houses – they exist for jobs, schools, relationships, and more. If you know how the game is structured, you can navigate by “luck” rather than leave it to chance.
2) There are winners and losers: The design of the programs are often liked by some and differ from others – they identify the rules and allow you to play smart, not just hard.
Entering courses from Good luck with the design By Boldnin
In your Boldlin program, you plan not only for boarding / investment but also for flow opportunities (job changes, local movements). Then ask: What “market designs” am I looking at (network, timing, naming biases)?
The compass inside: A little story about the values that guide us by Robert Glazer
between The compass inside: A little story about the values that guide usGlazer tells a fictional parable about an up-and-coming manager, Jamie Hynes, who has faced mismanagement between his ambitions, his values and the overall landscape.
Important lessons
Financial Values: Authenticity in work and life comes when you work on your core values, not external expectations.
Avoid Pretreatment: When you are aligned with your values, you radiate energy – when you are aligned, you gain clarity, courage, and better decisions.
Entering courses from Compass inside in your retirement plans
Planning for retirement: It’s not just “how much will I need?” But “how do I want to live?” If your plan flows from values, your spending, saving, and freedom decisions are aligned with your identity.
Retiring more often: How to take more time off from work to open up an adventure, advance your career, and find financial freedom By Jillian JohnsRud
Jillian JohnsRud challenges the traditional retirement model of retirement and proposes a “mini-retirement” rhythm for all careers – an adventure break, a rest, or a reset. Retiring more often: How to take more time off from work to open up an adventure, advance your career, and find financial freedom it’s a complete reflection of the work-life balance ratio.
Why don’t you retake it many times in your life? Read more: Podcast: Jillian JohnsRud – Is Younger Retirement Unnecessary?
Important lessons from Retire
Think about life chapters: Josnsrud suggests that retirement is not a one-time event. She inspires you to stir up small chapters of freedom and purpose throughout your life.
You have not stopped: These plans don’t require giving up – they require planning, financial flexibility, and purpose.
Continue with ultimate retirement planning: Think of your career as a multi-stage journey. You may want to plan a deliberate stop in your savings, but everything needs to be followed through the long haul.
Try the mini-retirement idea in your retirement plan
Use the Boldn Planner to simulate a “break” in your 50-year-old years, a Wednesday that is remembered for a 3-month trip, check how those periods affect Grawndown, the age of renewal, and the age of retirement, and the age of retirement.
After that you build the margins used so that the system does not break if one of those events is increased or left.
About Boldlin
Boldn democratizes high-quality financial planning. We empower people to manage a retirement plan they can understand and trust. Our retirement planning software puts you in charge of your future – while our training, classes, and expert advice from CFP® providers at Boldlin Advisors ensure you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you’re planning for retirement, navigating a life transition, or just trying to make smart financial decisions, Boldlin combines clarity, confidence, and calling to help you move forward with purpose.
