I read this book because I have never read anything in this field. This book was published in the 1970s when conditions for elderly people were bad. High inflation was reducing the value of the nest eggs of many. Large lay-offs also meant that many older people could not depend on their children for financial support. As such, this book was important in that it addressed all issues, major and minor, that elderly people have to deal with in this country. These issues still exist, but I dare say the elderly population are the most privileged class in this country this decade. The last 3 years have seen reduced public funding for education, as taxes have been reduced, primarily on savings, sales of securities, and property. Programs to help the future (children) are being cut to fund tax cuts for the middle-aged and elderly portions of America.

Yes health costs are going up, but if one looks at medicine over the decade, one notices that most of the advances have been in treating adult and elderly diseases like Alzheimers, cancer, Parkinson's, and heart disease. Almost no advances are being made in treating diseases of young people. Most importantly, inflation over the last decade has been extremely low, which is great for people living on fixed incomes. This book is good reading, but the problems it highlights are ones that every individual has a lifetime to prepare for.