The Forever Paycheck: The New Retirement Strategy to Spend More, Worry Less, and Never Run Out of Money by Chatzky, Jean

"The clear, step-by-step plan that will help you stop guessing, stop stressing, and start using your money with confidence."--Mel Robbins

"The playbook the personal finance industry should have written a generation ago."--Bill Perkins

The new roadmap to financial longevity, from longtime TODAY show financial editor and New York Times bestselling author, Jean Chatzky

You've been saving for retirement for decades. But what happens when you get to the end of your earning years? How do you take the money you've amassed and not only make it last as long as you do, but do it in a way that brings you the most fulfillment and the least amount of stress? This is something that you simply cannot afford to get wrong. If you do, you'll either run out of money before you run out of time, or you'll discover years too late that you didn't use your money as much as you could have to enjoy your life.

The solution is right here. It's a paycheck that lasts for the rest of your life: a Forever Paycheck. With the power of a Forever Paycheck comes a simple, revelatory truth: you can spend more, and do more, than you think you can.

The data shows that people entering retirement often can't bring themselves to spend. But when their money comes as a steady monthly paycheck, they feel much more confident in using it to live life to the fullest. Many find they can spend double with no risk of running out. New research shows that a Forever Paycheck is even associated with better health, lower chances of disability, and a substantially longer lifespan.

The Forever Paycheck will teach you:

• How to turn your assets (retirement account balances) into the income that you need
• How to structure your portfolio so you can spend more--often double what you thought--no matter how much you start with
• When is the right time to take Social Security for you depending on your marital status, work history, age and more
• Whether it's better to help your adult kids now or leave them an inheritance later
• And much more!

Whether you plan to work to 50 or 75, have a small 401(k) or a large stock portfolio, like to take risks with your money or always play it safe, bestselling author and financial expert Jean Chatzky provides a step-by-step plan for making your money work for you. Written in collaboration with AARP, The Forever Paycheck is packed with the information you need to plan for the future you want.

Author: Jean Chatzky
Publisher: Avery Publishing Group
Published: 09/08/2026
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.20h x 5.90w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9798217179473

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/03/2026

About the Author
Jean Chatzky is the founder and CEO of HerMoney and the host of "HerMoney With Jean Chatzky." Jean is a columnist for AARP, a coach on the PBS TV show Opportunity Knocks and a research fellow with the LIMRA Retirement Income Institute. Previously, she spent 25 years as the Financial Editor on NBC's Today Show and was a contributor to Oprah. Jean is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and a fierce advocate for financial literacy. Find her at @JeanChatzky everywhere.