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By Michelle Singletary

Sunday, March 13, 2005

The humorist Mason Cooley once said, "In retirement, only money and symptoms are consequential."

Well, that may have been true at some point. But not now. People who have just retired and those who are close to retirement have so much to deal with these days that it's practically a full-time job just figuring out how to retire.

If you're a new retiree or among the soon-to-be retired, here are just a few issues you may need to consider:

• Whether you need or can afford long-term care insurance.

• How to take distributions from your retirement plan so that the money will last.

• Whether to take a lump-sum distribution from your company's pension plan (if there is one) or monthly payments for life.

• How to reallocate your investment portfolio.

• Figuring out if in the long run it makes sense to take a smaller Social Security benefit at 62 or wait until you are eligible for your full benefit.

If those questions seemed daunting, then I've found a book that may make your retirement planning a littler easier.

The Color of Money Book Club selection for March is "The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life" by Jan Cullinane and Cathy Fitzgerald (Rodale, $19.95).

Cullinane and Fitzgerald, who hold retirement-planning seminars around the country, cover an impressive number of issues in this 486-page guide. Among the things they discuss:

• Great places to retire. (Here's a hint: They aren't all in Florida, although that state would be my No. 1 choice.)

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