by James W. Russell (Get the Book)This is the story of how one individual fought bureaucracy and won. Along the way, Russell (Double Standard: Social Policy in Europe and the U.S., 2010) educates us about the fallacies inherent in our three-legged retirement system of Social Security, personal savings, and the employer pension 401(k) system. Although most of his battle is with the pension (defined benefit or DB) plan in the state of Connecticut, he manages to give readers an eyeful (and earful, if you can hear his insistence) about Social Security and the issues with personal investing not only in the U.S. but also in Chile, the UK, and other countries. His homework is impressive. He's researched the opinions of the World Bank, countless politicos and U.S. presidents, and conservative think tanks, as well as the outliers, such as the Cato Institute and Peter Orszag. Meanwhile, he also demystifies the pundits: Social Security will not go broke; 401(k)s do not offer a higher rate of return; and defined contribution plans (such as 401(k)s) are cheaper for employees and employers. His campaign is truly a case history to be emulated, one that requires much patience and time. --Booklist
