Interview With Financial Author Dr. Jeffrey Goodrich, Founder of JCG Private Wealth Management

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? I wrote my book for several reasons, but mainly because the number of people who are homeless continues to grow. We need solutions to turn the tide. In my UCLA classes, my students do not take retirement seriously. Retirement feels so far off, and they have so many more pressing issues to focus on. The reality is that retirement will show up for everyone, in one way or another, and the sooner someone starts planning, the better their chances of achieving it.  

2. What exactly is it about, and who is it written for? The book helps readers understand that the U.S. is in the middle of a retirement crisis and offers solutions to avoid it. It provides a formula for determining an individual’s standard of living, guidance on funding what’s needed to achieve it, and different ways to invest their funds. It also includes LifeCycle examples to guide readers and decision trees to help them address many of their financial questions. The book highlights different withdrawal strategies, analyzes Social Security and Medicare, reviews the myths and realities of aging, and presents a framework for building a life’s legacy.  

3. What do you hope your readers will get out of reading your book? I hope my readers will appreciate that retirement is a “long game”; many people could live 30 to 40 years in retirement. As the U.S. population ages, concern grows about outliving retirement funds. When someone runs out of funds, options are limited and sometimes unpleasant. If someone starts planning early for retirement, they have both time in the market and the ability to leverage compounding in their favor. Time in the market means staying invested for long periods rather than trying to time short-term price movements. Leveraging compounding means earning returns on both the initial investment and prior earnings over time.  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? While working on my doctoral degree, I became keenly aware of America’s retirement crisis. Additionally, as a volunteer at the Los Angeles Downtown Women Center, I became aware of the lack of education on basic retirement-planning issues and, fundamentally, the cavalier attitude of many people who believe it will all just work out. If someone is not prepared for retirement, either by not having enough funds or by thinking they will just continue to work, society has no sympathy for bailing them out. For many people, life is a jungle, and to survive the long game of retirement, you need to be the king of the jungle, the tiger. 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? What I would tell other writers is to write what you know and love. It will come across in your writing. Put yourself in the readers’ chair and write what you would like to read about. Mt children’s favorite book growing up was Jamberry by Bruce Degan, which just happens to be my grandchildren’s favorite book now. Classics do not go out of style.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see, and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Financial literacy has fallen to a 10-year low, with American adults answering only 47% of the 28 questions on the Personal Index. That was the lowest in the test’s 10-year history. The test assesses “functional” knowledge, including earning, investing, and borrowing. Higher financial literacy is correlated with better savings, improved debt management, and greater overall financial confidence. Adding. To the issue, over 60% of teens report learning about financial matters first from their parents and other family members.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? While I was working on my doctoral dissertation, several of my survey respondents said they were lucky to have retired, while others said they plan to work forever. Neither response is easy to emulate. I believe people can only reach a level of success based on their knowledge. My students at UCLA did not take retirement planning seriously. Being young lets you focus on what’s in front of you, but retirement will one day sneak up on you. If you prepared, things should work out; if you are not, you have nowhere to turn.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? My writing style is very simple; I want to read what I write. Writers I like to read include Moshe A. Milevsky, “The 7 Most Important Equations for Your Retirement,” and the many books by Malcolm Gladwell, including “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Finding the time to write was a challenge I had to overcome.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Most people have a primary retirement goal, but they may also be working toward many other goals, such as a dream vacation, a big party, a new car, a kitchen remodel, and more. Many aim for a “magic number,” but true financial security is more complex than a single number. Recent data highlights growing instability in the American financial system. In 2026, most Americans lack the resources to cover a $400 emergency: only one-third can pay such an expense in cash, and fewer than half can do so with credit cards. The crisis in retirement planning has created a humanitarian and public policy emergency, including increased homelessness. Many people mistakenly believe they need to save a large sum of money to reach their retirement goals. The goal of the chapters in “Surviving the Retirement Crisis – Retirement is a Long Game” is to clarify common misunderstandings about retirement, especially when it comes to questions about the best course of action. 

About The Author: Dr. Jeffrey Goodrich is a wealth advisor at JCG Private Wealth Management and a professor with UCLA’s Financial Management Program. He is also the author of Surviving the Retirement Crisis and Seeking Financial Freedom, bringing expertise in retirement planning, wealth management, and financial independence. Dr. Goodrich holds a Ph.D. in Retirement and Financial Planning. For more information, please consult: https://jcgoody.com/.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 10, 000,000 page views. With over 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum