Y Squared Advisors

Secure Your Future

Born Bankrupt introduces readers to the Great Transition that will affect the finances of everyone born after 1930. In his book, author Thomas P. Warren provides individuals and families with the knowledge and tools to ensure that they live their century of life without having to face actual bankruptcy. Born Bankrupt is organized in such a way that readers will first learn several important personal financial planning concepts that they must understand to fix being born bankrupt. He discusses how everyone is born with several certain life liabilities that create the born bankrupt condition and provides easy-to-read illustrations about how to develop steps to manage these liabilities. The “fix it” sections of the book walk the reader through the use of tools such as the Century of Life Balance Sheet to help control longevity risk. The role that investments play towards fixing bankrupt at birth is discussed in detail, and he lays the foundation for how an individual develops his or her own personal hurdle rate to manage their portfolios. The author discusses a wide-range of portfolio methods that the individual can adopt for themselves, or how to decide if seeking professional money management advice is the right path to follow. The author devotes much attention to investment risk management and introduces the reader to a new type of risk created by regulation and management of the global financial system. Many other useful strategies are discussed covering important steps to protect wealth, how to minimize investment losses, the role of insurance and annuities and how to handle financial distress. Mr. Warren discusses three types of transactions that individuals should avoid to prevent longevity risk. Finally, Mr. Warren offers advice for the younger generations about why it is important that they start funding their life’s liabilities as early in life as possible.

"The state of being born bankrupt occurs at the precise moment you enter the world and the clock starts ticking for your century of life. The clock also begins to tick for your life’s liabilities—the costs of all the obligations that your presence in this world requires of you over the next 100 years. These life liabilities grow day-after-day-after-day non-stop throughout your century of life. Life’s liabilities consist of two types: present day liabilities also referred to as pay-as-you-go liabilities. These are the daily payments you make as you live out your century of life. Often times these liabilities come with payment terms such as a mortgage, car loan and other contractual obligations; the second type, which coexists with present day liabilities, is future life liabilities. Most of life’s future liabilities occur at birth—retirement and providing for your long-term care are two examples. This liability type does not come with payment terms but they do have a definite due date. The future values of these liabilities grow every day of your life starting at birth. How do individuals start to fix being born bankrupt? By doing a full accounting of the assets and liabilities they and their families need to manage over their century of life. However, many of you do not do this accounting. Perhaps you are reluctant to see the results, or perhaps you do not know how to do such an accounting. For whatever reason, not knowing what your liabilities are in today’s economic climate will keep you in a state of bankruptcy for your entire century of life. A Century of Life Balance Sheet™ is different from a conventional balance sheet. In addition to containing current tangible assets and liabilities, it also has the present value of future assets and liabilities. This will give you a more complete picture of your financial health as both the present and the future are accounted for."