 Change your thinking about retirement! |
| Review Date: February 2, 2001 |
| Reviewer: P. Lozar, Santa Fe, NM USA |
| As someone who will probably retire within the next dozen years, I was beginning to wonder whether the doom-sayers were right: I don't have a million bucks in savings or a fat stock portfolio, so was I being foolhardy in assuming that I'd have enough to live on comfortably in my old age? This book was tremendously reassuring. Some of the author's main points are: (1) The difference between a happy, fulfilling retirement and "waiting for the undertaker" is not money but quality of life -- family, friends, good health, and meaningful activities that give you a reason to get up in the morning. (2) It's possible to estimate fairly accurately how much money you'll need to live on after you retire, and in most cases it's nowhere near the "70% of your present income" that the doom-sayers insist that you need to maintain your present lifestyle. (3) The loudest doom-sayers are the ones who are trying to sell you retirement plans! The author tells readers how to access a free set of "retirement calculators" on the Nolo Press web site to assist them in financial planning, and that alone is worth the price of the book. But what really "made" the book for me was his many interviews with happily retired people from all sorts of backgrounds and economic levels -- just reading about them was a real upper. There are plenty of books on how to provide for your retirement financially, but this is the only one I know of that adequately addresses the REST of your life. Read it!! |
Excellent Contrarian Viewpoint
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| Review Date: August 26, 1999 |
| Reviewer: , |
| This book should be required reading for anyone who thinks about retirement, from those just starting out in their 20's and 30's to those nearing retirement. The book is a refreshing, contrarian view to the conventional wisdom of "save tons of money for retirement", "you'll need 70-100% of your current income in retirement", etc., etc., etc. The traditional retirement literature is focused almost exclusively on money, with which Warner takes exception. Warner's focus is on the whole person - he makes a very compelling argument that money is a FACTOR in a good retirement, but that it is also important to cultivate health, outside interests, friendships and family. He believes these latter factors have a FAR greater influence on a successful retirement than money. He bases this viewpoint on research among those enjoying active, successful retirements. Warner is not a Pollyanna, saying not to even think about retirement savings (as some critics seem to suggest). The book contains some common sense ideas on savings and admits that having SOME money may help. Warner's point, however, is that money alone isn't going to make you have a successful retirement if you neglected your family, friends, outside interests, spirituality and health in order to get the money. I highly recommend this book to anyone who ever thinks about retirement. You may not agree with the proposition, but the book will really help expand your view of the elements of a good retirement and may help you plan a more enjoyable life. |
This is the best retirement planning book I've ever read!
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| Review Date: September 2, 1999 |
| Reviewer: , |
| This is the first retirement planning book I've ever read that realistically addresses how much money you really need to save for the lifestyle you want. I now realize that I don't need to save millions, that my current saving plan is perfectly adequate for the lifestyle I want. I can relax, enjoy my life and family, and work on retaining my health. |
A Great Read
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| Review Date: December 11, 2004 |
| Reviewer: Mike, Northern VA USA |
| My wife and I are preparing for retirement in our mid-fifties -- twelve years from now. (Yes, we like to start planning early.) The title and summary on Amazon intrigued me so I purchased this one along with some other books that specialize in the non-financial aspects of retirement. This book was the best we found. Well written and enjoyable, I strongly recommend this for any who is looking for non-financial retirement advice. (The financial aspects of the book are adequate but far from unique -- strictly a good overview -- and I wasn't looking for financial advice). |
Another valuable book from Nolo Press
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| Review Date: July 6, 2001 |
| Reviewer: , USA |
| Get a Life Stresses the importance of planning ahead. It notes that older people who have happy marriages, plenty of friends and warm relationships with other members of their famlies live longer than older people who don't. So it tells how to improve family ties, make new friends to replace the ones who die and work at having a happy marriage. It has a useful chapter about health and fitness which you should supplement with three other books: Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, by Udo Erasmus; The Healing Nutrients Within, by Eric Braverman and any book by Barry Sears about his Zone Diet. It tells how to avoid nursing homes or pay for them if you can't avoid them. It has tips about buying used cars and pre-paying mortgages. Chapter 8 surveys where your retirement money will come from. It tells how to save enough for retirement, even if you think it's impossible. And it presents what it calls the savvy peasant's investment guide. Here it covers bank savings accounts, bank certificates of deposit, money market accounts, U.S. Treasury bills, U.S. Government bonds and notes, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, stock, stock mutual funds, variable annuities, immediate or fixed annuities, real estate and precious metals and exotic investments. |
An excellent handbook for holistic retirement planning
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| Review Date: November 26, 2005 |
| Reviewer: J. Merrill, |
| I read this book along with several others two years ago as my husband and I contemplated early retirement. It was by far the best book I read. Most other books were the author's personal musings about what makes for a good retirement. In contrast, Warner's book backs up his views with both solid research and compelling testimonies from actual retirees. He doesn't downplay the importance of financial well-being in retirement, just puts it in context as ONE element of successful retirement. As someone who's now been retired (at age 52) for a year, I can attest to the usefulness of this book. It helped me honestly analyze my own life situation and has been a catalyst for some of the choices and decisions I am making as I create a life without (much) work. Warner's admonishment that you have to start integrating good practices in your life BEFORE retirement is particularly important; for example, if you don't foster close and healthy relationships with your family and friends when you are younger, they aren't going to magically happen once you're retired. Likewise for good health and spiritual habits. I highly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of age, who wants practical and sage advice on building a fulfilling life in retirement. |
This book is right......you DON'T need a million!
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| Review Date: May 1, 2006 |
| Reviewer: K. Corn, Indianapolis,, IN United States |
I have to admit I would have been far more skeptical about the points made in this book if I hadn't seen people already living on far less than a million dollars...and doing just fine.
One lived independently for years (admittedly, not on a champagne and caviar budget, but not poorly,either) and then moved into a nursing home, all expenses paid. This person is happy. Health costs have not driven that person to poverty and the medical care is just fine.
Another friend lives modestly but has family and friends nearby, an active social life and lives in a lovely Arts and Crafts style bungalow, bought for a modest amount and very tastefully decorated. She lives (as this book suggests) a life full of meaningful activities, many of them free, some of them volunteer work, some of them low-cost or free programs such as concerts in the parks or nature programs or lectures. Again, not an expensive lifestyle.. but fully satisfying.
ONE SUGGESTION: If you read this book, it is quite possible that you can start NOW to learn to live on far less money than you may be spending mindlessly today - and not feel deprived. If you do that, of course, you may save even more for your later years, when health issues and other concerns may impact your finances in a less predictable manner than today.
In any case, this is a refreshing change from the books which promote worry and anxiety about not being able to afford retirement. This book advocates finding a happy medium, neither advocating a "no savings" plan or needless worry and obsessions about the future and doomsday scenarios. |
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