Books Archive

How Seniors Are Saving The World

Retirement Wisdom · Jun 27, 2020 ·

How Seniors Are Saving The World: Retirement Activism to the Rescue

By Thelma Reese and BJ Kittredge (2020, Rowan & Littlefield)

Book Review by Joe Casey

Retirement Activism? For some people, it’s already a way of life. For others, this book will offer a paradigm shift. The times we are living in (and living through ) make this book a timely call to action. For some, there’s a clarion call to political activism, social justice, or climate change. Others are drawn to making a difference in their local communities. There’s a growing army of senior volunteers and activists that are a force for change. The authors make that the case that many of us have fallen into a comfortable relationship with “clicktivism”. We offer support to the causes that matter to us through online commentary and donations. But this book calls people of a certain age to a higher level of engagement by getting involved through action that drives positive change.

Some people view retirement as a time to step back, relax, and unwind. While appealing at first, over time that can become unsatisfying. Boredom, loneliness, and a lack of purpose can creep in and then gradually take hold. But there’s a better way. This book illustrates how Retirement Activism is a way of un-retiring to do good while reaping the benefits of successful aging. The stories in the book highlight people with a clear sense of purpose and meaning, strong social connectivity who are continuously learning and developing creative solutions.

How Seniors Are Saving The World profiles a diverse group of 24 people, ranging in age from their 60s to their 90s, who are actively advancing causes they care about. Activism offers an avenue to contribute and leverage the wisdom earned over a lifetime. The causes and ways in which they get involved varies. But the sense of passion and commitment does not.

Retirement activism goes beyond volunteering. There’s often a personal connection that drives people to get involved. It’s clear from the stories in this book that retirees are indeed saving the world. It’s also clear that it’s being done in different ways. Some big and some small. Some are starting organizations and some are solo. There’s a variety of ways people are involved and the amount of time and effort that’s involved.

The stories in this book are interesting and compelling. At the end of each story, there’s a section titled ‘How To Connect’ listing relevant organizations and contact details. You’ll find yourself inspired – and there just might be a cause close to your heart that you’ll hear calling your name.

Buy: How Seniors Are Saving The World: Retirement Activism to the Rescue

Listen to our conversation with Thelma Reese on How Seniors Are Saving The World

Retirement Wisdom · Apr 13, 2020 ·

By Fritz Gilbert (2020 – Rockridge Press)

Book Review by Joe Casey

As a retirement coach, I read a lot of books on retirement. If your goal is to retire well and live life on your own terms, Keys to a Successful Retirement is one of the best books on planning for retirement that you can read. It’s the best retirement book in 2020 that I’ve read. It will give you a leg up on the real-life obstacles you’ll need to navigate and a smart playbook to create your own successful retirement. The advice in this book is especially valuable given the challenging period we are living through.

If you follow The Retirement Manifesto blog (as I do) you already know that Fritz Gilbert is an excellent writer. In this book, he shares his lessons learned in preparing for retirement – and his experiences living life in early retirement. Gilbert invested significant time researching various aspects of retirement while preparing for his own early retirement. Through this book, you can benefit from his prep work and his lived experience. It’s a valuable shortcut. The book will appeal to a wide range of readers. Retirees, corporate folk planning their escape, and members of the FIRE movement, will all find Gilbert’s insights relevant and helpful.

Practical Tips to Live Life Well in Retirement

While the research Gilbert did for his retirement provides a solid foundation, this book is not a lengthy, haughty academic tome. It’s the opposite. You’ll find that it’s concise, yet it packs a wealth of wisdom in 136 pages. It’s the type of book you’ll highlight passages in time and time again. (Many of the pages in my copy are now almost completely yellow). Gilbert recommends having a notebook handy while you read it, and that’s sound advice. There’s no shortage of gems you’ll want to capture to refer to later and apply. Among the most valuable parts of the book are 24 practical tips Gilbert offers to help you prepare to retire well. Many of these ideas are destined for your notebook.

A Smooth Retirement Transition Takes Balanced Planning

Unlike many retirement books, Gilbert covers both the financial and non-financial aspects of preparing for a great retirement. He gives insightful and practical advice for both sides of the equation. Gilbert shares his views on why vision, attitude, purpose, and passion are essential ingredients in the retirement you’re aspiring to achieve. But, he doesn’t shy away from the realities and roadblocks involved in making a successful transition to retirement life. Instead, he assesses the big issues that anyone contemplating retirement will face. In addition, he sizes up a number of hidden challenges that are not on the radar for many people. I can tell you from my retirement coaching work that these challenges are things you’ll want to be well aware of in advance. Gilbert alerts you so you get in front of them so they do not derail your plans.

Fritz Gilbert retired after a career in corporate America spanning more than three decades. You’ll benefit from the story of how he proactively planned for the retirement life he’s now living with his wife Jackie. Keys to a Successful Retirement will inspire you to craft the life you want in retirement. The book will also arm you with pragmatic tools and tips that can help you get there.

– Joe Casey

Order:Keys to a Successful Retirement: Staying Happy, Active, and Productive in Your Retired Years by Fritz Gilbert

We were honored that Fritz Gilbert returned to our podcast to discuss his book. He was one of the very first guests on our podcast. You can listen in to that conversation here

Follow The Retirement Manifesto on Twitter: @RetireManifesto

Retirement Wisdom · Oct 30, 2019 ·

By Rabbi Laura Geller and Richard Siegel (2019 – Behrman House)

Book Review by Joe Casey

The retirement transition is one of the most significant experiences in a lifetime. Some view it as an ending, but it’s increasingly also seen as a new beginning. The authors suggest a more apt term for retirement today – rewirement. It can be a launching pad for positive aging, lifelong learning, personal growth and wisdom. This book will definitely help you retire smarter.

Cultivating Wisdom

“One thing we learn as we grow older is that wisdom is not a static destination but an ongoing accumulation of knowledge, insight, and experience. Lucky for us, opportunities for lifelong learning abound…As we learn more about ourselves and those around us, we may be inspired to create new ways to acknowledge and celebrate those special moments and accomplishments as poignant markers of and motivation for our continued growth.”

– Rabbi Laura Geller and Richard Siegel, Getting Good at Getting Older

There’s a personal story that led me to this excellent book on retirement and later life. In the Spring of 2018, I began my final class in the Masters in Gerontology program at USC. The class I was scheduled to take was suddenly canceled. An advisor recommended an alternative offering titled Mindful Aging: Spirituality, Gratitude, and Resilience. I signed up with great interest and curiosity, but I did not really know what to expect. I was in for many surprises. It was the most meaningful course I’ve ever taken.

On the first day, our professor Dr. Leah Buturain warned, “If this is your last class in the program and you expect it to be an easy glide to the finish line, you’re in the wrong class. This will likely be your most demanding class.” (She was not kidding).

The Spiritual Dimension

A key part of the class was exploring the spiritual side of aging. One way that Dr. Buturain taught this was through inviting in a series of guest lecturers from a wide range of spiritual traditions to join us in class. This was an enlightening experience for me as a lifelong Catholic. It broadened my horizons and thinking. I was intrigued by how many things were universal across the various religions and what aspects were unique.

A highlight for me was the day that Rabbi Laura Geller came to class. She was the third woman ordained as a Rabbi and was named by Next Avenue as one of the Top Influencers in Aging. She engaged us with a substantive lecture and a rich discussion on aging well and the transition to retirement. She mentioned that she was working on a book with her husband. I pre-ordered it during class, and I was delighted when it arrived on my doorstep last week.

Successful Aging and Mindful Aging

This book offers a comprehensive view of later adulthood. It’s a valuable guide to successful aging and mindful aging. It doesn’t shy away from any part of the life course. For example, it includes useful information on proactive preparations for the end of life. The book covers the waterfront beginning with a thoughtful piece on the topic of wisdom. The authors note that wisdom is acquired not through aging alone. It’s cultivated through an ongoing process of experience, learning, reflection and self-discovery – aided by humility. From there, the authors share their insights and recommendations on lifelong learning, relationships and community, healthy aging and the importance of purpose.

The book includes chapters written by a variety of contributors, including:

Marc Freedman and Marci Alboher of Encore.org – Making Purpose Your True North

Helen Dennis – Acquiring for Yourself a Friend

Richard Eisenberg – Touching the Future through Mentoring

Sylvia Boorstein – Mindfulness

Deborah Goldstein – Leaving a Legacy, Not a Landfill

The book includes a number of interesting exercises and pragmatic strategies to try out. At the end of each section of the book, there’s a helpful list of tools and resources.

As you might expect a book co-authored by a prominent Rabbi and the co-editor of The Jewish Catalog to be, it is written through the lens of their religion. If you have different beliefs, I hope you’ll be open to the profound and practical wisdom you’ll find throughout this book. You will be wiser for it.

After pre-ordering the book, I would periodically check to see when it would be published as it seemed to be delayed. Upon receiving it, I learned the sad news that Rabbi Geller’s husband and co-author Richard Siegel had passed away. Condolences on your loss and thank you for sharing your wisdom.

Getting Good at Getting Older on Amazon

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The Second Mountain

Retirement Wisdom · Oct 17, 2019 ·

by Kelli Harding, MD, MPH (2019 – Atria Books)

Book Review by Joe Casey

Wise and healthy aging is a critical part of retirement, no matter what age you choose to retire at. Daily choices can seem small. But over time they can have a big impact on your health, happiness, and well-being – and on the well-being of those around you. For example, choosing to do acts of kindness can benefit others. And it’s good for you as well. Overall, raising awareness of our choices and their consequences can help us make positive choices and enhance our wellness.

The Mind-Body Connection

Kelli Harding, an MD and MPH is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a veteran of the ER at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She’s authored an excellent new book on the mind-body connection and the “hidden factors” that influence our health holistically. It will change how you think about health and wellness.

She explains how our individual daily choices either promote or detract from emotional and physical health. But it’s not just about us individually. There’s a two-way street between individual health and collective health. Harding expands the discussion of personal choices to examine the ripple effect on family units, neighborhoods, communities – and ultimately society as a whole. It’s a timely book.

” The data seems crystal clear: It’s time to take socializing as seriously as exercise, diet, and sleep. Study after study builds on the mounting pile of evidence that social support in our community is necessary for wellness.”

– Kelli Harding, The Rabbit Effect

Stress and the Social Component of Health

The fundamentals of wellness are widely known. Eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise and adequate sleep. Dr. Harding highlights another fundamental of good health that’s talked about less often – social connectivity. And the world we live in today creates many obstacles to social connectedness. She points out that many people sometimes seem to be more focused on their devices than on other people. Neighborhoods can be less friendly than perhaps they used to be. And Harding notes that the increase in distrust that’s evolved in recent decades leads to increased fear and perceived threats. Various forms of bias and discrimination can fuel isolation and stress. And the pace of life today generates prolonged stress, which she notes is “in itself an independent risk factor for poor health.”

“How we treat each other as human beings matters deeply for our health.”

– Kelli Harding, The Rabbit Effect

Positive Actions and Practices

Don’t just sit there, do something! Harding provides useful context and noteworthy data points from research, but this is really a book about taking charge of your well-being by taking action. Harding describes a number of positive actions and daily practices that can mitigate stress, promote wellness and foster wise and healthy aging. Therefore, she concludes each chapter with a list of useful recommendations backed by research and/or experience. Notable actions include cultivating a positive mindset, becoming a lifelong learner, and developing your sense of purpose. And a positive attitude really matters. Harding cites a Yale study that found middle-aged and older adults with a positive attitude about aging lived 7.6 years longer than those who did not.

Harding explains the benefits of starting daily practices around mindfulness, meditation, and gratitude. And she draws an interesting distinction between empathy and compassion. She notes that both entail sensing how someone else feels. However, compassion includes taking action to help someone else alleviate what they are feeling.

In conclusion, I’ll highlight a great question that Dr. Harding recommends to remind us to seize opportunities for acts of kindness. It’s a keeper:

“What can I do at this moment that could add kindness to the situation?”

Get The Rabbit Effect on Amazon

Listen In

Listen to our conversation on the Mind-Body Connection with Dr. Kelli Harding on The Retirement Wisdom Podcast

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Book Review by Joe Casey:

Joe Casey is an executive coach and retirement coach with Retirement Wisdom® and co-host of The Retirement Conversation podcast. A former senior HR executive, he’s been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC.com and Business Insider on career and retirement issues.

Retirement Wisdom · Oct 4, 2019 ·

by Chris Farrell (2019 – HarperCollins Leadership)

Subtitle: Finding Meaning, Money, and Happiness in the Second Half of Life

Book Review by Joe Casey

Books on retirement tend to focus primarily on financial planning. Economist and journalist Chris Farrell covers the financial side of the road, but he also goes beyond that in this inspiring book. He tells the captivating story of how baby boomers are re-inventing themselves – and retirement – through self-employment and entrepreneurship.

The idea of working in retirement seems like an oxymoron to some. But Farrell provides an accessible tour through the research on the benefits of working longer. The rewards include but transcend the financial side. Farrell points out that while generating income longer is helpful, many baby boomers are seeking “a calling not a job” in a second career. Continuing to work, in some fashion, can provide a renewed sense of purpose and meaning. These benefits, in turn, have been associated with wellness and longevity. But Farrell stresses that work in retirement is a choice. It’s not for everyone. But this book may lead you to give serious consideration to how some work, especially purpose-driven work, can play a part in your retirement life.

A New Life Course is Emerging

In earlier generations, life generally followed a path defined by institutions and clear transitions. You completed your education, then you began a career, and after decades of work often with a single employer, you headed off into retirement. Simple. And retirement was often a much shorter phase of life. Much of that is dramatically changing.

” The school-work-retirement-silos are coming down, thanks to the powerful combination of an aging population, globalization and technological innovation. The rewrite of the new life course is still being drafted, but a more complex narrative is being scripted. The baby boomer generation is the lead writer, but other generations will weigh in, too.”

People of all generations are following a greater diversity of pathways today. Those paths generate new opportunities and possibilities but challenges too. In this new life course, education does not conclude in your twenties. Learning is a lifelong endeavor. And today, there’s a greater need to make a mid-life career change more often than previous generations.

But institutions are not as nimble as individuals. While change is underway, progress is slow and institutional obstacles need to be skillfully navigated. For example, Farrell notes that corporate benefits plans (and legislation around retirement benefits) are rooted in the old model. That leads to restricting options like phased retirement in the vast majority of companies.

Flexibility Generates New Ways of Working in Retirement

The trio of powerful demographic, globalization, and technological changes in recent decades have opened up broader possibilities. Because of these changes, people today want greater flexibility in how we live, work, and retire. Many are experimenting with creative ideas for second careers. For experienced workers, an array of options have evolved that can be negotiated with many employers, such as semi-retirement, gradual retirement, part-time schedules, and alternative work arrangements. Farrell shares his insights on why self-employment and entrepreneurial pursuits are attractive options for many baby boomers. First, they provide far greater flexibility. Second, they offer ways to creatively use valuable skills and experience in new ways. Third, they represent a way to “end run” the unfortunate realities of age discrimination.

What Employers Don’t Get About Experienced Workers

Farrell takes on a few myths about “workers of a certain age” head-on. (He endorses using the phrase “experienced workers” in lieu of older workers, for which I am grateful…). In his view, many employers cling to outdated (or flatly wrong) assumptions. He specifically cites incorrect perceptions and beliefs that many employers have on the productivity and creativity that experienced workers bring to the table. He also calls for increased awareness of language used to describe older adults. He advocates the elimination of a number of popular words and phrases (like ‘senior moment’) that are inaccurate and insensitive.

Retirement is Intergenerational

One of the most interesting parts of this book on retirement and later life is the chapter on Gains from a Multigenerational Society. Farrell highlights the various ways in which multiple generations are embracing living, working and volunteering together. He shares stories and examples that illuminate how – and why – the evolving relationships between generations today offers hope for the future.

The first book I ever read on retirement was Unretirement by Chris Farrell. It is an excellent read. His latest work Purpose and a Paycheck is far and away one of the very best books on retirement life that I’ve read. It has a strong empirical base, which is critical – but it also has a heart and soul to it. The research cited makes the case and the personal stories bring it to life. The author paints a realistically optimistic picture of opportunities in the second half of life for people to work more flexibly and apply their skills for income, wellness, and social good.

Many books on adjusting to retirement are helpful. This book takes it further and can inspire an entirely new vision for your life in retirement. If you’re considering self-employment and you’re intrigued by the possibilities of a second career with purpose and meaning, this is highly recommended.

Purpose and a Paycheck is available on Amazon