Community Reviews

Rating(3.8 / 5.0, 12 votes)
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12 reviews
April 17,2025
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Super underrated book but I loved it and decided to keep it on my short list of personal finance books I continue to own. There are plenty of books and discussions on getting to retirement, but not enough on why retire and what to do in retirement. As wise people have said, you shouldn't retire FROM something, but TO something. This book helped me visualize many potential next chapters in my life with so many concrete examples and stories from happy and successful retirees. Highly recommend!
April 17,2025
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A nice different perspective on retirement and the focus you should have getting ready for it. The book focuses on the fact that hobbies and relationships are just as important in satisfaction in retirement.
April 17,2025
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This book isn't about retirement--it's about aging. It talks about retirement and retired people, but most of them are still working. The only difference between them and people who aren't "retired" is that they're old. Retirement and getting old are completely different things. I retired when I was 32 years old. There are people who get old and never retire. The way I see it, if you're still working, then you're not retired; if you've permanently left the work force, then you're retired. It's fine to go back to work, or change careers, or whatever, but that's not retirement just because you're old.

What this book is really about is how to age gracefully. It talks about things like keeping busy, staying in shape, keeping in touch with family and friends, having fun, nursing homes, travel, and investing. Most of the book is just bland advice about how to stay active and stuff when you get old. That's not exactly a mind-blowing, new piece of advice, so it's amazing that it takes so many pages to say it. A lot of this is spent on telling the stories of old people who mistakenly call themselves "retired."

Despite its subtitle, this book says very little about how much money you need to retire. Its advice is somewhere between mediocre and decent. It advocates low-cost index funds, which is nice, but some of the other advice is not all that great. It suggests you cut up all your credit cards, and count on inheritance money from relatives dying off.
April 17,2025
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Get a Life is for anyone between 30 and retirement, when it's not too late to change your life for the better.

This book really put money into the proper perspective, as a tool for enjoying life and enriching those around you. I'm fortunate to have read it at 30, a time that's not too early to dismiss retirement as "old people stuff" but not too old where I think it's too late for me. I've been managing my money well but now I see how all the other aspects of my life are woefully lacking. Things that all the money in the world can't buy.

I (before reading this book) and many others think of retirement entirely in terms of money. How much can I save? What to spend all my money on? Money, money, money.

A great retirement is measured by how fit your body and mind is to enjoy it, close friends and family to spend each precious moment with, activities that stimulate the mind while growing your network with younger friends, fulfilling your passions in life, and finally enough wealth to not stress about life's necessities.

I was heading down the typical male path of financial wealth with a ending in misery but no more. I'm determined to improve my life for the better and now I know the way. I recommend this book to all my good friends.
April 17,2025
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There were some good ideas in this book which emphasizes the non-financial aspects of preparing for retirement but it was repetitive and a little boring.
April 17,2025
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Most books on retirement focus on the finances -- how much you will need to not run out. This book points out that unless you take care of health, relationships, plan for what you will do with your time, all the money in the world will not provide a "good" retirement. Good ideas and examples.
April 17,2025
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Admittedly, I didn't actually read the book. I only skimmed it, which was enough to let me see what it was truly about. I found the headings appropriate for people in a place of their lives when they need direction. The topics covered health and finances but overall, it was fairly boring and the cover was the only snazzy item about it. I liked it for a newcomer to the world of organizing your desires but for an already successful person I wouldn't recommend it. I would pass the book by.
April 17,2025
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Written before the 2008 crash, but much of the information is still current. Mr. Warner's premise that having an active life and staying involved is more important than wealth rings true. He gives good hints on how to achieve emotional wealth and an enjoyable retirement. I was pleased to see I'd already taken a lot of his recommendations before I myself retired.
April 17,2025
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Lots of interesting lessons from successfully retired people. Common themes include staying active (volunteering for causes you're passionate about, part-time work that you enjoy), having a strong social network (having good family relations, spending time with friends, continuing to make new (especially younger) friends), life-long learning, and keeping healthy.

The first chapter, "What Will You Do When You Retire?", warns against retiring without having pondered the question. Most people assume they'll enjoy having endless free time to play golf, fish, or whatever else, but quickly end up bored or disappointed. The author suggests it's important to develop hobbies and discover activities you're passionate about in advance.

Chapters are separated by the author's interviews with successful retirees, discussing their day-to-day life and any advice they might have. The stories are varied, yet share some interesting commonalities - most live simply and frugally, de-emphasize financial matters, stress the importance of making younger friends, and many say they feel they barely have time to spend on all their interests (volunteering, working part-time, traveling, hobbies).

There are also many chapters on financial matters, which I quickly skimmed. The information seemed sensible, but I've already read a lot about the financial side of retirement, and found the first half of the book much more interesting.

All in all, it's given me a lot to think about, and gotten me to look forward to retiring.
April 17,2025
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I really enjoy the idea behind this book. We already live according to most of these suggestions so apart from not having really saving enough for retirement, I'm pretty much ready for it :)
April 17,2025
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This book separates you from your financial concerns about retirement for just long enough for you to recognize that your own individual style and tastes will determine how much you will need for retirement.
April 17,2025
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So many retirement books focus only on financials. Blah blah blah, investments and savings. Boring!

This book focuses more on getting out and being active during the retirement years. I liked that.
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