Customer Reviews

Get a Life: You Don't Need a Million to Retire Well, Fourth Edition

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!!

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 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.

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).

As a Certified Financial Planner, I recommend this book to many of my clients who are seriously planning their retirements. Warner has done a great job putting things in the proper perspective with a book that is an "easy read". While adequate money is important to a satisfactory retirement (and helping clients build a satisfactory net worth is how I make my living), I do find, as has Warner, that there are more important things such as health, friends, and a purpose (i.e., reasons to get up in the morning) when it comes to planning out one's retirement. I frequently ask clients what they plan to do when they retire. When they say "go fishing" or "play golf", I then ask them what they plan to do the second week/month/year. And I keep asking the question until they realize that its a serious one. Warner takes it further with discussion and clear examples. In short, a must read for anyone approaching retirement.

This book presents a view that is difficult to find in print It's easy these days to find books that advocate the wisdom of investing/saving for retirement. Purveyors of investment vehicles often make us feel guilty for not saving every last cent of our disposable income.

The view that this author presents is rarely expressed -- namely that we can live on less than we think and that there are ways that we need to prepare for retirement besides focusing on money. I welcome this refreshing view.

Warner wants us to think about the "whole person" and not just about money. Now I find myself asking whether I've planned adequately for friends, family, activities, and interests.

This book makes me think of a good friend of mine who retired two years ago. She and her husband hadn't planned enough in terms of the "whole person." They're thinking about moving back. If they had read this book, I wonder whether they would have moved in the first place.

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.

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.

Retirement books written by authors who understand that a good retirement is about more than money, are wonderful! Constructed in a light, yet logical format, "Get a Life" covers much of what you need to think about before you retire. And it's not just money!
I believe that retirement life planning begins five to ten years prior to the event. If you haven't ever done something like paint, travel or volunteer before you retire, it is very unlikely you will do it after you retire. And if you don't have activities and friends outside of work, statistics show that the likely result is depression and an early demise. This is particularly true for men.
Much of what Warner talks about in this book supports my conviction that this is a time of life to act with the vigor of our innermost convictions. It's what will keep us strong in retirement and make the world a better place.
For example, in his chapter on loving life, Warner makes the following observation:
"Trying to conform to the expectations of others all one's life seems to carry with it a heavy price after retirement. It's as if now, when you finally have the freedom to be the individual you really wanted to be all your life, you've forgotten who that person is."
Whether or not you agree with Ralph Warner, this book is one you should definitely read, if only to challenge your own assumptions.

Like all "royal road to retirement" advice books this one is a mixed bag with some very sage and wise advice on some topics, but weaker on other topics with a lot of facile generalities and waving of hands in regard to how actually to do it on less than a million bucks. Overall though, I applaud the author's emphasis on quality of life vs. a life devoid of meaning and quality personal relationships but with plenty of money--which is what the financial types will try to sell you. As some wag once said, real money is easy to come by--it just takes a lifetime of hard work. Of course, by that time, your wife has left you, your kids hate you, and you have no friends. What's the point of that? I think a compromise is therefore in order, with a downscaled, more modest retirement but with having preserved one's family and friendships intact. On the other hand, this is America, the land of the Almighty Dollar, to which we all bow and scrape and perform obeisance, and if you've got a gadzillion bucks up the wazzoo you can always buy friends, if you can call them that. And I've discovered that in the U.S., money truly does buy friendship of a sort--at least you'll never be bored and alone on a Friday or Saturday night. Anyway, whatever you decide, this book offers an alternative. The decision is up to you.