Customer Reviews

Retire Early--And Live the Life You Want Now: A 10-Step Plan For Reinventing Your Retirement

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read several books on this subject and all seem to have some overt or hidden agenda to preach. John Wasik presents a very doable plan with common sense steps for achieving your goal. No hidden agenda here, just solid advice and very practical bits of usable information. The financial plan in Retire Early is the most realistic I have seen in any book. This is not a read once and discard book. I use it as a reference guide and refer to it often.

Having read several recommendations for "Retire Early," by John Wasik, as a good book on retirement issues, I as anxious to read it. Maybe it's like being told a movie is good before seeing it, then being disappointed, because after having read "Retire Early," I can't see what all the fuss is about.

The book's preface gets things off to a good start, as there is hardly a mention of how to accumulate or magnify one's nest egg and all that financial stuff that can be found in so many other "retirement" books. Here we get goodies like, "There is clearly another path that is more satisfying than the one we know," and "...for most of us, it's hard to break the chains that make us wage slaves." This is promising stuff.

But after a first chapter, which is also promising, the good stuff ends abruptly.

Unfortunately, the bulk of "Retire Early" is a compilation of all the financial basics you can get from a million other sources. And like so many of the "new" retirement books emerging, covering all the bases of financial advice seems to be the name of the game. Thus, we get advice on determining your nondiscretionary expenses, buying a car, using only one credit card, paying cash for meals, and on and on. And how about this for great advice: "For most people, real wealth is accumulated only if they spend a lot less than what they make." Now, there's something you can take to the bank with you on your next trip.

This stuff goes on for about 150 pages: All kinds of financial dribble that, like many other books of this nature, surely includes something to offer to most. But the point here is that I was told this was a really good book on retirement. When do I get to that? Surely there is more to retirement than all this financial stuff!

Bingo: Like an entirely different book, that last 30 pages are a hodgepodge of advice and information from nearly every conceivable angle other than financial. The problem is that it is too little too late, and much of it seems more appropriate to a "drop out" persona than a retiree. Some of it borders on just plain weird, like the author's suggestion to write down a list of one's failures in life. With this he says, "throw it in a drawer or file and review it later." Boy, that would be a valuable way to start your retirement plans. And how about his comparison of his "New Prosperity" with "Traditional Retirement?" Two of the entries here are "Chance to pursue passions" vs. "Chance to play golf all the time," and "Part of a global community" vs. "Member of gated community." Where are we going with this? Are we about to define "alternative retirement?"

Then, to end the rambling, non-financial stuff, there's a chapter on happiness, where we find quotes from 14 books in just five pages, as if the author did a quick skim from books off his favorite bookshelf.

I'm sorry, folks, I think the book is a mess, and I hope that this onslaught of retirement primers that start off with financial basics and all their inconsistencies, then end with rambling advice on how to be happy and fulfilled, soon will run their course.

I'll stick with my two old favorites: "The Joy of Not Working," by Zelinski, and "breaking the watch," by Savishinsky. While there will probably never be the perfect "retirement" book, I think those two are at least valuable contributions to the quest. I don't think this Wasik book holds a candle to either.

If you're thinking about giving up the grind early, this quick read tells exactly how almost anyone can do it. Of course, you have to follow the plan. This book is very conversational, easy-to-read and enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

This book is a very general review of basic finances. It does not go into the heart of the issue of early retirement like many of the other books I have read (e.g. Gillette Edmunds). Perhaps this is because the author, unlike most authors of early retirement books, did not actually retire early.

The book comes across as something done by a professional writer who thought that this "slant" on a financial book would allow him to sell the most copies.

My favorite phrase in this whole book is where the author refers to his "robust bachelorhood" when talking about his earlier life.

I loved this book so much I read it four times. Mr. Wasik takes the reader through all the steps neccessary to plan for an early retirement. The whole book is engrossing.
One thing is dated a bit though: I dont think that a technology mutual fund is the best bet right now...but I guess I could be wrong.
If you read this book you will figure out what you will do when do retire. This helps you to visualize more clearly and make you want to achieve your goal that much faster. It may also prevent much boredom in those years.
Like I said, this book is excellent and I read it four times.
The reference section is excellent. And I loved that Wasik covered the guy who runs the Retire Early Homepage.
Wasik makes a wonderful suggestion at the beginning of his book: Develop your skills, interests, and abilities, and have great faith in your dreams.

If you're thinking about giving up the grind early, this quick read tells exactly how almost anyone can do it. Of course, you have to follow the plan. This book is very conversational, easy-to-read and enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

I was impressed by this book. It covers the entire topic of retiring early. It also give you a lot of things to think about that you may not have considered. Highly recommended if you're considering early retirement.

If you're thinking about giving up the grind early, this quick read tells exactly how almost anyone can do it. Of course, you have to follow the plan. This book is very conversational, easy-to-read and enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

Wasik's "Retire Early" is an engaging and entertaining book on personal finance. There are real people and their stories in each chapter--giving a "real world" feel to the advice presented.