Customer Reviews

Retire & Thrive: Remarkable People, Age 50 Plus, Share Their Creative, Productive & Profitable Retirement Strategies

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After more than 20 years in career consulting, I've gotten quite picky about which books I'm willing to add to a huge collection. "Retire and Thrive" came home with me for several reasons:

1) It has specific, real world examples of people who retired, semi-retired, bounced back to employment and/or found joy in hobbies, education and volunteer service. 2) It has hints, tips and data to back them up, especially in the financial planning section at the end. 3) It's realistic about financing dreams and what that takes to make them a reality. 4) There's a wealth of links and resources to associations, publications, and suggested readings. 5) The format is varied, so it's not just long pages of text; easy on the eye print for aging baby boomers {wry grin.}

All said and done, it's a valuable resource which I recommend.

If you learn by example this book is for you. It is filled with stories about other people who have successfully made the transition from one long term career to another. Supposedly this proves that it can be done. However, the book is also laced with statistics and other information that will make you think twice about trying. Rather than giving encouragement, as the title suggests, this book is really quite frightening. It is not a "how to" book. Nor did I find it helpful.

I found Otterbourg's Retire and Thrive a wonderfully refreshing change from all the career and life advice books. Easy to read. I felt like he and the people he profiled were sitting in my living room simply chatting with me about their experiences. His profiles of people who have "been there" gave real world suggestions. Reading the book was like having two dozen mentors offering guidance about how to deal with real world challenges.

I especially liked the profiles that told why the person made the life changes they made...some of the changes were forced on them (downsizing, illness, etc.) but even more often they chose the changes and had the courage take the big step.

Highly recommend Retire and Thrive. Also, should be part of any career counselor's library on any educational level. Good example to young people that life isn't over at 30, 40, 50 or beyond.

Otterbourg's book Retire and Thrive (3rd Ed.)is a very useful and enjoyable read for anyone planning for retirement or only dreaming about its eventuality. It includes personal stories of people who have left both jobs and "lifework" and have pursued other wonderful endeavors. These include hobbies, volunteer work, politics, advanced education, part-time work and 2nd careers. There is the right mix of "nuts and bolts" planning and envisioning a future.

With an unbelievable variety of choices facing those considering retirement, there is no easy way to approach this major change of life's status. But, I found Bob Otterbourg's book, Retire & Thrive, one of the best-researched and easy-to-understand sources of information I've seen in a long time. As one who manages a trade organization representing the business-format franchise sector, I deal on a daily basis with many who seek the solution to their dreams of entrepreneurship through franchising. More and more of these folks are at that magic point when they can retire but sincerely want meaningful activity in their life. Franchising can offer that opportunity. Bob's advice in how to investigate a franchise offers a no-nonsense approach.

Don DeBolt, President, International Franchise Association

I loved this book and all the real life examples. Anyone who is considering retiring and becoming a coach potato will take a second look when they read about people who are over 50 years of age and have found some enormously rewarding ways to start all over again. The book gives retirement strategies to assist anyone considering a second career at middle age. The book is a motivating, stimulating example of how you can success if you really try and want to make it. Many of the examples are individuals who started over in a completely new career - and how they got there. I recommend this as great reading to ANYONE over 50 who wants to thrive and survive!

As an Executive Coach I have often referred to and recommended to many of my clients that they read Retire and Thrive. Most have done what I suggested and their feedback to me was very positive.
Many of my clients are in their late forties and fifties and even though they hold demanding jobs, they are always thinking about their third third of life after their corporate careers end. They know that there are another twenty to thirty years ahead of them where they need to create a valid reason to get out of bed every morning with some enthusiasm. Retire and Thrive has been a source of information and inspiration to so many of them as they ponder both their present and their future. The book has been just as useful to me personally as it has been to my clients.