The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Jan Cullinane (Author), Cathy Fitzgerald (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 80 million baby boomers due to retire over the next couple of decades face a daunting array of options and decisions related to work, money, health care, lifestyle and more, according to Cullinane and Fitzgerald. The authors, who hold retirement-planning seminars, offer a comprehensive guide to navigating this complex maze. An appealing aspect is the inclusion of the stories of real people who have made certain choices, from starting a business later in life to moving to a new community or traveling overseas. This is a user-friendly handbook featuring numerous checklists (Independent Living, Relocation, etc.), source lists ( such as Best Employers for People Over 50, Discount Travel Sites) and reference material. A generous portion of the book evaluates specific retirement destinations both in the U.S. and overseas. Each state is given a report card according to relevant stats including climate, cost of living, health care, transportation and leisure. While this information is available elsewhere, the authors provide excellent descriptions of the locales, along with both pros and cons to living in each. The finance section covers insurance, investing, Social Security and other topics, but is essentially an overview of these subjects. Readers just starting to consider what changes they want to make when they "retire" and those contemplating relocation or lifestyle changes will find the bulk of the book quite helpful.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

When can I afford to retire? Where do I want to live? Should I rent or buy? How do I want to spend my time? Baby boomers will find this chockablock with information and examples to help them answer these and other important questions on the road to the next stage of life. Pages devoted to maintaining a healthy lifestyle seem a touch out of place in the mix, but otherwise, there's not a wasted word in this well-organized, down-to-earth guide. The authors, who conduct retirement seminars, understand just what boomers want to know--from basics about financial planning (rethink the way you spend and save) and choosing a retirement lifestyle to finding that perfect retirement home; they even include armchair visits to top retirement destinations in 13 states. With easily reproducible checklists and worksheets and numerous Web sites and phone numbers to make follow-up easy, this handy resource brims with plain good sense about making some hugely important decisions. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 486 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; illustrated edition edition (July 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579547966
• ISBN-13: 978-1579547967
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #162,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book IS the ultimate guide!, July 25, 2004

By	Joyce Logan (Deer Park, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life (Paperback)

I just finished reading my neighbor's copy of The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life, by Jan Cullinanae and Cathy Fitzgerald, and I had to share my enthusiasm about this book. I am also going to get my own copy! It is a great summary of all of the things we Baby Boomers should be thinking about as we approach retirement. The New Retirement helps the reader decide when and where to retire, whether continued employment may be necessary or desirable for financial or psychological reasons, and how to make the transition into a retirement lifestyle that is right for you. I'll recoup the cost of the book many times over by taking advantage of the ideas in the financial planning and tax chapters.

The book is unique in that it really does address 'the rest of your life,' from retirement planning, to maximizing the retirement years, to preparing for the eventual sunset. The New Retirement opened my mind to the many paths I can take to spend the rest of my life in a fulfilling manner.

The authors' conversational style and sense of humor make this an ENJOYABLE read. The wealth of fascinating facts, web site references, analyses of places to live, and practical advice make this a MUST read.

Joyce Logan, Deer Park, Illinois

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY SOLID INFORMATION, March 14, 2005

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life (Paperback)

I have two financial concerns: The first is paying for the college education of my two sons. Fortunately they are 10 years apart in age so I won't have them attending college at the same time. The second is saving for retirement. I'm still 25 years or so away from retirement but I see how my own parents have struggled as they got into their mid-70's. My dad did not have a retirement account and my mom only got into one maybe 10 years before retiring. A sobering prospect.

This book is a real eye-opener. We don't plan on re-locating and we are only looking to maintain our current lifestyle while trying to account for medical expenses. While much of the book does focus on the best places to retire with appropriate ratings, I found most helpful the various surveys and worksheets designed to come up with the retirement plan that best fits your desires. You'll uses these work sheets to figure out just how much money you'll need to have when you retire based upon your lifestyle.

Most interesting was information on a "working" retirement, where you enjoy the benefits of retirment while perhaps owning a small business. There are lots of opportunities that you may not have considered for a working retirement. There are also the very important sections dealing with healthcare, living wills, and dealing with aging parents. This is great information for us as we are now dealing with two aging and ill parents ourselves.

Whether your planning that retirement to Arizona or Florida, or planning on staying where ever you are at, the information in this book is invaluable. Best of all it's great no matter what age you are whether a younger person in their late 20's or in their 40's like me. It's never too late to get planning.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Bunch!!, January 18, 2005

By	Robert (Reston (VA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life (Paperback)

I recently attended a seminar about retirement given by the authors of The New Retirement, Jan Cullinane and Cathy Fitzgerald. I also purchased a copy of their book after their presentation. Having just finished the book, I'm happy to report that the book, as well as their talk was helpful, informative, interesting, and enjoyable. Their nice style (both in the book and speaking) combined humor with valuable insights - things I wasn't aware of (such as ingredients to a successful retirement - hint - it's not only about the money!). I liked the concepts of universal design, the worksheets, their specific recommendations about places to retire, and their A to Z list of what to do to reprogram your time. The New Retirement really does cover the Who, What, Where, When, and How of retirement. I picked up a few tax tips that I'll be able to implement, too.

I've will retire in about three months, and have/am collecting as much info as I can about this time of life. The New Retirement is the best I've come across, and believe me, I've looked at virtually everything. I very, very highly recommend this book!