Too Young to Retire: 101 Ways To Start The Rest of Your Life (Paperback)

by Marika Stone (Author), Howard Stone (Author) "The rest of your life is uncharted territory, full of twists, switchbacks, surprises, and bumps..." (more)
Key Phrases: home exchange, New York, United States, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
As a couple approaching retirement age, the authors came to the realization that "retirement was a great place to visit, but who in their right mind would want to live there?" And so they skipped the Sunbelt retirement and set out to start a new chapter in their lives, which involved the creation of a website (2young2retire.com) and the writing of this book to encourage others to stay in the workforce after 65. Written in a friendly, understanding tone, this volume is both inspirational and realistic. It addresses practical issues like money and provides an extensive list of resources for getting started and formulating ideas. Each chapter also includes a "try this" section, which provides simple and doable ideas for making small life changes on the way to achieving goals. And, indeed, the book does include 101 specific ideas for vocations and avocations to pursue—cake decorator, computer tutor, ghostwriter, nanny, park ranger, wedding planner and many more. The authors also explain what is perhaps the ultimate incentive for staying engaged and active: it’s good for health and longevity. And they offer a host of tips for staying as healthy as possible so would-be-retirees can fully enjoy this fantastic stage of life.
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Review
This little gem of a book offers sage advice. -- The New York Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Plume (April 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452285577
• ISBN-13: 978-0452285576
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,410 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #16 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology > Aging
  #24 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Aging Parents > Retirement Planning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Retire when you can Review?, July 29, 2003

By	Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Too Young to Retire: An Off-The-Road Map to the Rest of Your Life (Paperback)

"It is already clear the 21st Century will demand more of all of us, young or old. The gifts we are given ? longevity, better health, education and financial resources ? come with responsibility. After all, we have inherited and even helped create a world that needs our wisdom, experience, and compassion now."

I've always thought the idea of retiring to be a strange concept. Why would you just give up your entire life? Even if you gave up your job should there not be other interests you would pursue, perhaps even more aggressively than your previous job.

It has been said that a "hobby" is more the man than his "job." I jest not when I say reviewing can be quite a great job/hobby.

The authors explain how to awaken the inner activist or volunteer. Chapter 5 gives a list of 101 Opportunities you could pursue. I know for sure there is a need for professional people who can keep giving their talents to society. Some of the ideas include:

Relocation Specialist
Personal Coach
Home Tutor
Travel Writer
Yoga Teacher
Massage Therapist
Author
Executive chef
Cabaret Singer

You might be thinking, "Hey, those sound more fun than what I'm doing now!" I personally like the "author" and "massage therapist" idea.

The authors explain how life is uncharted territory. How we live in a culture preoccupied with wealth. Are we not living our lives to find our deepest purpose?

The Contents Include:

Money - The Prose of Life
It's Not Working
It Is Working - Volunteering Revisited
101 Opportunities for the Open-Minded
Toward Wellness
Radical Departures
Resources

After you read this book, you will wonder if retirement really represents the "good life."

Well if you take Chapter 7 into account and start traveling the world, this might be just the bliss your soul has been craving. I also "loved" the idea of becoming a care taker. Who would not want to go live in a beautiful location as a property manager?

This book is about living in the moment and seeing your new freedom as an excuse to do exactly what you love.

Creative and Wise!

~The Rebecca Review

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Purpose-Filled Life, June 13, 2005

By	Casey Dawes "Wise Woman Shining" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book, Too Young to Retire, as well as the Stone's web site and book study groups, is their effort to teach people how to live a life filled with purpose, rather than the emptiness of so many retirees' lives.

The book begins with an introduction to the Stones and how they arrived at the attitude that they did. It then dives right into the largest problem that retirees face - money. If you ask most people approaching retirement age what they fear most about retirement, running out of money is tied with poor health. The Stones tackle the problem face on, correctly stating the "it is much less risky to worry about money than to face the volcanic changes of midlife and beyond." Once the discussion is concluded, they suggest several techniques to put money in its place, including the tried and true method of keeping a daily record of how you spend your money.

Not content with tackling retirement, the Stones next look at the world of work and why work isn't working. They cite many of the same ills that books such as Take Back Your Time discuss: too little vacation, too much pressure, too little fulfillment and more. The book quotes Rutgers University's Heldrich Center for Workforce Development study, "Most workers see their 'retirement' not as a time for leisure and travel, but as an opportunity to do fulfilling work, and find avocation in what they do." The end of the chapter offers methods to work through to who you really are. These are good starting places, but the more hard-core 9-5ers might need a little more work. The Stone's suggestion to hire a personal coach, even for a little while, is a good one.

The book is complete with pages and pages of resources. More can be found at their website.

If retirement is in your future, this book is a great place to begin the process.

39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Enticing and Useful Guide For All Aging Baby Boomers!, May 27, 2003

By	Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Too Young to Retire: An Off-The-Road Map to the Rest of Your Life (Paperback)

For anyone interested in how the rapid changes in our society have affected traditional ideas about retirement, this book provides a wonderful resource that not only questions a variety of traditional notions regarding aging and retirement, but also provides a plethora of thought-provoking considerations that help us to reconsider both the fact of growing older and the idea of retirement as they are currently viewed in this culture. Of course, the fact that I have already retired from one profession and am rapidly approaching the same conclusion with a brief secondary teaching career may make me the perfect candidate for such a book.

Yet I must admit that while I do not fully agree with many of the particulars that authors Marika and Howard Stone so enthusiastically espouse, I do find their overall message regarding the exciting possibilities for individual achievement and continuing contribution that such a life situation offers the retirement-eligible individual or couple. They embark from the substantial philosophical position carved out by former academic Theodore Roszak ("The Making of a Counterculture") in his absorbing tome, "America The Wise, The Longevity Revolution and the Wealth of Nations"(see my review), pointing out the facts associated with the new and burgeoning potential of the so-called baby boomer generation which is rapidly approaching retirement age with an incredible reserve of both financial and human resources at its disposal. Both Roszak and the Stones both argue for unleashing the human potential in a wave of creative activity, which is socially useful, and personally enriching.

What this book represents, then, is an eminently useful and immensely practical resource for people hoping to restructure their expectations, values, and personal experiences about what the retirement years are going to mean for them. Given the realities that traditional ideas about retirement are undergoing a revolution, the Stones provide the reader with an easy way through the maze toward a better understanding of what all the options are, as well as how to evaluate and assess these options and opportunities for a better and more fulfilling experience in the later years of life. And while the Stones find the mantra of life to be closely connected to work and expression through one's livelihood, they are wise enough to recognize other options for others, and encourage the reader to explore whatever seems valuable and worthwhile. This is a wonderful book, a delicious treat for those of us anxiously peering over the fence into the retirement years and wondering what to make of it all. Enjoy!