Book ~ "Ready to Retire?: The New Reality of Retirement and What You and Your Spouse Need to Know" (2016) Lyndsay Green

From Goodreads ~ Conceived and written for the women (and men) who live with partners about to retire – or already in retirement – "Ready to Retire?" seeks to help couples understand what their spouses are going through as they meet the new realtiy of life beyond the workplace.

Cultural messaging has traditionally reinforced the idea of the man as bread winner and thusly, men of this generation have a particularly hard time making the retirement adjustment as they so often completely self-identify with their work. In light of this cultural trend, author and sociologist Lyndsay Green sets out to demystify retirement for men and their partners, and provides an engaging and uplifting portrait of the emotional landscape of men in their sixties and seventies.

While most books on this subject focus on finances, Lyndsay Green writes more about the psychological implications of retirement. More descriptive than instructional, the book is based on interviews with over sixty people, from age 56 to 88, living in cities, small towns and rural areas.

In spite of the fact that many men have a deep-rooted fear about retirement, and that so often their spouses can be baffled by their inability to express those fears and needs, Lyndsay Green discovered that the story of men’s retirement is mostly one of adjustment, revitalization and reinvention. "Ready to Retire?" is an inspiring portrait of the emotional lives of men who are retired or are considering retirement, and the women (and men) they live with.

I work in the retirement industry ... I conduct seminars and one-on-ones encouraging participants to sign up for their company-sponsored retirement plan so financially they can have the retirement they hope for. As such, I like to read books about retirement planning and this one caught my eye.

Most of us hope that we save enough for our retirements and we don't think about what we are going to actually do in retirement (this is something I discuss sometimes in the one-on-ones) and how our retirement will affect our relationship with our spouse.  This book isn't focused on the financial aspects of retirement and the topics include:

1. Men and retirement
2. Fears of retirement
3. The reality of retirement
4. Delayed retirement
5. Relationship with others
6. Relationship with yourself

The foundation of this book was based on the lives of 44 men (I didn't realize when I got the book that is was focused on men) and 17 of their spouses, who told the author their stories about being or living with a retirement-aged man.  The ages ranged from 56 to 88 with two-thirds of them at peak retirement age (age 64 to 75).  Some left work happily while others not so happily.  Some retired and then went back to work and some wished they were still working.  They came from different income levels and some had saved enough for retirement, while others hadn't.  They were married, divorced or widowed, both hetero- and homosexual.

It's an interesting book to read to get men's views on retirement and also their spouses reactions.  It's got to be quite a change for a woman who has been used to having the house to herself to all of a sudden have her husband around all the time (that's a lot of togetherness!).  One spouse was honest and said that she'll have breakfast and supper with her husband but she wants to be on her own for lunch.

Book ~ "You Could Live a Long Time: Are You Ready?" (2010) Lyndsay Green

From Chapters Indigo ~ Are you ready to live a long time, or do you dread it? Author Lyndsay Green has interviewed forty successful seniors to talk not just about the problems of old age but its strength and benefits.

These seniors were from all walks of life and from all over the country, living in Victoria, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Kingston and Halifax, aged 75 to 100. They have been identified as the self-reliant seniors we would like to be and they share their wisdom and strategies for independent and happy living. The book combines their advice with cutting edge research, to arrive at specific suggestions for what we should be doing now to prepare for old age, and includes resources to help us implement the advice, including:

Money isn''t everything, and won't cure ill-health or loneliness. Cultivate new friendships now. To keep your dignity, give up your pride. You need a work plan instead of a retirement plan To keep a home, consider leaving your house. If you push too hard to stay young you''ll get old faster.

The unique message is that we should not try to avoid old age. Instead of trying to do the impossible to stay forever young, Green comes to the radical conclusion that in order to get as much as possible out of our old age we will need to embrace it.

I work in the retirement industry as an educator ... I conduct seminars encouraging participants to sign up for their company-sponsored retirement plan so financially they can have the retirement they hope for. As such, I like to read books about retirement planning.

This was a unique book in that there was only one chapter on saving for retirement and being financially stable at that time ... and it's towards the end of the book.

The majority of the book is focused on how to have a happy retirement. This includes cultivating friendships now so you'll have them then, deciding ahead of time whether you'll stay in your house or downsize, giving away things you don't need now so there won't be that burden after you're gone, volunteering and feeling needed, hanging out with younger people to keep you younger, staying active and exercising, etc.

I liked that it gave a different twist on retirement planning ... its a good book for everyone to read, no matter what age you are.