Retirement Calculator

I bought this book thinking that the "secrets" therein would enlighten me as to things we might be missing in our planning for retirement. The other reviewers on this site made it sound like the book would have advice on little-known health care deals, finding a good place to live, etc. Instead, it is filled with common sense tips, such as "enjoy sex" and "learn to forgive." Gee, thanks. This might be a good book if you're retired and bored, but don't buy this looking for much more.

There is a great deal of wisdom in this book by Mary Helen and Shuford Smith. The Smiths cover the practical aspects of retirement as well. The Smiths retired early - ages 39 and 43. They consider their retirement lives extremely rich and provide this guide to fill in a gap that they see in retirement literature. They aren't afraid to tackle issues that many other retirement books don't address, such as the reality of death and sexual changes, while covering the practical aspects of retirement as well.

The construct of the book is in the form of 101 brief essays grouped together in eight categories. The first category, "Make Successful Transitions," is one of the critical sections that make this book stand out. The Smiths discuss the importance of developing a philosophy for life during your retirement years. Many recent retirement books talk about finding jobs, volunteering, travel and relationships, but few acknowledge that we must come to grips with the realities of aging and defining our purpose on earth - our reason for "being," rather than "doing." The Smiths replay this theme throughout the remainder of the book.
If I have one gripe with the book, it's the style of writing. The Smiths have chosen to write in the first person plural ("we," "our"). This can begin to grate if the reader chooses to read from cover to cover, because it begins to sound like a royal "we." Because of this, I recommend reading the book in short bursts, dipping into different essays as appropriate.

In spite of this shortcoming, 101 Secrets for a Great Retirement belongs on the bookshelf of everyone approaching retirement.

IF YOU HAVE ZERO IDEAS FOR WHAT, HOW,AND WHEN, ITS ALRIGHT.IF YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE SOME HOMEWORK FOR A WHILE SKIP IT.