Kiplinger's Retire & Thrive

Otterbourg entertains and informs us by presenting fifty anecdotes of live people organized around eight major retirement issues, e.g., careers, planning and volunteerism. This book helps us answer the question, what will I do if I retire? It is a wonderful companion to a book on financial planning for retirement. Michael C. Thomas, PhD (Cary, NC)

An earlier edition of the Otterbourg book helped me to sort out my own retirement plans. His mix of practical advice and anecdotes from successful retirees gave me the confidence to consider stepping out on my own to pursue, independently, my lifelong interests in writing and photography. Otterbourg's book is full of down-to-earth stuff, written from the perspective of someone who also once decided to make the leap, and fleshed out with a wide variety of stories from other thriving retirees. A thoughtful take on what ought to be on the minds of those of us considering retirement.

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

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.