Too Young to Retire: An Off-The Road Map to the Rest of Your Life

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.

Motivational speaker Howard Stone and yoga teacher Marika Stone team up in Too Young To Retire: An Off-The-Road Map To The Rest Of Your Life to present readers with a down-to-earth instructional guide which is drawn from the authors own lives as a couple, their research, and several assorted case histories in order to present practical and effective alternatives to retirement -- including stimulating work and community service. From opportunities to earn money or participate in business, to volunteering one's time, to traveling for fun and profit, Too Young To Retire is an exciting and dynamic self-help instructional guide for charting new possibilities for the future and highly recommended reading -- especially for anyone over the age of 62 and not ready for the rocking chair/nursing home slide into oblivion.

"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

This engaging and informative book offers "how to" action plans, complemented by a wide variety of references and resources. The personal stories let us peek inside, satisfying an innate curiosity and showing us how others deal with change at this stage of life. It's a fast and fun read, but a book that I will refer back to time and time again.

A must for people who are approaching (or who have already reached) the so-called retirement age. The book is chock full of thought-provoking advice and ideas. For example, Marika and Howard Stone suggest that the way to be energized and enjoy this new life's passage is through ". . . a priceless, enduring feeling of self worth." Case histories, the writings of others, and their own experiences provide solid suggestions on how to achieve a gratifying transition. And, for each chapter, the authors thoughtfully include references for books, Web sites and other tools. Although you can read this book in one sitting, you'll want to refer back to it time, time and again for a refresher on advice, ideas, and, should you care to delve deeper into any topic, you'll appreciate their carefully selected lists of resources. The authors practice what they preach--they quit their "conventional jobs" several years ago and started a now highly successful Web site...