Robin Ryan starts out her book by emphasizing the importance of retirement planning. According to Ryan, successful retirements don’t evolve without the execution of a plan. Anecdotal evidence is given in the form of testimonials from clients who’ve sought her help over the years. It’s ironic that people can be successful in their careers but failures in retirement.

One of the biggest mistakes new retirees make is immediately moving to a new destination. Not only is a move like this considered to be one of life major disruptions, but it also means that these retirees leave behind friends, contacts, and a well-known infrastructure. A similar mistake is made when buying an expensive motorhome with the idea of touring the country. Living in Florida, I’ve seen many of these retirement acquisitions in local used RV vehicle lots selling at deep discounts.

Alternatives to these rash decisions include volunteering pursuits or starting a business, both of which should be based on the retiree’s interests. Nearly half of the book is comprised of stories about successful retirees who have done these things. Not all of them did them initially but did so after counseling from Ryan. Their new paths to self-satisfaction resulted in fulfillment and retirement success.

Recently retired, I have read several retirement books and I recommend that others approaching this stage in their life by doing the same. I did move to a new location, but it is one that I had researched prior to retirement. The new location provides me with activities and acquaintances my age that I lacked in my previous community. While my former home served me well while I was working and raising a family, the neighborhood had grown in population density and the traffic in the community had become unbearable. Because of traffic, I found myself not wanting to leave the house. In my case, moving was the best thing. I had planned for it as part of my retirement plan. Making such a plan is what Ryan’s book emphasizes and planning for retirement is something that I readily endorse.

I was surprised at how much I liked RETIREMENT REINVENTION by Robin Ryan. A veteran career counselor (20+ years) with extensive speaking and writing accomplishments, she decided to write this book after battling cancer in order to provide some advice on planning happy years of retirement. She includes sections on making a plan, where to live (two homes or one?), giving back, travel and education. I especially liked her emphasis on finding something fun to do. Ryan encourages her readers by suggesting they craft a new life with purpose and that they explore new ideas such as the many, many hobbies and part time work or volunteering options listed in her book. In fact, she asks: "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" and advocates: "do what you love simply because it will make you happy."

Subtitled "Make Your Next Act Your Best Act," RETIREMENT REINVENTION offers great advice for baby boomers about having a "fun job and leisure stage" in your life. Ryan says, "This is the best time of your life, because this is the moment that you're living right now." That reminded me of John Leland's recent talk on PBS NewsHour regarding "Learning how to think about death changed how I live;" he also talks about Happiness is a Choice You Make here.

And one more important point: Robin Ryan is making a difference by donating her book profits to breast cancer research.

links in live post:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/learning-how-to-think-about-death-changed-how-i-live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXNoY7-UwGo

When I say "retire", what comes to your mind? The beach? Your bed? Fun? Boredom? In Retirement Reinvention Robin Ryan pushes the idea of retirement being not the time after you quit your job but the time during which you participate in activities (possibly including jobs) that are fun and meaningful to you. Instead of your 66th birthday being the end of your working life, Ryan suggests you see it as a new beginning.

Robin Ryan uses stories of real people and how they have been able to make a difference in a way that is meaningful to them. Some have started small businesses, others have taken up time-consuming hobbies while yet others have chosen to learn something new. The key to a successful retirement is choice--you may not make a fortune blogging as a hobby but if writing is fun, you can try to build an audience (and since you don't need one, you don't have to do SEO research, create pinworthy graphics or maintain a mailing list).

One thing I do regularly is peruse the posts on Rockstar Finance and last night when I was starting this post, this one caught my eye: Our "High School Rule" for early retirement. The ideas are much the same as expressed by Robin Ryan.
If you are trying to figure out how you are going to spend the rest of your healthy left Robin Ryan has a lot of good ideas of things to do and suggestions about how to get started.

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. Grade: B+

At first I was thrilled with the information. Most was new and informative, and helpful. But then the ideas kept repeating themselves at seemingly set intervals. The same ideas, different people and stories. The organization broke apart into what almost seemed like a ramble, repeating ideas over and again. I would suggest cutting the book down to a third, streamlining and keeping only what is needful to mention once.