How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free by Ernie J. Zelinski

 

 

Canadian Ernie J. Zelinski provides an excellent book on planning for primarily the non-financial aspects of retirement.  I'd recommend it to anyone getting their first AARP card at age 50.   The advice is relevant for anyone out of college but the target audience is a bit older. 

He focuses on several aspects that affect the quality of retirement - Health, Creativity, Social Connections, Age of retirement, Mental Fitness, Travel and relocation.

Of interest to me was the graphic on health.  After the age of 50 the probability that someone will have very good to excellent health declines proportionally with age.  At 50 the chance is 50% with the formula (100 - age).  At age 70 you have a 30% chance of optimal health.  Health is a primary determinant of how well a person enjoys retirement. 

Having a passion or strong interest in continually improving yourself strongly determines success in retirement.  Continually working on improving a skill or working on learning new things at the edge of our comfort zone allows us to be fully alive. 

 

Ernie J. Zelinski - transition from work to retirement - 3 minutes