The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life by Gene Cohen, MD, Ph.D. Avon/Harper Collins, 2001. Very comprehensive paean to creativity in later life, full of inspiring stories and examples, as well as medical/scientific evidence, and discussion of life stages. Presents value of seeing creativity as multi-dimensional (e.g., personal vs. public, individual vs. social) and as a basic human attribute that increases with age. Author was director of the National Institute on Aging and founded Washington DC Center on Aging.
Don’t Retire, REWIRE: 5 Steps to Fulfilling Work That Fuels Your Passion, Suits Your Personality, or Fills Your Pocket by Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners. Alpha, 2002. Sedlar and Miners offer an alternative to traditional retirement that recognizes the varied needs of individuals. With lifespan extended by modern medicine, many individuals want to continue working, usually part-time. The book offers a quiz and discussion for identifying your personal drivers, describes multiple scenarios for rethinking work and life based on drivers, and provides tips for creating your optimum situation.
How to Create the Life You Want after 50 by Sara Brown Ph.D. and Joan Malling. Savvy Sisters Press, 2004. Includes over 200 tips, resources and exercises for planning at midlife. It guides the reader chapter-by-chapter through a three step planning process to identify and assess typical midlife issues and opportunities, clarify needs and wants and develop a plan. The authors provide ideas, information and resources.
How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That you Won’t Get From Your Financial Advisor by Ernie J. Zelinski. Ten Speed Press, 2004. A truly upbeat read! The author, who semi-retired at age 30 and in debt, claims you are never too young to retire. He paints a picture that is so appealing you will wish you had retired years ago. He hits topics such as lifelong learning, relocation, the importance of friendships, and creative travel options. His seven-page list of “activities for your get-a-life tree” will help you start and keep you active for a very long time.
LifeLaunch: A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your Life, by Frederic M. Hudson and Pamela D. Mc Lean. Hudson Institute Press, 2000. One of the best single sources on life-planning for the Third Age. Compellingly and comprehensively presented in the form of Maps: Chapters and Transitions; Living with Passion and Purpose; Balancing the Parts of Your Life – Activities and Roles; [Life Stages] from Twenty to Ninety; and The Adult Learning Agenda.
Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang. Tarcher, 2005. The book provides an in-depth, practical three-month guide for those seeking to discover their unique life blueprint, explore potential paths and take actions toward creating positive change in their lives. Through exercises, reader/participants explore questions such as: What themes define my life? What motivates and inspires me? What are my strengths, skills and talents? What are my values and needs? How would my life be different if I said good-bye to limiting beliefs?
The Power Years: A User’s Guide to the Rest of Your Life by Ken Dychtwald. Wiley, 2005. The latest book by a well-known psychologist and gerontologist, whose seminal work, Age Wave, was published in 1989. It replays familiar “rediscover and take charge” themes in areas such as dream jobs, vital relationships, lifelong learning, where and how to live, and financial freedom.
Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America by Marc Freedman. Public Affairs, 2002. Presents a visionary analysis of a burgeoning older population as an enormous social and civic resource, ripe for engagement and contribution - and anything but the burden some commentators have portrayed. This work has had a wide impact through Freedman’s nonprofit, www.civicventures.com. Filled with inspiring examples of individuals and programs utilizing this “national resource.”
Repacking Your Bags: Lighten Your Load for the Rest of Your Life by Richard Leider and David Shapiro. Berrett-Koehler, 2002. Using the metaphor of unpacking and repacking one’s “bags,” the authors examine a range of topics associated with “the good life:” work, relationships and location. The book focuses on process with some useful tools for achieving purpose, balance and intentional change.
Second Acts: Creating the Life You Really Want, Building the Career You Truly Desire by Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine. Collins, 2004. A guide to reinventing your life whether you are at the beginning of your career or about to retire. The authors discuss various scenarios from changing careers, moving to a new location, starting a business or dropping everything to pursue a dream. They posit that barriers to a rich and rewarding life are self-imposed and can be overcome, and, as examples, provide practical success stories from their own lives and those of their clients.
The Third Age: Six Principles of Growth and Renewal after Forty by William Sadler. Perseus Publishing, 2001. The author conducted 20 years of research involving people 40-80 years of age. In the book he summarizes his findings and identifies six principles of growth and renewal for Third Agers. He gives his readers the gift of a new perspective on aging, one that is filled with optimism and endless possibilities.
Too Young To Retire: An Off the Road Map for the Rest of Your Life by Howard and Marika Stone. Harpers, 2004. This lively, upbeat prescription for a second half of life of adventures, “discovery, surprise, and blazing your own trail,” offers stories, exercises, suggested activities, and some excellent resources for the journey. Contains chapters on money, paid work, volunteer work, wellness (mind, body, spirit), and travel. (The authors are members of our Life Planning Network.)
WEBSITES
www.aarp.org/careers AARP’s information on career transitions
www.aarp.org/money AARP’s information on finances
www.civicventures.org Think tank and incubator for programs that harness energy and talents of Third Agers for civic and social renewal
www.retirementjobs.com New employment website aimed at tapping boomer age wave
www.retireonyourterms.org Education Program sponsored by The National Retirement Planning Coalition
www.strongwomen.com Based on Dr. Miriam Nelson’s Strong Women series
FROM: The Life Planning Network of Boston, Massachusetts
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