Retirement, though exciting, often comes with a lot of questions. Are you financially ready? What will you do with all that free time? Where do you want to live?
These questions can be quite daunting if you’re not prepared for them. Luckily, there is no shortage of advice out there aimed at helping you face these important decisions.
We’ve picked 10 of the best books packed with helpful insight to help make your journey one that’s filled with happiness and fulfillment.
The Best Books About Retirement
The 10 books below will help guide you through some of your biggest and most pressing questions about retirement.
1. The 5 Years Before You Retire by Emily Guy Birken
While most advisers will tell you that it’s never too early to start planning for retirement, there are some things that you should definitely do 5 years before throwing in the towel.
This book will guide you through the financial, medical, and familial considerations you’ll have to think about, as well as how to take advantage of the 401k programs offered by your company.
2. How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski
Your road to retirement shouldn’t be paved with just numbers and benefit plans. This guide on How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free will show you how to follow your dreams, take charge of your health, and live your best life in retirement.
You’ll learn how to generate purpose in your life and envision your goals so you can make these years some of your best and most productive yet.
3. The Retirement Maze by Rob Pascale
With retirement comes a period of many adjustments and transitions, both financial and personal. While the idea of leaving work behind may seem like a dream, many retirees find themselves unprepared for these changes when the time comes.
The Retirement Maze investigates the most common struggles new retirees face and proposes solutions that will help those nearing retirement be better prepared and able to enjoy the next phase.
4. How to Make Your Money Last by Jane Bryant Quinn
Of course, a major concern—if not the primary concern—for most retirees has to do with making their money last once they stop working. This book will show you how to get higher payments from your assets, be it your Social Security account, pension, home equity, or savings.
Quinn shows readers how to save money while also investing for growth, so when the time comes, retirees can be ready to settle down in comfort and with peace of mind.
5. Adventures in Retirement by Lawrence Doyle
Adventures in Retirement offers a humorous guide for figuring out what to do with all that extra time. The author shares stories from his own efforts to make the most of this period.
His discoveries include “the scary side of fishing,” “why it’s wrong when board games become blood sports,” and, perhaps most importantly, “how to do nothing without feeling guilty.” Get some inspiration and plenty of laughs with this fun read.
6. Home Sweet Anywhere by Lynne Martin
Dreaming of something a little less conventional for your post-retirement life? Home Sweet Anywhere describes how one couple sold their home and belongings to travel the globe full-time.
Even if scaling pyramids in Mexico or attending Turkish bazaars aren’t on your agenda, anyone looking for some inspiration and ideas about what retired life can offer will certainly appreciate this book.
7. Second-Act Careers by Nancy Collamer
This guide to rethinking retirement is an excellent reminder that this period has more to offer than just golf courses and knitting circles. In fact, as this book demonstrates, retirement can bring countless opportunities for earning income and exploring new passions.
As author and career coach Nancy Collamer explains, second-act careers can range from the traditional to internet-based options and entrepreneurial endeavors. Learn how to create a profitable and meaningful retirement (or semi-retirement) on your own terms.
8. The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith
According to author Marion Smith, the #1 thing baby boomers would like to do in retirement is write a memoir about their own lives.
The Memoir Project offers simple and effective guidelines that will help you finally get those stories down on paper (or even into a blog post or letter to your child). Writing about your experiences, even if they’re never published, can be a great journey in self-examination. This book shows you the how to take the first steps in that journey.
9. Start Late, Finish Rich by David Bach
Did you forget to start saving for retirement? While most financial advisers advocate savings plans for even 21-year-olds, this book will show you how you can still retire comfortably even if your savings account was a late bloomer.
Start Late, Finish Rich offers an inspiring, easy-to-implement plan that you can use to build a secure financial future for yourself whether you’re in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond.
10. Getting Good at Getting Older by Richard Siegel and Rabbi Laura Geller
Getting Good at Getting Older is a guide for revolutionary boomers who want to maintain that revolutionary spirit through retirement and beyond.
This book provides the resources and skills retirees need to navigate the years between maturity and old age through humor and warmth. Learn how to deal with aging parents, stay fit, shape your financial legacy, and much more.
What to Read Before You Retire
The 10 books above all provide helpful insight to life after retirement, from financial changes to personal adjustments you’ll face once you make the leap.
While it’s true that this period is filled with transitions, these books can help you live your best life no matter what your retirement goals are.
Do you have any tips for preparing for retirement? Feel free to share them in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- How to Write a Memoir: A Step by Step Guide
- How to Be Financially Free: 12 Money Habits for Building Wealth
- 12 Best Investing Books for Beginners
- How to Invest in Stocks and Bonds like a Pro (Even If You’re a Beginner)
Kaelyn Barron
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
