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The New Retirementality: Planning Your Life and Living Your Dreams....at Any Age You Want
With this latest edition of The New Retirementality , readers will quickly discover how to achieve the freedom to pursue their retirement goals?at their own pace, on their own terms?regardless of their age. Most people won't experience the same retirement that their parents did, nor do they necessarily want to. Page by page, top financial planner Mitch Anthony reveals how new opportunities will enable individuals to create tailor-made retirements. He includes new research and studies to back his insights and introduces readers to important concepts such as "wealthcare" and "return on life." Filled with engaging anecdotes and inspirational suggestions, this book will motivate readers to rethink the way they retire.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2001
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415 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 10, 2013
“For more than a decade, Mitch Anthony has revolutionized the way financial services professionals practice,” or so says his website. The New Retirementality is one of many books, CDs, DVDs, newsletters, courses and presentations he’s produced; in this case aimed squarely at those within about ten years of retirement rather than at advisors, though it will be of interest to just about anyone curious about the (mostly) non-financial aspects of retirement. According to Anthony (and a good example of his writing style), “This book is a unique hybrid of the philosophical and fiscal examinations necessary to fully liberate our lives into a state of balance and meaning.”
The book has many flaws: weak analysis (the chapter on the sustainability of the US social security system is sophomoric); repetitive examples and phrases; some dated data (expected equity returns of 10.5% annually; references to current labour shortages); occasionally poor advice (contrary to his claim, good financial advisors will not work with people of any asset level); and an overly dismissive view of a “traditional” retirement. The book is a bit broad in its generalizations as well - for some retiring to daily golf is the ideal, as demonstrated by the boom of golf course centric retirement condominiums (Palm Springs anyone?) - but still Anthony delivers a very, very important message over the aptly titled book’s 250 plus pages.
According to Anthony, “investment savings are necessary to purchase the freedom to change course” and “we must plan ahead financially because we change our minds over time.” He further contends that we no longer want the retirement our parents had (work in a routine job and quit cold-turkey at retirement age to live an unfulfilling “life of intellectual atrophy, boredom, and monotonous leisure.”) “We no longer want out of the race. We simply want to run or jog at our own pace.” He astutely notes that for many the difference between adequate pay and poor pay is really a spending and lifestyle choice, and at the book’s end offers a pithy summary when he asks “How much accumulation is enough?”
What Anthony does so well is frame the philosophical notion of retirement and get readers reflecting - through a series of questions and short exercises - exactly what it is they hope to achieve; a far different question than most advisors focus on with clients in their ‘retirement planning’ meetings. For example, unlike typical planners, Anthony ignores how many “C notes” one needs to accumulate, and instead outlines and discusses five “vitamin C’s” of successful aging: connectivity, challenge, curiosity, creativity, and charity. He also provides helpful guidance for parents (and grandparents) wishing to instill good values in their children.
Like many planning and self-help/self-reflection books, this one has the potential to be a strong guiding light for the right audience. Its weak style does not detract from the strong central message, though it may cause readers to skim parts as they catch on to the repetitive aspects. A blueprint for a life well lived.
The book has many flaws: weak analysis (the chapter on the sustainability of the US social security system is sophomoric); repetitive examples and phrases; some dated data (expected equity returns of 10.5% annually; references to current labour shortages); occasionally poor advice (contrary to his claim, good financial advisors will not work with people of any asset level); and an overly dismissive view of a “traditional” retirement. The book is a bit broad in its generalizations as well - for some retiring to daily golf is the ideal, as demonstrated by the boom of golf course centric retirement condominiums (Palm Springs anyone?) - but still Anthony delivers a very, very important message over the aptly titled book’s 250 plus pages.
According to Anthony, “investment savings are necessary to purchase the freedom to change course” and “we must plan ahead financially because we change our minds over time.” He further contends that we no longer want the retirement our parents had (work in a routine job and quit cold-turkey at retirement age to live an unfulfilling “life of intellectual atrophy, boredom, and monotonous leisure.”) “We no longer want out of the race. We simply want to run or jog at our own pace.” He astutely notes that for many the difference between adequate pay and poor pay is really a spending and lifestyle choice, and at the book’s end offers a pithy summary when he asks “How much accumulation is enough?”
What Anthony does so well is frame the philosophical notion of retirement and get readers reflecting - through a series of questions and short exercises - exactly what it is they hope to achieve; a far different question than most advisors focus on with clients in their ‘retirement planning’ meetings. For example, unlike typical planners, Anthony ignores how many “C notes” one needs to accumulate, and instead outlines and discusses five “vitamin C’s” of successful aging: connectivity, challenge, curiosity, creativity, and charity. He also provides helpful guidance for parents (and grandparents) wishing to instill good values in their children.
Like many planning and self-help/self-reflection books, this one has the potential to be a strong guiding light for the right audience. Its weak style does not detract from the strong central message, though it may cause readers to skim parts as they catch on to the repetitive aspects. A blueprint for a life well lived.
July 21, 2019
The gist of this book is that retirement is not just about leisure...oh sure, you've worked hard, so leisure is part of the equation. It's just not the whole thing. Instead, Anthony advocates that if you are going to have a long, happy retirement, you'll need to stay physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually active. He advises that you focus on Connecting with others, Challenging yourself, Contribution to others (peoples, causes, organizations), be Curious, and be Creative. Much of the book will guide you through exercises to determine what that might look like for you. Addressing the financial aspect of retirement is only a minor portion of the book.
July 30, 2018
As someone who is working towards and planning for an early retirement, I found this book to be fantastic at challenging the mentality of "I just need to work the next X years to get to the point when I can quit". Is it the best written book? Does it have great "nuts and bolts" retirement advice? Absolutely not. In fact it can come off as a bit of a motivational talk. Try to work through that and get to the core concepts and questions. If you're the type of person who's putting lots of financial planning into enabling you to stop working, this book will give you lots of food for thought in terms of why you're doing what you're doing, and what it is exactly that you're working towards.
I would highly recommend reading it with your significant other. It will spark lots of interesting conversations about why you're in your current situation, whether you may want to make a change, and what is your end goal besides just "not having to work". It may or may not cause you to change your plans, but it's certainly worth reading and thinking through.
I would highly recommend reading it with your significant other. It will spark lots of interesting conversations about why you're in your current situation, whether you may want to make a change, and what is your end goal besides just "not having to work". It may or may not cause you to change your plans, but it's certainly worth reading and thinking through.
September 21, 2023
This reads in some ways like a TED talk that becamse a half-day workshop and then was turned into a book. Parts of it are overly jingoistic and simplistic and other parts are dated. Like a good TED talk, this is good food for thought. However, unlike a TED talk, it was longer than needed.
I found it helpful to be reminded to think about retirement outside of the money part and I found the worksheets somewhat useful, but the author has blind spots. For instance, on the "life portfolio" worksheet, there is no time listed to account for necessary activities of daily living (shopping, cooking, cleaning, bill paying, etc.). It also took far too long for him to point out that "meaningful work" in retirement didn't have to be paid work. And then there is the mixed messaging of "keep working for your mind" and "think about the people and activities that matter most."
Maybe 2.5 stars. I finished it, but I couldn't wait for it to be over.
I found it helpful to be reminded to think about retirement outside of the money part and I found the worksheets somewhat useful, but the author has blind spots. For instance, on the "life portfolio" worksheet, there is no time listed to account for necessary activities of daily living (shopping, cooking, cleaning, bill paying, etc.). It also took far too long for him to point out that "meaningful work" in retirement didn't have to be paid work. And then there is the mixed messaging of "keep working for your mind" and "think about the people and activities that matter most."
Maybe 2.5 stars. I finished it, but I couldn't wait for it to be over.
July 13, 2016
This book sounded so good, and back when it was written, it probably was. But any book about employment or retirement that was written before the Crash of 2008 is simply irrelevant now. For example, the author urges the reader to stay employed after retirement age, because there will be a dearth of workers available when all the Baby Boomers' children reach working age. Yeah, how did that work out?
October 27, 2024
I am retiring this year. I had hoped this book would help me identify and think through practical issues like cash flow, taxes, timing on social security, etc. But no such luck. It is really about the psychological/mental/emotional side of retiring. But even there, I thought it too filled with too many cliches and too much fluff.
June 7, 2018
This was about twice as long as it needed to be and offered more of a philosophical guide to retirement than practical. Takeaways:
-work as long as you can for continued feelings of relevance and engagement in life
- think about how you want to live and let that guide what to do with money
-work as long as you can for continued feelings of relevance and engagement in life
- think about how you want to live and let that guide what to do with money
June 7, 2017
Some good insights but I also skimmed 1/3 of it, especially the end. No new ideas in it for me, but it reinforced concepts from related books.
August 6, 2017
Most of this should be read in advance of retirement. I didn't find much of value.
October 26, 2021
The ra-ra tone can be a bit much, but the advice seems 100% solid.
July 17, 2023
This was not bad. Although it is a later addition, it is still a tad dated, because it was written in 2014 that being said, it actually really hits home on many of the points of how the subject of retirement has changed over the past 25 years.
The really good points in this book as a financial professional, is that it does give a little bit of structure as to how to communicate these “newer” ideas to clients. That was helpful.
From a content/editing perspective, it was difficult to tell if the author wrote this for the benefit of financial advisors, or for the general public. The first half seems as if he is talking in a seminar at a national conference to a group of financial planners the second half almost entirely goes back to speaking to just the general public, and very very rudimentary concepts.
All in all, it will stay on my shelf in the office, and I will reference it to clients who I believe will get something from it.
The really good points in this book as a financial professional, is that it does give a little bit of structure as to how to communicate these “newer” ideas to clients. That was helpful.
From a content/editing perspective, it was difficult to tell if the author wrote this for the benefit of financial advisors, or for the general public. The first half seems as if he is talking in a seminar at a national conference to a group of financial planners the second half almost entirely goes back to speaking to just the general public, and very very rudimentary concepts.
All in all, it will stay on my shelf in the office, and I will reference it to clients who I believe will get something from it.
January 1, 2018
The last chapter - the vitamin C's of successful aging:
Connectivity "Stay connected to the people you love, people you enjoy, and people who appreciate you and see value in your presence."
Challenge "The brain is a muscle that atrophies without use.'
Curiosity "There is so much yet to earn."
Creativity "You just have to be curious, intrigued, expressive, and intentional."
Charity "Her gift to others was a gift to herself. It doesn't require money to live charitably; it just takes concern, generosity, and self-transcendence."
Connectivity "Stay connected to the people you love, people you enjoy, and people who appreciate you and see value in your presence."
Challenge "The brain is a muscle that atrophies without use.'
Curiosity "There is so much yet to earn."
Creativity "You just have to be curious, intrigued, expressive, and intentional."
Charity "Her gift to others was a gift to herself. It doesn't require money to live charitably; it just takes concern, generosity, and self-transcendence."
June 17, 2023
A tome of wisdom … for beginners
The book has a wide range of coverage on retirement, and if you still have a “traditional retire at 65” mentality, this book will help you see future options you might be missing. On the other hand, it is often just introductory, such as when discussing how to select a financial advisor. Still, and excellent foundational book, and I recommend this one to all of my friends.
The book has a wide range of coverage on retirement, and if you still have a “traditional retire at 65” mentality, this book will help you see future options you might be missing. On the other hand, it is often just introductory, such as when discussing how to select a financial advisor. Still, and excellent foundational book, and I recommend this one to all of my friends.
July 22, 2018
I am not a fan of giving things silly names, etc., but the basic concepts of the book are good and fairly well presented. Can't decide whether it is good that this is one of my first books to read in "retirement". There are some things that make me feel uneasy, but I think I agree with (or at least appreciate) most of his points.
August 22, 2023
There are some gems here, such as figuring out what is most important to you. I got more out of it when I worked through some of it with my business/retirement coach and dug in more. About half the book is about affording retirement and knowing when you have enough, which felt like it belonged in a different book.
April 11, 2018
A 3.5
Some good stuff here. Good focus on who you want to be as well as a jolt for people to think about what they want to do in retirement. Good side reading to let the chapters marinate.
Some good stuff here. Good focus on who you want to be as well as a jolt for people to think about what they want to do in retirement. Good side reading to let the chapters marinate.
August 13, 2018
An interesting and necessary book that doesn't just talk about funding retirement. It touches on finance, but really talks more about thriving throughout.
November 17, 2021
Great advice about how to think about spending your time or rather I should say investing your time in retirement.
March 21, 2022
Great read on how to look at both work and retirement.
March 21, 2023
Glad I read this book- very valuable!
November 12, 2025
Addresses the none financial side of retirement
February 20, 2017
very readable.
April 26, 2014
I'm a big believer in having a work life balance all through my life and don't expect to ever fully stop working. The New Retirementality assures me that I am not alone in this way of thinking.
Once you learn that retirement is an artificial finish line--introduced to solve a century old unemployment problem--you'll start thinking differently about how you'll live out your "Golden Years."
Mitch Anthony does a great job of helping the reader understand that there is mental, physical, and financial danger in quitting work "cold turkey" and walks you through practical steps to enjoying a long and enjoyable retirement.
If you're 50+ this book is a must read before you make a retirement decision you may regret. For those younger, it will give you pause for thought about how to plan for your retirement.
Once you learn that retirement is an artificial finish line--introduced to solve a century old unemployment problem--you'll start thinking differently about how you'll live out your "Golden Years."
Mitch Anthony does a great job of helping the reader understand that there is mental, physical, and financial danger in quitting work "cold turkey" and walks you through practical steps to enjoying a long and enjoyable retirement.
If you're 50+ this book is a must read before you make a retirement decision you may regret. For those younger, it will give you pause for thought about how to plan for your retirement.
April 18, 2014
I read the first 3 chapters of this book. This is one of the first "how to retire well" books I've read. This one really stresses you want to retire to something -- have a vision and a plan. The author also stressed work -- the importance including health and mental benefits of doing something your passionate about. (whether paid or unpaid).
I liked the book but I'm looking for something a little more comprehensive and "mainstream". The quotes he has in each chapter sometimes are from books that have maybe 2 reviews on Amazon. I might come back to this one after I have read some others.
I liked the book but I'm looking for something a little more comprehensive and "mainstream". The quotes he has in each chapter sometimes are from books that have maybe 2 reviews on Amazon. I might come back to this one after I have read some others.
November 28, 2014
This book really made me think. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I have heretofore considered the mechanism of when and why to retire to be purely a financial question.
This book posited that retirement is so much more than that. The author was a bit rahrah life coachy for my taste, but all of his main opinions were backed by research or obvious anecdotal references. I found his writing style to be convincing and clear and I enjoyed this book very much.
I would advocate reading this book before ever taking to any kind of financial advisor about retirement ideas.
This book posited that retirement is so much more than that. The author was a bit rahrah life coachy for my taste, but all of his main opinions were backed by research or obvious anecdotal references. I found his writing style to be convincing and clear and I enjoyed this book very much.
I would advocate reading this book before ever taking to any kind of financial advisor about retirement ideas.
May 1, 2013
Really, an excellent "mental orientation" book on how to approach personal finance, and the quest for ultimate financial happiness.
Sure, there's some fluff (ironically, the meat is further along towards the end... not sure what the publisher/editors were thinking, since the standard book design is to front-load the valuable content and puff out the pages with filler at the end.)
The meat *IS* worth the persistence though! Some great exercises and worksheets as well.
Sure, there's some fluff (ironically, the meat is further along towards the end... not sure what the publisher/editors were thinking, since the standard book design is to front-load the valuable content and puff out the pages with filler at the end.)
The meat *IS* worth the persistence though! Some great exercises and worksheets as well.
May 29, 2020
Excellent Practical Primer For Retirement!
Clear, research-driven guidance to get the most out of the next phase of life....young and old. I have implanted many of Mitch’s insights, but have more to do!
Clear, research-driven guidance to get the most out of the next phase of life....young and old. I have implanted many of Mitch’s insights, but have more to do!
June 2, 2008
Malsow's hierarchy of needs analogy to retirement planning is main concept to be taken away from this book.
Read
April 19, 2014interesting ideas on how to allocate monies using Maslow's hierarchies, how to organize your priorities in retirement,
May 24, 2016
If you are working on getting ready for retirement, I recommend this book. It covers many areas of retirement not just financial.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews