Let's Retire Retirement: How to Enjoy Life to the Fullest—Now and Later

by Derek Coburn, Sara Stibitz

Stop postponing the life you want. Start living more fully today.

#1 USA Today Bestseller

You weren’t put on this earth to work a job you hate for 30 years just to earn the right to stop living for the next 30.

Yet that's exactly the deal most of us have accepted. Work hard. Sacrifice now. Save aggressively. And one day, at 65, you'll finally get to live the life you want.

But here’s what that plan doesn’t account the future you’re saving for may not look the way you’re imagining. Your health might not cooperate. The relationships you’re neglecting right now may not be there waiting for you. The life you keep deferring has a way of not showing up on schedule.

In Let’s Retire Retirement, veteran financial advisor and CADRE co-founder Derek Coburn makes a provocative, data-backed case for how not to retire at 65, and instead, how to build a life you won’t want to escape from.

This isn’t about working until you drop. It’s about designing a life so fulfilling, so aligned with what actually matters, that you will never feel the need to walk away from it.

Here’s the part no one talks

When you plan to do meaningful work longer—not because you have to, but because you want to—something remarkable happens to your finances. The pressure to save unreasonable amounts right now drops dramatically. You reclaim cash flow. You reclaim time. And instead of hoarding your life for some future version of yourself who may never arrive, you get to start living with real presence today.

Present fulfillment and future financial security aren’t in conflict. They never were.

Inside this book, you’ll

Why traditional retirement planning is built on assumptions about the future that no one can accurately predict—and a more honest framework for financial security.How to be happy now, and later.How planning to work longer on your own terms can free up significant cash and time right now (and how to effectively use that surplus).Why people who plan to work longer need a fundamentally different financial strategy—including a surprising tax trap that catches most long-term earners off guard.Alternative paths that look nothing like traditional mini-retirements, sabbaticals, career pivots, and the growing “unretirement” movement.How to stop sacrificing the $50,000 moments—the everyday experiences you’d pay anything to relive—for a promise of happiness that keeps getting pushed further away.

Learn how to have more fun in life without guilt, without delay, and without waiting for permission from a distant future.

"Let’s Retire Retirement captures what so many of us have felt but struggled to articulate." — Daniel H. Pink, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Power of Regret

"A generous, actionable, and useful book." — Seth Godin, author of This Is Marketing

This is not a book about working until you die.

It’s a book about living a fulfilling life now and later.

Genres: Nonfiction

196 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2025

About the author

Derek Coburn is a financial advisor with 27 years of experience. His passion for connecting remarkable professionals led him, along with his wife, Melanie, to start CADRE, a professional community for CEOs and entrepreneurs. He is the USA Today bestselling author of Let's Retire Retirement and the #1 Amazon bestseller, Networking Is Not Working.

Reviews

[Stacy Novak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be both practical and encouraging. There are plenty of retirement books that focus only on money, but this one takes a broader approach. It looks at how to build a fulfilling life, both before and after retirement, which made it feel more personal and relatable.
What I liked most was how easy it was to read. The advice is straightforward, and the authors share ideas that make you stop and think about what really matters. Instead of treating retirement as an ending, the book presents it as a new chapter with opportunities for growth, purpose, and enjoyment.
The book is filled with useful insights, but it never feels overwhelming. I appreciated the balance between financial planning and the importance of relationships, hobbies, health, and overall happiness.
A few points felt repetitive, but the main message remained strong throughout. It reminded me that preparing for retirement is about more than saving money. It's also about creating a life you look forward to living.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative and worth the while to read.
It helped me to see things with new eyes.
I also realized duh I don’t have to conform to society and not feel guilty.
Most of the book was very helpful.
I do feel that financial advisors are more interested in an individual if you have a larger income than us “normal” peons.
Also if you’re willing to invest/save large amounts of money otherwise not really interested in you because you don’t fit the criteria for their time.
The last couple chapters were hard for me because what do you do in getting medical insurance if you don’t work 40 hours a week? Most employers that’s mandatory to have or keep the benefits.
How do you afford all the insurances you need if you don’t make the larger amounts of money they refer to?
I personally feel in reality us peons or that live on the lower income scales will not have all the needed requirements and eventually may suffer later in life.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coburn’s argument is simple: the “grind until 65, then finally live” model is outdated, and a lot of people would be happier (and less financially squeezed) if they designed work they don’t want to flee and spent more of their energy on life now. He traces where the traditional retirement idea even came from, then pushes a “work longer in a way that still feels like living” frame instead of a hard stop.

I liked the mindset shift more than the finance-advice packaging. The “don’t postpone joy until you’re too tired to use it” piece will land if you’re already in that midlife recalibration. It’s readable and not a dense money manual. I’m not the target reader for advisor-style business/life-design books, and some of it felt aimed more at entrepreneurs than at a general audience. Solid ideas, clear writing—just not for me.

[Sam DesRocher]

I won this audiobook on Goodreads

I entered for this book based on the topic and was somewhat surprised and encouraged upon reading. The author bucks the mindset of wasting away in a career until 65. Spoiler alert, but he encourages you to make the most of your life collectively - which includes now. That means if it is a relief to work through 66 then so be it.

While this isn’t a step-by-step get rich guide, one place where I did feel the author does get a little off base for the normal reader is upon hours and income. A number of readers might not be able to “shed a few client” and work back to 30hrs a week instead of 40, or similar examples. So many more things such as health insurance are tied to that which not might be doable for the standard reader.

[Craig Gauthier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retirement Isn't the Goal. Living Is.

We've been sold a pretty simple formula for success. Work hard, save money, build your wealth, and eventually retire so you can enjoy your life.

But why are we waiting until retirement to start living?

That's the question at the heart of Derek Coburn's Let's Retire Retirement.

Derek challenges the traditional idea that retirement should be the ultimate reward for decades of hard work. Instead, he encourages us to rethink our relationship with work, money, time, and what it actually means to live a fulfilling life.

What resonated with me most is the idea that retirement isn't necessarily something we should be working toward. It's a concept we should be questioning. If we enjoy what we do, have meaningful relationships, and can create the freedom to pursue what matters most, why would we want to wait until some arbitrary age to enjoy it?

This book is about redefining success and designing a life where you don't need to escape from your work to enjoy it.

If you're someone who's spent years working toward the promise of retirement, this book will challenge you to ask a much better question.

What if you could build a life you never wanted to retire from?

[Tej Dhawan · Rating 5 out of 5]

retirement isn’t about stopping work

this is one of the rarer books that addresses retirement planning LESS through the lens on how to save enough and digs INSTEAD how one experiences the part of life post HAVING TO WORK TO SURVIVE. Part philosophy of purpose, part psychology of money, and part planning, this book goes into why and when one leaves active moneymaking, if at all, and what may lay beyond. a good read before you and your colleagues plan the R cake

[Jenifer Weiland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I thought it be

Being newly retired, I wish I would have had this book 20 years ago.

Eye opening on redefining life and purpose.

Would recommend this must read for anyone restless about life and life's purpose, not only for those almost to retirement or in it - but the 20, 30, 40, 50 somethings.

Great book, well written. Felt like the author was sitting across from me having a simple yet profound conversation.

[Audrey Donegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is just starting to get serious about saving for retirement, I found this book to be both refreshing and motivating. Instead of focusing only on reaching a financial number someday, it encourages readers to think about how they want to live their lives now and in the future. It helped me realize that retirement planning is about more than money. It's also about building relationships, pursuing interests, and creating a life you actually enjoy.

[Alexa Banford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s Retire Retirement was such an interesting read. I really liked the idea that instead of working nonstop just to eventually retire, we should focus on building a life we actually enjoy along the way. Derek Coburn makes the whole concept feel practical and realistic, and the book gives a lot of thoughtful perspective on work, money, and fulfillment without feeling overly preachy.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Items of Note:
* Instead of planning to retire, design a life so fulfilling that you'll never want to retire from it.
* Present fulfillment and future financial security aren't in conflict. They never were.
* Stop deferring your best life. Start living it today.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new perspective on retirement! I could relate to so much of this book. Very insightful and helpful with planning. I recommend spending the time reading this book, and using the recommendations to help fulfill your dreams.

[Lavender]

Placeholder.

I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.

[Jessica Caton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a modern day book on adulting. Everyone needs to read this book.

[Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful book with good information and instructions.

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

💯💯💯💯💯

[Brian Herriot · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you’ve still got wisdom to share and you love your career, you can set up your work time on your terms.”

That quote perfectly captures the spirit of "Let’s Retire Retirement." I’ve always believed in crafting work you love and doing it as long as you want to. This book spoke to me on that level, but it also goes much further. It’s one thing to decide you want to keep working on your terms. It’s another to make sure your finances actually support that decision. Derek Coburn walks you through how to make it happen.

He covers all the essentials in a clear and engaging way. How you spend, earn, save, invest, and protect your income all matter when you’re designing a work life that lasts. It’s refreshing to see both the mindset and the money side in one place.

One moment that really stayed with me was when Derek shares a bit about his childhood and living with ADHD. As a parent of a son with ADHD, I saw so much of him in that story. Knowing someone with a similar path became a networking expert and a business leader gave me real hope for the future.

"Let’s Retire Retirement" is more than a catchy title. It’s a blueprint for what life can look like when you step away from old ideas and build something that works for you.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I agree with everything Derek Coburn is writing in this book, nothing seemed very new or very ground breaking.