Live Well Anyway: How to Plan for a Rich Retirement

by Elizabeth Quayle

“The pre-retirement planning guide every Gen X woman needs to read.”

Are you worried that you haven’t saved enough for retirement? You’re not alone!

You’re also not totally hooped. Because the truth is, when it comes to your Third Act, the assets you *really* need to thrive don’t have anything to do with money.

Nope. The assets you truly need – good health, great friends, a passion project, and a spirit of thrift – aren’t measured in dollars. They’re measured in joy. And the only way to get them is by investing your TIME.

In Live Well Anyway, you’ll learn the exact steps to:

• Start envisioning a retirement that aligns with your preferences, your needs, and your financial situation (this is not your parents' retirement!);
• Develop a habit of movement that will help keep you healthy and mobile for decades;
• Deepen and strengthen your social network to avoid loneliness;
• Reduce your risk of dementia and stay sharp;
• Cultivate a positive attitude for improved wellbeing and life expectancy;
• Identify a passion project that lights you up;
• Build a vibrant, sustainable lifestyle that fits with your budget; and
• Develop essential food habits and kitchen skills that promote good physical and cognitive health, minimize your grocery bill, and preserve the pleasures of eating.

Part lifestyle treatise, part motivational text, and part how-to manual, Live Well Anyway is a pre-retirement planning guide for anyone who’d like to significantly improve the quality of their retirement years, without having to increase their income.

For unbeatable ROI, invest in yourself! Start planning today for a “low-cost, high-value” retirement you’ll be genuinely excited to wake up to.

Your future self will thank you!

Genres: Self Help

202 pages, Paperback

Published July 27, 2026

Reviews

[Isaac Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book. This book has been very helpful both to give practical points in improving healthy habits that I don't already engage in as well as reinforcing the habits I already have and both reminding me to stay on course with those and explaining some of the research that backs up the suggestions she makes. For example, I am a triathlete and easily hit recommended thresholds for exercise just by doing my regular training but sometimes I can lose track of exercise altogether if I'm not currently training for something or if I get injured. I really appreciated learning about the benefits of exercise as you age to continue motivating me to stay active consistently and tips on finding new forms of exercise for if I need to do something else while recovering from injury or if I get burned out from racing.
On the other hand, I already have some trouble staying positive sometimes and this book has given me many reasons to work harder on that, not only to improve my life now, but for the rest of my life.
So much advice we get these days, especially with social media is you have to be the best and do everything perfectly so it is refreshing to be reminded not only that having a lot of money isn't necessarily going to be the best indicator of a successful retirement but also that we are all just trying to live a long, happy life. Most of us are doing at least some things well that contribute to that goal and for the majority of us who are not motivated purely by being told we are doing things badly, I really appreciate the positive tone.

[Kelly Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The author provides a glimpse into a hopeful future for a well-rounded retirement. They explore a fulsome balance of not just financial considerations, but also social, creative, and health. I think it will help inspire readers to see a brighter future for themselves making new friends, taking care of themselves, and exploring passions and pursuits. Time can be spent in so many fulfilling ways and I think the book will help readers see a way forward to a balanced retirement with significantly less worry. Thanks for the positive, yet realistic outlook.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book. Really useful and food for thought in terms of what is really important in retirement and also in life! These are changes you can put in place now to help you in the future and you might live a little longer too. Well worth a read. Thanks to NetGalley and Soames Hill Publishing for the ARC.

[Olivia Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am a much younger audience to read the book, I was so happy to receive this advanced copy to get practical advice on how I should see retirement. In my original thinking, I always believed that retirement meant a lot of planning with 401(k)s and having to go through extra steps, as my parents currently do now within their retirement. I was so happy to read this book by Elizabeth Quayle about the other important part of retirement, which is enjoying your life and planning for the times to be in the moment. I personally loved the chapters Be Bold and Be Purposeful in how Quayle stresses the importance of your physical health in retirement and making small financial plans, such as saving money over time and considering new ways to expand your physical and mental health, as well as other rich ways to enjoy retirement to the fullest. This was such an amazing read, and I will probably go back and read one or two more chapters again, as this guide really made me consider some beneficial gains I could make now in my 30s and still working that will be a great blessing to me when I get much older and plan for retirement.

[Fiona Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's great to see a retirement book that isn't focused on finance. Like the author I don't have huge amounts of money put aside for retirement so it was refreshing to read about a different type of retirement, a lower cost version which focuses on your health and interests. One that shows you don't need to be a millionaire to enjoy retirement!

I'm 44, and I would say this is the perfect age for reading this book as it focuses on habits you can adopt now to help prepare yourself for a happy, healthy, fulfilling retirement - exercise, social connections, eating well, having a focus/purpose etc.

The book is well researched, each chapter drawing on a range of different sources and providing a useful section at the end of something you can read, listen to or watch to find out more about the topic. These are also all linked to on her website, along with some additional resources being available on there too. I look forward to working my way through them and learning more.

It is a quick and easy read, with the information presented in an easily digestible manner. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is starting to think about retirement.

[Tracy Stumpf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Live Well Anyway takes a different tactic on retirement years; instead of focusing on saving as much money as possible to live your last decades in splendor, Live Well Anyway veers away from the idea that a lot of money is essential to a blissful retirement. The author begins by identifying principles that make life rich and worthwhile such as healthy and social connections and then spends the rest of the book giving a step-by-step approach to cultivating these things. The book covers everything from improving brain health, healthy eating, social connections, finding purpose, among others. In each chapter, there is detailed explanation of the principle plus numerous practical suggestions including a single actionable step at the end of each chapter. I found this book easy and engaging to read, and I appreciated the different perspective. It is refreshing to look at the retirement years from another lens besides money saved and to think about what brings real value to your life, things that everyone can have no matter how big their savings accounts are.

[Veve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it takes away the fear and anxiety of not having a massive savings account and proving that a fulfilling life after work is built on things money can't buy. Traditional retirement advice scares people by focusing entirely on huge savings goals. But if you’re short on cash you can still have an amazing retirement by investing your time into other things that matter like your health, relationships and hobbies. While it is perfect for those worried about their savings, anybody can benefit from this book since it teaches younger generations how to build great habits early and reminds wealthier people that financial wealth means nothing without physical and social well being

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live Well Anyway takes an honest look at both the exciting highs and the less glamorous lows of retirement without becoming gloomy or preachy. It covers health, friendships, purpose, money, food, and keeping your brain active with advice that actually feels doable. The easiest tip with the biggest impact is simply moving for about 20 minutes each day, and it does not even have to happen all at once. A few short walks absolutely count! Some sections are more detailed than others, but the book’s warm, practical style keeps it from feeling like retirement homework. It is encouraging, realistic, and a great reminder that living well does not require unlimited money or a flawless master plan. Sometimes it just starts with getting off the couch!

[Michelle Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a life altering car accident last year, my husband became permanently disabled and our credit has since definitely been feeling the pinch; an uncertain maybe someday retirement became a forced retirement and found me becoming a caretaker when I thought I would attempt to make working a part of my life again after homeschooling my kids to young adulthood. All is not lost but things have definitely been rough this past year, so when I saw this book and read its title and subtitle, I knew immediately that I wanted to read it and I’m so glad that I did as this allowed me to truly focus on all that is rich in my life and how to remain happy and wise, if not wealthy.

A definite recommendation.



Thank you to Soames Hill Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific resource, written by a Canadian writer, on how to prepare for and live well in retirement, even if you don't have a lot of cash. So much about what the author recommends is what my husband and I are already doing in retirement: Staying active, eating a healthy diet, staying connected with family and friends, practicing gratitude, finding your purpose and pursuing activities that support it.

I was especially interested in the section on sharing housing; my best friend and I have already talked about doing that if my husband dies before me.

Highly recommended for anyone looking to create a retirement plan that is doable and rewarding.

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad just retired and my mom's body has suddenly decided to break down, so aging and retirement has become kind of a scary thing to me. This book has been very helpful in putting forth the research that says a lot of the things I think make a good later life are actually fear driven. Thank goodness! There's sections in how small mindset shifts can protect your brain and body, and small actions you can implement right away. Even though I'm not the target she group for the book, I know I can start preparing early for my retirement, but also encourage my parents to do some of these things!

I received an advanced copy of this book and decided to leave a review voluntarily.

[Melody Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live Well Anyway by Elizabeth Quale. A retirement planning book about more than savings and investment accounts. There are 3 other important factors to retiremeny: good health, good friends and purpose. Life events change our financial planning, but we can always commit to eating .ore healthy and exercising, developing lasting friendships and discovering purpose. There are also ideas in the book for saving money, retirement expectations. I was tefreshing.

[Dana Huyge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written with genuine optimism that I really needed on this subject. It brings a needed update to our conventional thinking on retirement, and reminded me that even if what I once thought of as retirement is harder to get to, there are other forms of 3rd Act Living, as the author puts it

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

No huge surprises here re keys to retirement - movement, food, relationships and purpose, with a few ideas to save some money thrown in. Still a fun and fast primer.