Retirement by Design: A Guided Workbook for Creating a Happy and Purposeful Future

by Ida Abbott

Find out how harnessing the powerful business principles of design thinking can turn ordinary retirement planning into "a revolutionary and healthy way to look at and plan for life’s next great adventure." (New York Times bestselling author, Chip Conley)

There is no one right time or way to retire. Retirement is a major life transition; but if you spend the time designing a future filled with promise and possibilities, the prospect can be utterly exciting and revitalizing. In Retirement by Design, professional mentor and coach Ida Abbott shows you how the innovative business principles behind design thinking can be applied to plan a rich, fulfilling, and more meaningful retirement. Her guided workbook uses a business-like approach to leaving business, making your switch much smoother and less jolting. Whether you’re considering a new place to settle down, working through financial planning, strategizing how to unwind a business, or deciding on which organizations you want to stay engaged with, making critical decisions takes a lot of organization, thought, and planning. Abbott shows how the five principles of design thinking will revolutionize your retirement-planning process:

 

 

Empathy: Get inside the shoes of your future self. What will be important to that version of you?
Define: Hone in on what is and will be most critical for you to focus on (whether it’s volunteering, family, activities, or skills).
Ideate: Draw, scribble, brainstorm, and throw around as many different retirement scenarios as you can come up with.
Prototype: If retiring across the country in Arizona sounds perfect—try it out first. Come up with opportunities to test out your scenarios with short trips and trial time off.
Test: This is the fun part—get back to the drawing board and try more retirement scenarios (and future versions of yourself) before sitting down to make those life-changing decisions.
 

The new and innovative, self-coaching approach of Retirement by Design helps you spearhead and navigate a major next step in life. Whether your retirement is 10 years away or swiftly approaching, this workbook ensures you will create a future that is perfectly tailored to you.

 

 

224 pages, Paperback

Published March 10, 2020

Reviews

[Matt Hutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's never too early to start planning for your retirement. This is a full blown out workbook with a well-thought-out question guide with really cool exercises that not only get you writing about your future but also get you drawn brain webs and diagrams.

The topics in this book range from where you will be living, whether you want to continue working, start your own business, how you might want to go about spending your free time and who you want to spend it with. I have never read a book like this one before, but I have read many books in my life so far.

To be completely honest, I did not fill out most of this book as I believe it is better suited for someone who is a bit older, maybe around 40 or 45. However, it did get me thinking about planning for my future retirement, and it is a book I will be coming back to to fill out as I get older.

[Bryce Padgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

We had multiple visits with Lesie and didn't pressure us at all with money or commitments. He explains all your different options to where it's easy to understand. Once we did commitment he calls to keep in touch and has us come in from time to time to review our investments. I love his straight forward honesty and knowledge of the financial industry.

[E G Melby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unintentionally hilarious. Hard pass for me, but I can see the appeal for some

[Dan Griswold · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of thought-provoking questions and useful suggestions for those of us on the verge of or already into retirement. I've read it through; now I need to go back and do the exercises that looked the most valuable.