Book Review: Get a Life, You don’t need a million to retire well

Get a Life: You Don’t Need a Million to Retire Well was a different type of retirement book. Not only was it not all about money but it was targeted at people in their 40s. The author, Ralph Warner, interviewed a lot of happy retired people and realized that it wasn’t money, it was health, friends and family and activities that kept them happy. So his advice? Make friends, stay close to family and develop lots of interests.

I found the chapter on friends interesting. He points out that most of us have no problem making friends when we’re younger but that we lose those skills as we grow older. We make lots of acquaintances but fewer friends. He says we need to keep working at that. He also recommends making sure you have friends of different ages (particularly younger was his point) and friends of your own. He warns that any friends you have as couples will probably drop out of the picture if anything happens to your spouse.

He had lots of good interviews with happy retired people and quite a few suggestions on how to acquire new hobbies, make friends, stay close to family, etc. He did have a chapter or two on money but that definitely wasn’t what the book was about.