Rating: 
Summary: Before you retire, protect your assets and yourself!
Review: Also read "The Retirement Nightmare" by Dr. Diane Armstrong. Get the real truth about the (...) abuse of the elderly and not so elderly. See why there's a Senate Committee on Aging special session to address this national disgrace of court sactioned (...)and abuse of the elderly by guardians and conservators. Reports of guardians stealing from their wards' bank accounts and other wise abusing guardianship powers are surfacing with disturbing regularity. 'This problem is going to get bigger and bigger,' says E. Bentley Lipscomb, AARP's Florida state director and a former state secretary of elder affairs. - GUARDIANS DRAWING INCREASED SCRUTINY, AARP Bulletin.
Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Guide Is a Generic Bore
Review: Book Review: The New Retirement, The Ultimate Guide to The Rest of Your Life
You appear to get your money's worth in weight of paper alone in purchasing "The New Retirement," by Jan Cullinane and Cathy Fitzgerald. The problem comes with what is inside, including getting almost half of the book's contents on where one might choose to live in retirement, a subject that is covered in many other books, specifically.
The book promises to offer "a comprehensive, balanced view of the subject (of retirement) for those who are planning to relocate or those who plan to age in place." And it claims to be "the first book to approach retirement from these multiple perspectives," which are the who, the what, the where and the how of retirement. Sounds good so far.
And the first chapter starts out O.K., with some overviews of positive stuff about retirement and retirees, along with sections on when to retire, reasons why we retire, gender and singles issues. But it is about here in the book, hardly a tenth of the way through, that I found myself simply paging through the pages. What I felt I was finding was a hodge podge of retirement-related stuff that I've seen elsewhere and that was too general in nature to do me much of any good. We quickly pass through sections on hobbies and volunteers into a chapter on travel that is all over the place, from being an air courier to dealing with travel agents and group tours. Then, there's a chapter on housing options, followed by 210 pages of specifics on U.S. cities, plus some in Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. Could anyone actually read straight through this and retain details? The book ends with chapters on health, personal finances, and retirement tax issues, followed by 40 pages of checklists, forms and worksheets, all of which recalls for me the old TV slogan, "Where's the Beef?"
I would classify "The New Retirement" as one of what I call the generic retirement books that try to cover just about everything under the sun to some degree. As such, there is probably something there for everyone, if you want to take the time to find it. But, the basic problem with the book for me is that there is so much stuff in it that has been done elsewhere better that I don't find it worth my time. Two stars at best.
Rating: 
Summary: Touches on Costa Rica
Review: Check out the book, "Costa Rica: The Last Country The Gods Made," and you'll want to retire there!
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Summary: The New Retirement: it works for me
Review: Does it seem like you've spent a life time searching for the perfect retirement planning guide? If so, now you can "retire" from your search. Nestled among the mountains of how-to books, I found something new ... and best of all ... something truly different. Authors Jan Cullinane and Cathy Fitzgerald offer readers a yellow brick road to the perfect retirement destination. Perfect because the destination you choose is based on your unique needs.You will not find a lock-step, "one size fits all" plan here. More than just informative, this book is inspirational. Turning these pages awakens your motivation to plan. Remember, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. So motivation to plan is the real key to retirement success. "New Retirement" opens the reader's mind to all the possibilities, and all the resources necessary to arrive in style when you get to retirement's door. Readers aren't just invited to drink the water, the authors get you to jump in and swim among a sea of options. Some say, "You can't judge a book by it's cover." Wrong. The book's cover design, created by Joanna Williams, is the best I've seen in my 25-plus years in the field of gerontology. Let's not forget, the first obstacle publishers must overcome is to "get people to pick up the book ... then read ... then plan ... then retire successfully. The cover design is bold, compelling, and a wonderful metaphor to those who believe our retirement outlook is sunny and bright ... with nothing but blue skies ahead. I predict a Best Seller. One other thing. When I began reading the book, I was pleased to notice the attention to detail. For example, right there in the book's acknowledgments, the authors note their financial experts are Certified Financial Planners, not just financial consultants. If you don't know the difference between these two professional groups, you really need this book. In fact, I'd advise, "Don't retire without it." Topics address issues related to time management, personal goal-setting, meaningful use of time (travel, education, voluntary service), extra income (second careers, consulting), retirement locations, legal and financial concerns, health and wellness, and checklists to facilitate comprehensive and sound retirement planning.
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Summary: The New Retirement: A Holistic Approach!!!
Review: Finally........the retirement book that I have been looking for....and I have been doing a lot of looking this summer. I hope to retire in about 7 years and I have yet to find a retirement book (until this one!) that is truly A-Z in its scope. This book hit the spot specifically because it delved into the psychological and readiness aspects of retirement as well as doing a great job on explaining the typical financial and locational aspects of retirement. The psychological opportunities and pitfalls of retirement are discussed and supported with recent and credible psychological studies. This book really makes you think clearly and test yourself before jumping into that standard question: "Do I have enough enough in my 401-K to retire?" Yes, this book puts retirement planning all together in an easy-to-read "one stop shop" approach. Its delivered in a fun manner with straightforward and understandable language. I strongly advise anyone planning retirement to get this book!
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Summary: Best of the Bunch!!
Review: I recently attended a seminar about retirement given by the authors of The New Retirement, Jan Cullinane and Cathy Fitzgerald. I also purchased a copy of their book after their presentation. Having just finished the book, I'm happy to report that the book, as well as their talk was helpful, informative, interesting, and enjoyable. Their nice style (both in the book and speaking) combined humor with valuable insights - things I wasn't aware of (such as ingredients to a successful retirement - hint - it's not only about the money!). I liked the concepts of universal design, the worksheets, their specific recommendations about places to retire, and their A to Z list of what to do to reprogram your time. The New Retirement really does cover the Who, What, Where, When, and How of retirement. I picked up a few tax tips that I'll be able to implement, too.
I've will retire in about three months, and have/am collecting as much info as I can about this time of life. The New Retirement is the best I've come across, and believe me, I've looked at virtually everything. I very, very highly recommend this book!
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Summary: A New Jersey Reader
Review: I'm a 57 year old male, and was interested in reading The New Retirement since I know retirement is not too terribly far off. I was impressed with both the breadth and depth of the coverage. The websites and list of references (I now subscribe to Where to Retire Magazine) were invaluable, and I will use some of the suggestions when I try out places for possible retirement (such as going on a discovery tour, subscribing to the local paper to get a sense of the issues affecting the community, and trying a home exchange).
I have a financial background, and the money and tax chapters were accurate, up-to-date, and easy to understand, but had concrete suggestions that can be implemented. My favorite part of the book was the chapter on niche retirement lifestyles - such as living on a ship like the World of Residensea, living in a college town, living in a new urbanism community, and living in a hotel - these really grabbed my interest.
I can see why the book is subtitled "The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life" - it covers all the bases in an thorough, fun fashion.
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Summary: The only book you'll need!
Review: I've read through many retirement books and this one really has the most comprehensive approach. My husband and I are boomers looking to retire within the next 5 years. This book not only provides a great review of recommended locations (along with key website information!), it addresses a host of other considerations. I especially loved the checklists in the back. It is well written, informative and funny!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Buy!
Review: Live on a ship? Home exchange? Stay in other peoples' homes for free? Be an air courier? Lists for making your existing home or new home accessible as you get older? Great money tips? Specific recommended locations with actual names of developments, not just names of cities? The New Retirement is packed with so much information, it will be a guide for years to come.
Cullinane and Fitzgerald have done an outstanding job of researching this book. It's a pleasure when the phone numbers listed and websites actually work, unlike in many books/articles. I've read many, many books on retirement, and this one has it all - it really IS the ultimate guide!
Rating:
Summary: A Definite 5-Star Book from a Scottsdale soon-to-be retiree
Review: The New Retirement is everything I was looking for in a book about retirement. Written in a light, easy-to-understand way, it combines stories, facts, worksheets, and specific suggestions. It has information about adjusting to retirement, what to do with the 168 hours a week you'll have, ideas for travel, work, and volunteering, and sound financial advice with lots of examples, which is very helpful if money matters are not one of your strengths. I especially liked the up-to-date specific recommendations for places to retire, using a report card format, and the section on niche retirement lifestyles. If there was way to give more than five stars to this book I would, and believe me, with the collection of retirement books I have, this is no slight praise!
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