Others say...

"Great read with great guidance and great referrals"
This book is simply the best broad treatment of issues for the prospective retiree or already retired person that I am aware of. It covers all the bases and is presented in an easy-to-read style. It is meant to appeal to readers from a broad background and thus has content which is trivial in places (to me). But don't make reviewer George Fulmore's mistake of confusing the occasional trivial, repetitive, or (intentionally) internally contradictory words as meaningless or worthless: nothing could be further from the truth. Much of this reflects our society's ignorance, uncertainty and ambivalence about the topics under consideration, especially those that are now dramatically changing due to increasing life spans.

I particularly like the author's consistent inclusion of recommendations for further (and deeper) study and thought. I have uncovered a wealth of great material in following those leads.


"Best bits about the book: how it all ties in together at the end"
I was already a big fan of Richard Bolles' What color is your parachute?, having completed it for the first time more than 20 years ago. And yes, it changed my life. Okay, so it took a while for me to actually find the job and then a little while longer for me to get a degree, but had I not taken the 'journey' I would not have even known I was meant to be a children's librarian and storyteller extraordinaire.
So I was thrilled that as I enter a new crossroads in my life Richard Nelson chose to write this wonderful self-help book about retirement.
Best bits about this book: it would have to be that it all ties in together at the end - e.g. things I had identified in the Biological Practices recurred in the Geographical Place section. Needless to say the Financial Pillars chapter was a huge eye-opener for me. As a Mom who later divorced when my daughter went to university, I never dreamed I could one day be self-sufficient. And as it happens my #1 Way to Live is Self Sufficiency... the synergy continues.
I am sure it is one book I will revisit over and over again.
p.s. Thank goodness Nelson considers walking a good relaxation practice because I am absolutely useless at meditation, etc. Yoga teachers the world over breathe a sigh of relief when I quit their classes...


"LIVING YOUR DREAMS--planning for Prosperity, Health, Happiness & THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE"
I remember very well the revolution that the the original WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? caused in my thinking. Here was a career planning book that said I could design a satisfying work life based on what I like and who I am! It changed my thinking.

This new book is designed to support the same kind of revolution in our thinking about retirement. The back of the book says "START LIVING YOUR DREAMS."

This is not about just "not working." This book has lots of practical information about money and health and relationships--but the main thing is the basis of all the PARACHUTE books--- that you can discover your heart's desire and design your life to live it. This book can help a person identify their heart's desire and would be terrific for anyone thinking about what they want for their future retirement.

I know John Nelson. John is dedicated to an approach to retirement that supports true fulfillment for the whole person, based on that person's own dreams and heart's desire. I would occasionally see him at meetings while he was writing this book. He was so inspirational when he talked about the book, and changes in how we view retirement, and how we can re-imagine and recreate our lives for happiness and satisfaction in retirement, and how retirement can be a wonderful time of fulfillment, that I just couldn't wait to read it.

John consulted closely on this book with Richard Bolles, the author of the original WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? And, just like the original did for starting or changing a career, this book is designed to help us to get out of the "retirement box" thinking and realize we can design a future that is based on our preferences, proclivities, dreams and desires as we want to express them NOW.

Richard Bolles says in his preface to this book that he thinks life can be compared to a symphony with four sections, and that what we call retirement is the fourth section. He says that instead of thinking of retirement as the end of life, this book helps us to think of it as the beginning of the fourth section. So this book is designed to gives us a way to organize our thinking and to imagine and create what we want to be, and do, and have in that fourth section of life.

Like the original PARACHUTE book, this book offers a template and guidance, appropriate for this time of life, for how to design a satisfying "fourth segment of life" with the goals of prosperity, health and happiness, designed by you, with you in mind. It is designed to help us think creatively about planning our future.

The book covers the practical aspects we need to consider, such as financial planning, and it provides practical guidelines such as a "map of your retirement journey" for the practical aspects of life we want to consider when we plan. But the main thing, and the thing that I think makes this a PARACHUTE book, is that it talks about the components of life that a human being needs to feel fulfilled, and emphasizes the deeper characteristics that make us human --such as transcendence, wisdom, humanity, justice, courage and temperance. It shows us how to identify our strengths and desires and how to build our future around them.

I think anyone considering retirement, whether soon or far in the future, would be inspired by this book. It speaks to the practical questions we must ask regarding money and planning, but it also does more--it is designed to help you get in touch with your truest underlying purposes, and to tune your planning to your heart's desire---a future that is based on your true nature and your heart's desire.

I highly recommend this book. This book can help us create a retirement that includes not only financial well-being, but also living a meaningful, prosperous, happy life, tailored for our very own heart's desire.

"My color is "disappointed""
I've been a Parachute fan since I read an early edition of the original book in about 1980. It was invaluable in helping me understand myself and what goals I should be pursuing. Sadly, this book has nothing in common with the original except the title. If I had purchased it locally rather than on Amazon, I would have already returned it and asked for a refund.

"Avoiding Fre-Fall In Retirement"
Richard Bolles and John Nelson have made an excellent contribution to the field of retirement planning. The advice offered is well-researched, and the book deals with the subject of retirement in a very comprehensive fashion. The chapter on "Discover Your Retirement Strengths" is very good, and is something everyone should do before retiring, yet most people go into retirement with no thoughts other than "Do I have enough moeny?" No wonder so many people find themselves in "free fall." The process and the visoning exercises Bolles and Nelson offer are useful in anticipating some of the problems people face after retiring, and "parachure" can help avoid a hard landing.
John Trauth, author, "Your Retirement, Your Way."