| Third
Age resources recommended by members of Life Planning Network
BOOKS
Aging
Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark
Harvard Study of Adult Development by George E. Vaillant,
M.D. Little Brown, 2003.
The author directed a Harvard Medical School longitudinal
study (over 50 years) of the basic elements of adult human
development, analyzing the health and happiness of hundreds
of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds. Vaillant’s
rich descriptions of home visits are fascinating and put human
faces on his surprising findings.
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional
and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.
Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
Presents ways to create innovative paradigms for personal
and professional development and emphasizes that possibility
is infinite. An extraordinarily useful national best seller
and a delightful read.
The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the
Second Half of Life by Gene Cohen, MD, Ph.D. Avon/Harper Collins,
2001.
Very comprehensive paean to creativity in later life, full
of inspiring stories and examples, as well as medical/scientific
evidence, and discussion of life stages. Presents value of
seeing creativity as multi-dimensional (e.g., personal vs.
public, individual vs. social) and as a basic human attribute
that increases with age. Author was director of the National
Institute on Aging and founded Washington DC Center on Aging.
Don’t Retire, REWIRE: 5 Steps to Fulfilling
Work That Fuels Your Passion, Suits Your Personality, or Fills
Your Pocket by Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners. Alpha, 2002.
Sedlar and Miners offer an alternative to traditional retirement
that recognizes the varied needs of individuals. With lifespan
extended by modern medicine, many individuals want to continue
working, usually part-time. The book offers a quiz and discussion
for identifying your personal drivers, describes multiple
scenarios for rethinking work and life based on drivers, and
provides tips for creating your optimum situation.
How to Create the Life You Want after 50 by Sara Brown Ph.D.
and Joan Malling. Savvy Sisters Press, 2004.
Includes over 200 tips, resources and exercises for planning
at midlife. It guides the reader chapter-by-chapter through
a three step planning process to identify and assess typical
midlife issues and opportunities, clarify needs and wants
and develop a plan. The authors provide ideas, information
and resources.
How
to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That you
Won’t Get From Your Financial Advisor by Ernie J. Zelinski.
Ten Speed Press, 2004.
A truly upbeat read! The author, who semi-retired at age 30
and in debt, claims you are never too young to retire. He
paints a picture that is so appealing you will wish you had
retired years ago. He hits topics such as lifelong learning,
relocation, the importance of friendships, and creative travel
options. His seven-page list of “activities for your
get-a-life tree” will help you start and keep you active
for a very long time.
LifeLaunch: A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your
Life, by Frederic M. Hudson and Pamela D. Mc Lean. Hudson
Institute Press, 2000.
One of the best single sources on life-planning for the Third
Age. Compellingly and comprehensively presented in the form
of Maps: Chapters and Transitions; Living with Passion and
Purpose; Balancing the Parts of Your Life – Activities
and Roles; [Life Stages] from Twenty to Ninety; and The Adult
Learning Agenda.
Looking Forward: An Optimist’s Guide to Retirement
by Ellen Freudenheim. Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2004.
Offers innovative ways to think about our lives once work
is no longer central. Holistic in approach, the book address
issues such as attitude, relationships, and physical and mental
fitness. With chapters on working, volunteering, traveling,
spiritual pursuits, romance and play, the book is loaded with
practical tips, resources, quizzes, and anecdotes to help
the reader find a meaningful and satisfying post-career lifestyle.
The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain
by Gene D. Cohen. Basic Books, 2005. A lucid presentation
of an adult development model (extending Erickson and coining
the term “developmental intelligence”), integrating
recent scientific research on brain functioning/structure
with qualitative data from interviews with Third Agers.
My
Time: Making the Most of the Bonus Decades After 50 by Abigail
Trafford. Basic Books, 2005.
Thanks to the longevity revolution, Trafford sees the period
between middle and old age as a new developmental stage in
the life cycle. She skillfully guides readers through the
obstacles, encouraging them to take full advantage of the
bonus decades. She blends personal stories with expert opinions
and the latest research on life development.
Now
What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang.
Tarcher, 2005.
The book provides an in-depth, practical three-month guide
for those seeking to discover their unique life blueprint,
explore potential paths and take actions toward creating positive
change in their lives. Through exercises, reader/participants
explore questions such as: What themes define my life? What
motivates and inspires me? What are my strengths, skills and
talents? What are my values and needs? How would my life be
different if I said good-bye to limiting beliefs?
The
Number: A Completely Different Way to Think About the Rest
of Your Life by Lee Eisenberg. Free Press, 2006.
Written by the former editor of Esquire magazine, this book
attempts to make the connection between preparing financially
for retirement and the importance of creating a life plan
that identifies on what the money will be spent. While not
entirely achieving the promise of its premise, the book raises
a number of useful points that reinforce the value of life
planning. Included as an appendix is a quick and dirty calculation
of The Number.
The
Power Years: A User’s Guide to the Rest of Your Life
by Ken Dychtwald. Wiley, 2005.
The latest book by a well-known psychologist and gerontologist,
whose seminal work, Age Wave, was published in 1989. It replays
familiar “rediscover and take charge” themes in
areas such as dream jobs, vital relationships, lifelong learning,
where and how to live, and financial freedom.
Prime
Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform
America by Marc Freedman. Public Affairs, 2002.
Presents a visionary analysis of a burgeoning
older population as an enormous social and civic resource,
ripe for engagement and contribution - and anything but the
burden some commentators have portrayed. This work has had
a wide impact through Freedman’s nonprofit, Civic Ventures.
Filled with inspiring examples of individuals and programs
utilizing this “national resource.”
Repacking
Your Bags: Lighten Your Load for the Rest of Your Life by
Richard Leider and David Shapiro. Berrett-Koehler, 2002.
Though not a book aimed strictly at the Third Age, this update
of an earlier version does address many of the issues experienced
by people in this life stage. Using the metaphor of unpacking
and repacking one’s “bags,” the authors
examine a range of topics associated with “the good
life:” work, relationships and location. The book focuses
on process with some useful tools for achieving purpose, balance
and intentional change.
Retirement
for Two: Everything You Need to Know to Thrive Together As
Long As You Both Shall Live by Maryanne Vandervelde, Ph.D.
Bantam, 2005.
Topics include managing money within the relationship; wanting
different things; deciding where to live; medical and legal
matters; fighting fairly and growing whole individually and
together. The book is illustrated with New Yorker cartoons
dealing with relationships in retirement; these add a wonderful
touch. (I searched for a long time for books that were targeted
to couples in the mid-life transition and found this one to
be the best.)
Second
Acts: Creating the Life You Really Want, Building the Career
You Truly Desire by Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine. Collins,
2004.
A guide to reinventing your life whether you are at the beginning
of your career or about to retire. The authors discuss various
scenarios from changing careers, moving to a new location,
starting a business or dropping everything to pursue a dream.
They posit that barriers to a rich and rewarding life are
self-imposed and can be overcome, and, as examples, provide
practical success stories from their own lives and those of
their clients.
The
Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom by
Angeles Arrien. Sounds True, 2005
Written by an anthropologist, educator, and award-winning
author, this book is a collection of teachings, reflections,
and stories from diverse cultures which opens readers to the
challenge and deeper mysteries of the "great crossing"
at midlife.
The
Third Age: Six Principles of Growth and Renewal after Forty
by William Sadler. Perseus Publishing, 2001.
The author conducted 20 years of research involving people
40-80 years of age. In the book he summarizes his findings
and identifies six principles of growth and renewal for Third
Agers. He gives his readers the gift of a new perspective
on aging, one that is filled with optimism and endless possibilities.
Too
Young To Retire: An Off the Road Map for the Rest of Your
Life by Howard and Marika Stone. Harpers, 2004.
This lively, upbeat prescription for a second half of life
of adventures, “discovery, surprise, and blazing your
own trail,” offers stories, exercises, suggested activities,
and some excellent resources for the journey. Contains chapters
on money, paid work, volunteer work, wellness (mind, body,
spirit), and travel. (The authors are members of our Life
Planning Network.)
Transitions:
Making Sense of Life’s Changes, by William Bridges,
DaCapo Press, 2004.
Managing Transition: Making the Most of Change by William
Bridges. DaCapo Press, 2003.
Transitions is a classic recommended for anyone going through
major life changes. In Managing Transitions, Bridges expands
on his theoretical structure for the process of transition.
He offers psychological insights, compelling examples and
stories, and advice on how to manage the process. He also
gives some attention to transition in later life, using Odysseus
as a model.
WEBSITES
http://agingandwork.bc.edu
Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College
www.aarp.org
www.aarp.org/about
aarp/community_service AARP’s information on volunteering
www.aarp.org/careers
AARP’s information on career transitions
www.aarp.org/money
AARP’s information on finances
www.asaging
American Society on Aging
www.bc.edu/centers/crr/
Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
www.civicventures.org
Think tank and incubator for programs that harness energy
and talents of Third Agers for civic and social renewal
www.comingofage.org
Philadelphia’s Coming of Age program
www.discoveringwhatsnext.org
Newton Free Library program – site launching summer
2006
www.idealist.org
Action Without Borders, listing jobs and volunteer opportunities
in nonprofit organizations
www.retirementjobs.com
New employment website aimed at tapping boomer age wave
www.retireonyourterms.org
Education Program sponsored by The National Retirement Planning
Coalition
www.strongwomen.com
Based on Dr. Miriam Nelson’s Strong Women series
www.unca.edu/ncccr/NCCCR/about.html
University of North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement
www.soar-ma.org
Service
Opportunities After Retirement
THIRD
AGE-RELATED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
The Center for Third Age Leadership (Bill Sadler) www.thirdagecenter.com
The
Hudson Institute (Pam McLean) www.hudsoninstitute.com
The
Inventure Group (Richard Leider) www.inventuregroup.com
Retirement
Options (Richard Johnson) www.retirementoptions.com
2Young
2Retire Certification Program (Howard Stone) www.2young2retire.com
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