Smart Women Don't Retire - They Break Free

The Transition Network and Gail Rentsch

7/8/2008

The Baby Boomer generation in America is getting older. More women have been involved in the workplace than any time in the past and are approaching retirement age. But do we really want to retire to quiet days with nothing to do? We are used to being busy and active. We may dream of not going to our job every day and of a permanent vacation. But that can be wearing very quickly.

The Transition Network is a non-profit group of women devoted to helping other women as we grow older and look at our future lives. They are especially are designed to work with the needs of successful, working women who have new challenges facing them.

Smart Women Deon't Retire - They Break Free is published by the Transition Network to inform women about those same new challenges. It is readable and informative. The book gives the history of retirement. It explains why it is so important to consider for women now that they are growing older as a group and staying healthier longer.

The book is divided into three sections. The first section, "Thinking About Retirement" has three chapters devoted to helping us know what type of future we should be considering. The chapters are well grounded - "What Is This Thing Called Retirement, and What Does It Have to Do with Me?", "Why Am I Suddenly Thinking About Something New?" and "Can I Afford to Make a Change?". Many of us aren't sure we can afford to retire even if we want to. The last chapter gives practical advice about securing our financial future no matter where we are currently.

The second section, "Redefining Retirement" gives us many options to examine for how we want to spend the retirement years. The three chapters, "What Do I Get Out of Work?", "Suppose I Don't Want to (or Can't) Stop Working?", and "How Can I Scale Back on Work and Find Some Balance", all focus in on these considerations. The Transition Network group gives us permission to consider working at our current job until our health no longer permits us or to retire from a company and then offer part time consulting services or to look at completely new opportunities.

The third section, "Reclaiming Retirement" includes four chapters - "I've Always Wanted To...", "How Can I Give Back and Enjoy It?, "How Can I Stay connected with Friends and Make New Ones?, and " Why Is My Partner Driving Me Crazy?". These are the practical suggestions we need as we move into this new stage of our life. The Conclusion, final chapter, "How Do I Get the Most Out of This New Stage of Life" brings everything together.

The appendices include information about The Transition Network and how to Start a Peer Group - a fundamental part of the Network. There is also a resource list and a bibliography, as well as an index.

I appreciated all the personal stories in Smart Women Don't Retire - They Break Free. There are a lot of quick quotes, such as "Now that I finally have some time, a few dollars, freedom from child-bearing, and a feeling that I don't have to prove myself or hope someone likes me, I'm gearing up for my next step. - Moira". There are lists to help us determine what choices we can make - such as "Are You Psyched for a Retirement Career?". Women share their stories of how they "retired" and changed their lives into another, busy, satisfying life. And, as you can tell from the titles of the last chapters, we are reminded/encouraged to include the other people in our lives as well as considering our own future.

It is also freeing to read this book to know that I have a lot of options for my future. I'm one who is fairly sure I won't be able to afford to retire. But now I know I can stay happy where I am or look at other choices that will give me the freedom of time that I think I wish for. Smart Women Don't Retire - They Break Free reminds me to be careful what you wish for - you may get it. Instead, I can look at all the options I have before me.

You can find more this book at . You can learn more about The Transition Network at http://www.TheTransitionNetwork.org/.