Most Retirement Books Are Depressing

Most retirement books are depressing.

OK, it’s a first impression. I’ve made it through eight (I intend to read 20 or more and will give you a thorough report later).

With titles like How to Retire with Enough Money and the AARP Retirement Survival Guide, most have the same premise. Money brings happiness, and you’ll need buckets of it in your senior years.

One writer says retirees require 80% of their preretirement pay to make it, another says 120% (all those cruises you’ll take) and still another says you’ll need at least eight times your annual salary in savings.

While these books might be good for folks in their 30s, 40s and 50s who need to get serious about saving, they don’t offer much hope to the maybe 95% of those of retirement age who are nowhere near the goal.

So, here’s my take. One, by itself money doesn’t guarantee happiness for a 60-year-old any more than it does for a 20-year-old. Of course, money is important; it’s just not most important.

And, two, innovative retirees can make it on less.

Who is the happiest? The retired couple who owns their own beachfront home? Or the couple living in a modest travel trailer on the same beach? Or seniors living in the RV park who work part-time to make their dream happen? Who’s to say?

I have stories on the subject—more later.