Retirement Letters

There are various sample retirement letters or different forms of a retirement letter template that can be used in writing a letter of retirement. A retirement letter template or retirement letter format makes it easy for the employee to write it. Nonetheless, if using a retirement letter format, the final draft of the retirement letter must be written so that is understood by the corporation or employer. Every soon-to-be retired employee's situation is different and a retirement letter template or sample retirement letter should be modified enough to reflect this.

Tips on How to Write a Retirement Letter Using a Letter Retirement Sample or a Retirement Letter Template

1. Include the following items in your retirement letter:

• Your name
• Date of the retirement letter
• Corporate Employee ID Number
• Years of service
• Official date of retirement
• Whether to continue medical, dental and other retirement benefit contributions
• Whether you want to be of some small assistance after you retire

2. The retirement letter should be clearly written with no opportunity for misunderstanding by the employer.

3. The retirement letter should be written in a graceful and cordial tone.

4. Leave a forwarding address in your retirement letter.

For more tips on how to write a retirement letter, see the following two articles called Retirement Letter by Matt Murren and Retirement Letters - Composition and Content by Mary Ruff-King.

For More Retirement Letter Samples See

THE RETIREMENT LETTERS CAFE

Retirement Letters for Employees

LETTERS OF INTENT TO RETIRE AT THE RETIREMENT CAFE

Retirement Letters for School Principals and Letter Retirement Sample for President to Employees:

RETIREMENT LETTERS AT THE JOY OF BEING RETIRED

As a professional courtesy, an employee who will soon be retiring should submit a retirement letter to his immediate supervisor, even if the supervisor has been informed of the employee's pending retirement verbally. It is a standard business practice to put this in writing so that the notification of retirement can be filed in the employee's personnel file.

A retirement letter should be submitted at least six weeks in advance. This gives the company ample notice should someone from outside of the company need to be hired and trained to take the place of the retiring employee.

The format of a standard retirement letter is as follows:

The first paragraph should state the most important fact: The employee is writing to inform his employer that he is retiring. The retirement date should be stated in the first paragraph of this correspondence.

The second paragraph should communicate thanks and appreciation for the opportunity to work for the company. Acknowledge those who have helped you, and include people at all levels in the company. You'll be surprised at how many people to whom you are indebted.

In the third paragraph, state your willingness and even eagerness to ensure a smooth transition, specifically for your successor and for the company in general. Losing a long-term knowledgeable employee can be difficult, even disruptive. Assurance from you can go a long way to make this as easy a transition as possible.

This is all you need to include in your retirement letter. However, optional paragraphs may be added to include the following:

If you wish to continue working for the company as an outside contractor, either on a part-time or full-time basis, include a fourth paragraph stating this objective.

In a fifth paragraph, you can summarize the highlights of your career, quantifying how you have specifically helped the company. Perhaps you developed a certain system that helped the company to save money or time. For example: When I arrived, the sales reps and Production Department personnel were at odds with one another. I made it my mission to improve communications by creating mandatory Monday meetings in which the sales reps communicated what the customers wanted, and Production personnel told us what and how we could deliver that to our customers. This improved customer satisfaction 35% and sales went up 13% in the first year after its implementation.

In a sixth and final paragraph, summarize your goodwill toward your fellow co-workers, supervisors, and managers.

As you can see, writing a retirement letter is a piece of cake...retirement cake, that is.

Writing retirement letters is not a hard thing to do when you have a template and samples to follow. At RetirementLettersandSpeeches you will find samples of retirement letters and speeches, as well as a retirement letter format, template, and information about etiquette. Full body samples of retirement letters and speeches are given; best of all, this is free information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Ruff-King

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT WHAT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY IN RETIREMENT CAN GREATLY HURT YOU!

Retirement is a double-edged sword. You either make it work for you - or it will cut your happiness in half. The more you know about the secrets to a successful retirement, the happier you will be once you retire.

That's why you need

The Best Retirement Book in the World

O ver 125,000 Copies Sold

P ublished in 9 Languages



Purchase How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski on Amazon.com with this direct link:

HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY, WILD, AND FREE on Amazon.com

Purchase How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski
on BarnesandNoble.com with this direct link:

HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY, WILD, AND FREE on BarnesandNoble

About the Author

Ernie Zelinski is a leading authority on early retirement and solo-entrepreneurship. He is the author of the international bestseller How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free (Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor), which has sold over 125,000 copies sold and has been published in 9 languages.

Ernie is also author of the unconventional Career Success Without a Real Job (The Career Book for People Too Smart to Work in Corporations). His latest work is 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting.

For More Retirement Resources See

RETIREMENT PLANNING ON SQUIDOO

Retirement Resources by Ernie Zelinski on His Websites, Blogs, and Article Websites

• Retirement Jobs at The Real Success Resource Center
• 1001 Ways to Retire Happy
• Retirement Sayings at The Joy of Not Working

Download the Creative Free E-book Editions of Ernie Zelinski's The Joy of Not Working and How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free at:

Creative Free E-Books

A happy retirement is dependent on a number of factors as detailed in How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor by Ernie Zelinski .

With a focus on the non-financial aspects of retirement,How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free explores the myriad choices and decisions we are all confronted with in living out our retirement lives. Easy to read and well laid out, the bestselling non-financial retirement book on Amazon.com emphasizes preparing for retirement long before you retire.

You can download the Free E-book (in PDF format) with over half - mainly the top half - of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: at:

Creative Free E-books at the Real Success Resource Center.

Purchase How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free on BarnesandNoble.com with this direct link:

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free on BarnesandNoble

Your retirement letter should state your intention to retire and what date you intend to retire. If you have had a great working relationship with the company, thank your employer and your colleagues for contributing to the happy experience that you have had working there. Here is an example of a retirement letter:

Sample Retirement Letter #2

Dear Sir:

I am writing to confirm my retirement from my position as Project Engineer with ABC Engineering effective July 21, 2007.

Although I am looking forward to retiring happy, wild, and free, I will miss working for the company and with my former clients and colleagues.

May I take this opportunity to thank ABC Engineering for having given me the opportunity to work at this fine organization for over 20 years. I will do my utmost to be of any required assistance from now up until my retirement.

Sincerely,

Frank Sunley

Here is another example of a retirement letter written by an employee to a corporation:

Letter Retirement Sample #3

Dear Ms. Wilson

Please accept this as formal notice of my retirement on January 15, 2008.

Although I am looking forward to retirement, it is with some regret that I am leaving. I will miss my colleagues and the challenges and great working environment that the company provides.

Please let me know if the company requires assistance after my retirement date in training a successor to my position.

Yours sincerely.

Mike Kennedy

NOTE: Check out these retirement resources by Ernie Zelinski

The Retirement Letters Café - A Comprehensive Collection of Retirement Letters: Whether a Letter Retirement Sample, an unique retirement letter template, a great example of a retirement letter, a inspiring sample retirement letter, a special retirement letter format, tips on writing a letter of retirement or how to write a retirement letter, The Retirement Letters Café has it.

Retirement Letters from Readers of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

Retirement Jobs - The traditional Top Ten Retirement Jobs and the Top Ten Cool Retirement Jobs

Free Retirement Speeches - "There are always three speeches," stated Dale Carnegie, "for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave." On this website you will find the free retirement speech you have been looking for. Along with more than one retirement speech, you will find quotations about speeches that are great tips for writing and delivering your own retirement speech. There is also Retirement Advice by various writers about making retirement speeches that will help you enhance that free retirement speech.

1001 Ways to Enjoy Your Retirement - After you have drafted your letter retirement sample, 1001 Ways to Enjoy Your Retirement will help you join the group of retirees who are satisfied and happy to be retired. This lens is adapted from my book 1001 Ways to Enjoy Your Retirement, which has not been published in English. It has been published by French, Korean, and Spanish publishers, however (the cover of the French edition by my Paris pubisher Groupe Eyrolles is shown on the left). Since the book has not been published in English, I will eventually post content from the whole book here.

The Joy of Not Being Married - There is nothing unusual in being single - 48 per cent of Britain's population say that they are not currently in a relationship. The Office of National Statistics says that the number of Britons living alone has almost doubled in the last 30 years to 10 million. And, by 2010, the single population is expected to hit 16 million.

The True Spirit of Mother's Day - Tell your mother the truth about Mother's Day and you won't have to spend money on Mother's Day flowers, Mother's Day candy, or Mother's Day cards to help her celebrate her special event of the year. Heck, you don't even have to buy her a copy of one of my books as a Mother's Day gift.

Still More

Ernie Zelinski on LinkedIn

Ernie Zelinski on Open Library

and

Ernie Zelinski's Retirement Articles on American Chronicle

For Some Great Retirement Poems See

THE RETIREMENT POEMS CAFE

The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked by Ernie J. Zelinski

The Joy of Not Working is all about learning to live every part of your life - employment, unemployment, retirement, and leisure time alike - to the fullest. You too can join the thousands of converts and learn to thrive at both work and play. Illustrated by eye-opening exercises, thought-provoking diagrams, and lively cartoons and quotations, The Joy of Not Working will guide you to enjoy life like never before.

Top 10 Reasons to Buy The Joy of Not Working

1. You are more independent and more creative than most people.

2. You were born a lover of life and not a workaholic.

3. You don't want the cheese; you just want to get out of the trap.

4. You like books that are reader friendly with lots of cartoons, quotations, and exercises.

5. You like books that make you smile and challenge traditional ways of living and thinking.

6. You agree with the words of Bertrand Russell: "To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the best product of civilization."

7. You are receptive to the concept that we can achieve more if we relax, enjoy life more, forget about what the majority in society thinks is important, and focus on the things that really matter.

8. Your parents and co-workers will not approve of your adopting this book as your lifestyle Bible.

9. You know a good deal when you see one - if a book has been published in 17 languages in 21 different countries and has sold over 250,000 copies, it must have great value.

10. You know something important that the hard workers of this world don't know: the secret to a happy and fulfilling life is to work smart and not hard.

Purchase The Joy of Not Working by Ernie Zelinski on Amazon.com with this direct link:

The Joy of Not Working on Amazon.com

I received this e-mail from Zain Fazal in April 2008:

Dear Mr. Zelinski,

I had just completed reading your book The Joy of Not Working and I must say, I am very relieved to know they're people out there who think like you do. The work ethic is modern day North America has always bothered me. I have seen what workaholics has done to family, friends I came to the conclusion a long time ago that this can't be as good as it gets there has to be more to life then work.

Every job I had has made me miserable (factory worker, donut fryer, warehouse worker, etc.) once I found out I didn't like a job. I quit right away. Because of this I face ridicule from my family and friends who believe they are some sort of martyrs by working 10-12 hours a day or working on weekends it drives me crazy when people think like this.

After reading The Joy of Not Working I am happy that I'm not the only one who thinks way! Your book is insightful, clever and witty, I. am going to be graduating from college with a diploma in Tourism and travel from Mohawk College. However in between looking for a job, I plan to do a bit of creative loafing of my own. I plan to learn to drive; learn to swim, among other things. Thank you for letting me know it's OK to not work hard and it's OK not to conform.

(I especially love the chapter regarding GNP) I only wish you had included the reply to the one negative letter that was sent to you about The Joy of Not Working.

Best regards,

Zain Fazal
Kitchener, Ontario

Here are some Retirement Planning Resources at The Joy of Being Retired Website:

Retirement Planning for Retirees Who Are Bad Spellers:

Retirment Planning for Bad Spellers

Funny Retirement Quotes and Sayings for Retirment Letters

Funny Retirement Quotes

Funny Retirement Poems for Your Retirement Letter Sample

Funny Retirement Poems

Ideas for a Retirement Party at Which You Read Your Retirment Letter

Ideas for Retirement Parties

Snappy Retirement Wishes to Place in Your Farewell Retirement Letter

Retirement Wishes

5 STUPID REASONS NOT TO READ HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY, WILD, AND FREE WHICH IS THE WORLD'S BEST RETIREMENT BOOK AND THE WORLD'S BEST RETIREMENT GIFT:

1. You think that all you need is a lot of money to be happy in retirement.

2. You don't think there is any more to retirement than being able to watch a lot of TV, being able to go to the casino a lot, and being able to sleep when you want to.

3. You have read another retirement book already and you didn't like it.

4. You are in the retirement industry and although you will likely learn a lot from this book, you are envious of the fact that it has sold over 95,000 copies and been pubished in 7 foreign languges. (You know that if this book has been this successful, it is a great book - in fact, you wish you would have written it.)

5. You find it uncomfortable to read books that challenge your beliefs even though deep down you know that people who challenge your beliefs are often right and can offer you a lot of wisdom about how to retire happy, wild, and free.

Top 10 Reasons to Buy and Read How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

1. You are ready to claim your freedom from corporate life.

2. You want to follow your retirement dreams instead of someone else's.

3. As a spiritually and highly evolved human being you know that how to enjoy life to its fullest is much more important for creating an active, satisfying, and happy retirement than how much money you have saved.

4. Many retirement columnists and retirement seminar presenters have ranted and raved about this book. For instance, retirement columnist Nancy Paradis of the St. Petersburg Times in Florida advises, "Get this book if you look forward to a retirement with 'zing.' "

5. With it's great title and the inspirational subtile, this book makes the perfect gift for the soon-to-be retired friend or for the person retiring at the office.

6. You agree that "Retirement is the beginning of life, not the end."

7. You have put money in proper perspective so that you don't need a million dollars to retire.

8. You want to generate great purpose in your entire retirement life with meaningful, creative pursuits.

9. You like finding extremely useful information about retirement such as The Get-a-Life Tree that you won't find in any other book, but which is acclaimed by people who have read How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free.

10. Above all, you want to make your retirement years the best years of your life.

Before you write your retirement letter and complete your retirement plan also Check out:

Ernie Zelinski's Author's Page on Redroom

Ernie Zelinski's Author's Page on Morgan James Publishing

Retirement Speeches on Squidoo

Retirement Wishes and Sentiments

Top-10 Reasons to Retire Early

MONEY TIPS for When You Retire

1001 Ways to Enjoy Your Retirement

Retirement Poems on Squidoo

Social Security Is a Secure Way to Find Great Pleasure in Being Terribly Deceived

Note: If you want to continue working in your retirement years, you will likely need:

Follow Career Success on Twitter

I received this retirement letter via e-mail recently:

Original Message -----
From: Vera Marchant
To: vip-books (at) telus.net
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 8:51 AM
Subject: Happiness ..

Dear Ernie ..

Can't remember when l bought The Lazy Person's Guide to Happiness but recently it has become an important daily guide.

l had also purchased The Joy of Not Working a number of years ago ... will have to find it again. Perhaps l'm a problem case as inspiration is often followed by perspiration.

Back to Happiness .. don't know why this little book isn't listed
on your website .. it is so filled with the strength and wisdom of
inspiration .. and TRUTH. For now it is my life preserver, keeping
me afloat on adventurous seas.

Thank you

Vera

Over 250,000 Copies Sold and Published in 17 Languages

I received this e-mail from Arnie Allen in early 2008:

I am 68 years old and am looking forward to phasing into retirement. For about the last year, I have been researching out information on the
transformation into the next chapter of my life. Much to my astonishment (and as you point out) there is almost nothing written about the "how to's"; but a significant quantity on the financial aspects of it.

I have talked to any number of sources including physiatrists (two) that specialize in senior citizens (who in fact said if I find anything let them know) to searching the internet. I initially found How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free and was most impressed with something I could relate to and get my teeth into. I searched for more info and though I have found any number of other books - I have not found anything that effectively delves into the transitional aspect as well as you do.

That leads me to the point of this e-mail - that I would like an opportunity to chat with you to discuss the possibility of making presentations to
audiences specifically along the basis of your book. I have been astounded to find there is so little assistance/guidance for people who wish to make this transition and not have to re-invent the wheel. I became a recruiter because I enjoy helping and working with people - and my wife who was a teacher at one point is also interested in doing this.

I would very much appreciate it, if you could find some convenient time that I may call you to discuss this further.

I have attached my resume, so you can might relate to what I have done and possibly the qualifications I would hope I possess.

Regards,
Arnie Allen

This was my reply to Arnie Allen's e-mail:

Hello Arnie:

In reply to your e-mail, just to let you know that I don't have that much interest in getting involved with anyone in retirement seminars.

Although people may well need non-financial, transitional retirement seminars, most people don't think they need them.

That's where the problem begins. If you sell people what they want (even if they don't need what they want), you can make a fortune. If you try to sell people, what they need, you can go broke.

There are many personal retirement coaches that have been trained by two retirement institutes including the following:

http://www.retirementcoachinstitute.com/

http://www.careercoachinstitute.com/program-recommendations.htm

But from what I can gather from a teleseminar I did for a group of retirement coaches, not too many are making a good living, simply because most people don't think that they need guidance in the transitional aspects of retirement.

Having said that, three or four retirement seminar presenters have contacted me to let me know that they are recommending How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free to the seminar attendees at the few seminars that they give each year.

For the record, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free is self-published because even my publisher Ten Speed Press (along with 35 other American and British publishers) turned it down. Ten Speed Press, however, did agree to distribute it for me with their imprint on it. In the end, this turned out great for me because I now make about 4 or 5 times as much money as authors who have the major publishers publish retirement books for them.

In the mean time I am just concentrating on marketing How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free on the Internet (with viral marketing such as the attached free E-book). I know that it is a good book and I intend to sell 500,000 copies eventually.

So long for now,

Ernie Zelinski
Author of the Bestseller How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
(Over 125,000 copies sold and published in 8 foreign languages)
and the International Bestseller The Joy of Not Working
(Over 250,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages)

THE WORLD'S BEST RETIREMENT BOOK

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor by Ernie Zelinski

With a focus on the non-financial aspects of retirement, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free explores the myriad choices and decisions we are all confronted with in living out our retirement lives. Easy to read and well laid out, the bestselling non-financial retirement book on Amazon.com emphasizes preparing for retirement long before you retire. How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free is a provocative, entertaining, down-to-earth, and tremendously inspiring book that will help you get more joy and satisfaction out of all your retirement activities.

"Get this book if you look forward to a retirement with 'zing.' "
-Nancy Paradis, St. Petersburg Times

Purchase How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski
on BarnesandNoble.com with this direct link:

HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY, WILD, AND FREE on BarnesandNoble

5 More Reasons to Buy and Read THE WORLD'S BEST RETIREMENT BOOK

1. You want to have a good day - everyday - when you retire!

2. You "Absolutely, Positively" want to retire happy, wild, and free.

3. You want to inspire yourself with new accomplishments once you retire.

4. You want to gain the courage to take early retirement - in fact, the earlier, the better.

5. You have always wanted to fire your boss and take control of your destiny.

One of the Many 5-Star Reviews of The World's Best Retirement Book on Amazon.com

* * * * *

I purchased and borrowed several retirement guides in the months just prior to retiring. As I read the other books, I kept returning to How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Freefor the author's good, down to earth suggestions.

Most of the other books focus on finances and second careers after retirement. While both of these subjects are important issues, they are not the only concerns you have as you prepare for that big step into the future. How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free covers it all.

Those worries you may have about what to do after retiring - this book has lots of great, affordable suggestions for you. Taking care of yourself, continued learning and travel are all addressed. You will not be a bored retiree. Also enjoyable are the readers' letters to the author that are interspersed throughout the book.

Ernie J. Zelinski's upbeat book [ How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free ] is highly recommended as you prepare for that next important chapter in your life. With this book in hand, you will be ready to enjoy your retirement years to their fullest!

- Review of The World's Best Retirement Book on Amazon.com

Over 110,000 Copies Sold
Published in 8 Foreign Languages

Purchase How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski on BarnesandNoble.com with this direct link:

HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY, WILD, AND FREE on BarnesandNoble

I received the following e-mail from Tracy M. in Aurora, Colorado in April 2008:

Re: The Joy of Not Working

Ernie,

Thank you so much for your great book. I plan to check out the others now that I have finally finished this one. Almost a year ago, I left my job of eight years with a start-up company for which I was one of the first employees hired. By the time I left, I had been running the place for two years, and taken on a great deal of stress in the process. A cancer diagnosis at age 36 was just the wake-up call I needed to find a new life path.

I took the summer off, camped with friends, guided four whitewater canoe trips (I have been doing this weekend warrior job for five years now), took a five-day sea kayaking trip around the San Juan Islands, visited friends and family around the country, went to Alaska with four friends to celebrate my cancerversary, and took five weeks to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. It was at a weekend retreat at a wonderful place called the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, that I came across your book about 8 month ago.

After my summer off, I started a non-profit which I have been running for just over six months. I work from home, feel a real passion for what I am doing, am managing to pay the bills on about half what I was making last year, and my life is much happier in many ways. There are many adjustments to working from home - I miss being around people as I am a big-time extrovert - so trying to do more to spend time with friends.

About two years ago, I got rid of my tv, and for the past almost year, I have pledged myself to not buy anything new (anything I need I can get used or borrow), and I'm happy to report that the quality of my life has not suffered from either of these decisions. In fact, just the opposite. I still watch some tv online or on DVD on my laptop - but watch only what I want, when I want, and much better quality programs.

I am one of those people who has always wanted to write a book, and I have always been an avid writer. For a year now, I have been writing a monthly online column about the experience of dealing with cancer as a single person (www.divinecaroline.com and search on my full name if you are interested - the column is called A Single Cell). It has been hugely fulfilling for me, and seems to be impacting others as well. I recently started two blogs as well. Even though I am writing for free at this point, I hope to find a way to make a living at writing sometime in the near future.

Even though I was already on my path when I discovered your book, it has offered me great encouragement that it is indeed a valid path, and I have recommended it to many other people. Thanks for the inspiration and the good advice. I wish you the best.

P.S. I am going to blog about The Joy of Not Working and this philosophy of life soon.

Tracy M.
Executive Director of an Organization

I received the following e-mail about The Joy of Not Working from Ye Xianlong in late April 2008:

Hi Ernie,

I enjoyed your The Joy of Not Working.

Rat race is more damaging than ever. Like cancer eating away at fabric of society. Technology is supposed to let us have more leisure time but it did the opposite for many people.

Work epidemic that you mention has infected S'pore a great deal.

http://www.nationalfamilycelebrations.sg

Here the government launched family day out. Too many people working long hours & sacrificing family.

Some of reasons are:
• increasing foreign workers competition
• foreign workers have no family & friends so long hours; locals struggle or get fired
• rising costs of living
• keeping up with the joneses
• increasing workload (cost cutting
• instant stress (people expecting instant replies to cellphone msg, blackberries etc.
• increasing information overload


Thanks for your unorthodox books.

Less clutter,
Xianlong

>

Purchase The Joy of Not Working by Ernie Zelinski on Amazon.com with this direct link:

The Joy of Not Working on Amazon.com

Another Review of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
It's always nice to discover another review of one of your books which I have; it comes from Retirement Rocket and follows:

Two of the world's most famous philosophers, Socrates and Plato, advocated a life of total leisure. So does author Ernie Zelinski, and, although he's not as famous (or as Greek), he gives some inspirational tips on how to pull off such a feat. His The Joy of Not Working created an international stir a decade ago, and now his How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free devotes his joie de vive philosophy solely to retirement.

Zelinski is a master at how-to lists. "Activities; Places to Make New Friends" and "How to Take a Journey Close to Home" are a couple of examples. The most extensive list is the "Get a Life Tree," which contains seven pages of suggested activities for an adventurous retirement. Not one of them involves a couch or TV.

At times his suggestions seem a little too "wild" and too "free." For instance, under Retirement Travel Tips and Quotes there are llama trekking in Peru and camping in Outer Mongolia. Can you imagine a glitzy travel poster for either of these as a vacation get-away?

In How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free you'll meet a number of interesting people like Ben from Toronto, a former entertainer, who traveled across America in a Greyhound recently (a dog of a trip!), and wrote a book on the benefits of cayenne pepper, which he says is better than Viagra. Then there's Bill and Valerie, who live aboard a sailboat in Hawaii, and Tom, who, at 96, still walks four miles a day and chases women at night.

The book's section titles can be quite entertaining. "If You Don't Take Care of your Body, Where Do You Intend to Live?" is one about daily health maintenance. An even better is one "Early to Bed and Early to Rise Make a Person Dull, Boring and Despised." The message here is to forget rigid schedules when you retire. Good point. Retirement Living is a time to loosen up, live it up and curl up with How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free.



Over 125,000 Copies Sold
Published in 9 Languages

This review about How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free was written by a woman not so long ago:

I was looking for just this kind of book. Most retirement books are talking about money, and selling you something, this book talks about your life. I am a nervous Nellie when it comes to change or decisions. I research till I know the topic as well as I can and then make my decision.

I saw myself in so many discriptions in the book. I was a workaholic. I now know better and I am trying to change my thinking about work and leisure. I have taken more time off this year than last year to date and plan a lot more days off.

I thought my world would fall apart if I did this. It hasn't fallen apart-matter of fact work has gone along just fine without me! This is something of a shock. All those extra hours were a waste of time, my time! I still have a lot of work to do on learning to find my life and live it "Wild and Free", but I am making some progress.

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free made me think about retirement and life in a whole new way. The humor, quotes and exercises helped me understand my possibilities better. I am retiring next summer and moving on to the rest of my life and looking forward to it.

Thank you Mr. Zelinski !

NOTE:

Also see GOODBYE LETTERS FOR WORK

Ernie Zelinski is the author of the international bestseller How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor which has sold over 140,000 copies and has been published in 9 languages.

Ernie Zelinski, however, is best known as the author of The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked (over 250,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages).

Ernie's books have been published in 27 different countries and have sold over 675,000 copies worldwide.

Ernie Zelinski is also author of the unconventional Career Success Without a Real Job: The Career Book for People Too Smart to Work in Corporations. His latest work is 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting.

How Much Do I Need to Retire

Best Love Quotes for Retirees on Squidoo

Friendship Poems & Quotes on Squidoo

Unique Content for this Website:

A Letter about The Lazy Person's Guide to Happiness and The Joy of Not Working

Letter from Zain Fazal Kitchener, Ontario

Retirement Letter/E-Mail from Arnie Allen and Response

Review by woman from Amazon.com