Lyndsay Green – författare

Ready to Retire?

What You and Your Spouse Need to Know About The New Reality of Retirement

Conceived and written for those about to retire - or already in retirement and the women (and men) who live with them. Ready to Retire? helps people understand what they and their partners are going through as they meet the new reality of life beyond the workplace.

Cultural messaging has traditionally reinforced the idea of the man as bread winner and men have a particularly hard time making the retirement adjustment as they so often completely self-identify with their work. In light of this cultural trend, bestselling author and sociologist Lyndsay Green sets out to demystify retirement for men and their partners, and provides an engaging and uplifting portrait of the emotional landscape of men in their sixties and seventies.

While most books on this subject focus on finances, Lyndsay Green writes more about the psychological implications of retirement. More descriptive than instructional, the book is based on interviews with over sixty people, from age 56 to 88, living in cities, small towns and rural areas.

In spite of the fact that many men have a deep-rooted fear about retirement, and that so often their spouses can be baffled by their inability to express those fears and needs, Lyndsay Green discovered that the story of men’s retirement is mostly one of adjustment, revitalization and reinvention. Ready to Retire? is an inspiring portrait of the emotional lives of men who have retired or are considering retirement, and the women (and men) they live with.

Legacy is about who we are and how we will be remembered. In this thought-provoking book, bestselling author Lyndsay Green compels us to think about our legacy and consider how we would feel if we knew our life would soon be over. We assume that we’ll have time to think about our legacy; time to compose meaning for our lives; time to figure out our life’s purpose; time to make amends; time to clean up our messy lives.

But what if we don’t? Would our time on Earth have made a difference to anyone or anything? What would we be leaving behind for those we love? What responsibilities would be left dangling? Green’s premise is that living with an eye to a future without us both enhances our present and shapes our legacy. With this awareness, we can lead inspired and fulfilled lives.

Green examines the multiple facets that form a legacy, both material and non-material—from living a conscious life that makes a contribution, to writing our wills and recording our lives. She intersperses stories about struggles to align lives with values and efforts to write equitable wills, with eclectic tales about bequeathing tattoos and legacy bots using artificial intelligence so our digital selves can live forever.

She wrote this book for people of all ages because our one precious life could end any day, and she offers insights for everyone regardless of assets. Her findings emphasize that since we’ll be leaving a legacy—like it or not—we’d be wise to pay attention to what it will be.