Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way

I'm a reader of several FIRE (financial independence, retire early) blogs, including the well-written Our Next Life blog, and wasn't sure what I would learn that was new. Turns out, the book is very balanced in getting a reader to look outward to learn about the nuts and bolts of work-optional life and to look inward at what factors would make such a person (this person) want to pursue such a life. The book starts with an introspective effort to craft one's money mission statement by identifying common themes across different times in our lives. I had a great time reliving my 12- and 21- year-old dreams (although I'll take the life I have now, thanks very much). It then delves into the essential components of a financial plan. The book really shines here: the money-related details are presented efficiently and authoritatively. The part on healthcare costs is a standout for its fair treatment of the various options that are currently available. The part on "bulletproofing" plans shone as well. The emphasis on the "non-penny pinching" from the title is evident as Hester focuses her tips on containing the biggest expenses (housing and healthcare in retirement, and housing and transportation in pre-retirement) as well as giving practical tips to further accelerate progress. The final section of the book transitions back to the reader's original vision of work-optional life and advises how to "make the big leap," with gentle reminders for self-care and living a purpose-filled life.This book is highly recommended for those who are curious about FIRE as well as those who are at any point in the accumulation phase. It's an easy read for its conversational tone, but make no mistake, the book also challenged me in thinking through aspects of FIRE I hadn't considered. There are helpful checklists at the back of several chapters to ensure you don't inadvertently tune out a crucial theme.I thought it might be helpful to give a sense of the non-penny pinching approach to the book, which makes it very approachable to recommend to others. From the index, here is how many pages are devoted to the following topics:Avocado toast, biking to work, or restaurants: 0(Ok, there is one reference to the restaurant Per Se: 1)Starbucks: 1Healthcare: 11Money mission statement: 14Bulletproofing your plan: 20Life vision: 51

In Part 1, Tanja starts off by explaining what Early Retirement/"Work Optional" life is and challenging you to imagine who you are without work. If you 're stuck, she gives you the cheat code to get unstuck through a series of exploratory questions. You can tell she used to be a consultant because her questions are empathetic in nature, but not wimpy. They make you confront the fact that your current lifestyle and your ideal one may be at odds. The good news is, you probably don't have to wait until retirement to reconcile some of that! In our opinion, the book is worth that act of self-discovery alone.Part 2 is all about planning and this is where thangs got REAL. Tanja doesn't shy away from the fact that none of us have a crystal ball. Instead, she explains how to introduce flexibility into your plan through a number of continencies. She puts all the uncomfortable out in the open where it can be resolved. We also loved how she took the most mundane financial products and gave us a reason to care about them by explaining the tangible benefits in both the short AND long term. We've been in the Accumulation stage of Early Retirement for several years and this section gave us a lot to think about. Turns out, we still have work to do!Part 3 was probably our favorite. It's where she talks about the Big Leap and all the things you need to think about in your final months of traditional employment. We loved the emphasis on spiritual and mental wellness. Tanja reminds us that Health Insurance and employer-match 401ks aren't the only things that are tightly wound to our jobs. Work provides so many emotional rewards like positive feedback and social/intellectual engagement and you don't magically just stop needing those things. Post-retirement, you really have to figure out a way to build a life that still checks those boxes and she walks you though some actionable steps.Overall, this was a FANTASTIC book and one that we'll reference many many mannnny times over the years as a textbook. Highly recommend!

Skip this book and pick up "A simple path to wealth" by JL Collins and "How to quit like a millionaire" by Kristy Shen. Use Collins book for investing and Shen for taxes and you're all set. This book really wont contribute much useful information or knowledge that you can put to practical use. You can basically read her blog and get all the info there.

A lot of "early retirement" books are written for high income earners and people who are already financially secure. This guide is useful, practical, and can apply to anyone regardless of current financial situation. It has exercises to help you visualize what you actually want as well as the ways to calculate how to make the money work to get to financial independence or early retirement or even how to make traditional retirement be what you want it to be. Tanja's story is compelling and she includes several other stories that are also inspirational (and useful to get many different ways of doing it). Well written. Easy to read. As someone that is not super close to early retirement, I'm excited to work through the exercises every couple of years along the way to make sure I'm on the right path and have considered all the things.

I have seen a lot of hype about this book so I really was looking forward to reading it.There is absolutely NOTHING new in this book. I have read a version of this book 100 times before. Okay, the author wants you to tap into your "mindful spending". That is the only term that is different than all the other books on personal finance.You can even find the typical "if you don't drink that $5.00 coffee each day....".Moving on - nothing new here.

Ich habe mich für das Hörbuch (Audio-CD) entschieden. Diese wurde schnell und gut verpackt von Amazon.com aus den U.S.A geliefert.Die Autorin Tanja Hester vermittelt im Buch bzw. dem Audiobook sehr einfach und anschaulich finalwissenschaftliche Grundlagen bis zu individuellen Lebensmodellen. Die Struktur ist seht einfach und logisch aufgebaut. Das Buch richtet sich an erfahrene sowie absolute Anfänger, welche sich für das Thema interessieren. Mir gefällt die offene und Ehrliche Art wie Tanja über Ihre Finanzen, Ängste aber auch ihre gesteckten Ziele spricht. Dies motiviert zum nachahmen. Der Leser oder Zuhörer wird durch digitale Inhalte, welche separat abrufbar sind aktiv bei der Umsetzung unterstützt.Primär richtet sich das Buch an Menschen mit einem Lebensmittelpunkt in den U.S.A. Jedoch können viele Denkweisen bzw. Ansichtsweisen auch für Deutschland und anderen Länder adaptiert werden.Für jeden der sich für finanzielle Bildung interessiert ein gutes Sachbuch der dem Leser neue Einblicke gibt.