Few resources exist for comprehensive, individual well-being. That’s because most comprehensive approaches aren’t individual—they’re for nations or communities. Conversely, most individual approaches aren’t comprehensive—they emphasize one dimension, like prosperity.
The first national assessment to address all three dimensions of well-being was the United Nations’ Human Development Index, at www.hdr.undp.org. It uses an objective perspective, from economics. But a seminal individual assessment is Michael Frisch’s QOLI(r), at https://bearspace.baylor.edu/Michael_B_Frisch/www/qoli.html. It uses a subjective perspective, from psychology. Most recently, the Gallup Organization developed a national assessment that uses a subjective perspective. It’s now available for individuals at www.wbfinder.com. The companion book by Tom Rath and James Harter is Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements (Gallup Press, 2010).
The Retirement Well-Being Profile in this book is an educational model, based on ontology and lexicology. Ontology relates to the essential nature of “being,” while lexicology refers to our common understanding of the word “well-being.” So the profile doesn’t emphasize just one field or dimension, and also allows for both subjective and objective perspectives. If you haven’t completed it yet, stop reading and go to the appendix. It only takes a few minutes!
For a deeply researched theory about why consumer values have been taking market share away from other values in modern society, read Juliet Schor’s The Overspent American (HarperCollins, 1999). It’s a follow-up to her earlier book, The Overworked American (Basic Books, 1993). To see how consumer values are penetrating the next generation, check out Schor’s Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture (Scribner, 2005).
Jim Wallis’ book, Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street (Howard Books, 2010) is a call to redemption. But rather than being a perspective on “Christian values,” it offers a perspective on values, from a Christian perspective.
If you think of retirement as an opportunity to gain perspective on life’s biggest questions, you may want to explore Ronald Manheimer’s A Map to the End of Time: Wayfarings with Friends and Philosophers (Norton, 1999). It introduces classical philosophy through group discussions with retirees from all walks of life.
For an erudite examination of personal values formation, see Hunter Lewis’ classically inspired tome, A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives (Axios Press, 2000). A similarly philosophical, but more narrowly defined approach is Money and the Meaning of Life, by Jacob Needleman (Currency Doubleday, 1994). It delves deeply into timeless wisdom regarding money and materialism—while also offering a personal account.
If all this philosophy about consumption and values seems a bit ponderous, and you yearn for something fresh yet insightful, pick up Lee Eisenberg’s Shoptimism: Why the American Consumer Will Keep on Buying No Matter What (Free Press, 2009). Combine it with his previous book, The Number: What Do You Need for the Rest of Your Life, and What Will It Cost? (Free Press, 2006), and you’ll realize that first and foremost, life needs to be an interesting story!
The deep structure that life stages are built upon is time. Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd make our implicit perceptions of time more explicit in The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life (Free Press, 2009). It provides experimental evidence for how we perceive time, along with personal assessments and recommendations.
The most influential model of how the human life cycle plays out across time is from Erik Erikson. Although stages of child development had been studied, Erikson’s eight-stage model was the first to take us all the way from birth to old age. For this very deep psychosocial model, see Vital Involvement in Old Age (W.W. Norton, 1994).
At the same time that Erikson was theorizing about the life cycle, Richard N. Bolles was offering practical advice for navigating it. He created the field of life planning with his lighthearted guide, The Three Boxes of Life and How to Get Out of Them: An Introduction to Life-Work Planning (Ten Speed Press, 1978).
As an historian looking to the future, Peter Laslett predicted that the three boxes would evolve into four ages. His landmark A Fresh Map of Life: The Emergence of the Third Age (Harvard University Press, 1991) is scholarly, but not intimidating.
William Sadler picked up the trail with qualitative research about people entering into this newly created life stage. His two books are a travelogue: The Third Age: Six Principles for Personal Growth and Rejuvenation after Forty (Da Capo Press, 2001), and Changing Course: Navigating Life after Fifty (The Center for Third Age Leadership Press, 2008). For more richly detailed portraits of adventurers traversing Peter Laslett’s landscape, take a tour with Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot’s The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years After 50 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009).
Like Laslett, Richard Leider and David Shapiro were intrigued by the past. But they explored the traditional wisdom of indigenous cultures for Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose (Berrett-Koehler, 2004), and Something to Live For: Finding Your Way in the Second Half of Life (Berrett-Koehler, 2008). They suggest you keep your inner fire alive by becoming a New Elder.
Also tapping into timeless human experience, Jungian analyst James Hollis accesses the depths of our collective psyche for Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up (Gotham, 2006).
Harry R. Moody and David Carroll suggest that stages are spiritual, as much as social and psychological. In The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages That Shape Our Lives (Anchor, 1998), they distill thousands of years of wisdom—from many faiths—into this very readable book. Real-life stories illustrate the stages you may find yourself traveling on life’s journey.
Parker Palmer knows that the stages of the inner journey are aided by entering into a community of trust with other seekers. Especially if you sense that the demands of earlier life stages have forced you to lead a divided life, you’ll want to read his book, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life (Jossey-Bass, 2004).
In Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life (Three Rivers Press, 1998), Gregg Levoy reminds us that we can be called to journey outward, as well as inward. This wonderful book offers a broad exploration of callings in history, myth, and religion, combined with intimate accounts from Levoy and others. In this down-to-earth book you’ll discover the endlessly varied and fascinating ways that people hear and heed a calling. What’s your calling?
If your budget only allows one book on finance, start with Mark Miller’s The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security: Practical Strategies for Money, Work, and Living (Bloomberg Press, 2010). Then log on to his website (www.RetirementRevised.com), which Money magazine called the best retirement planning site on the web!
If you want something so comprehensive you may never need the web, try The AARP Retirement Survival Guide: How to Make Smart Financial Decisions in Good Times and Bad (Sterling, 2009), by Julie Jason. It’s like a reference for your bookshelf. A truly unique book for your bookshelf would be Live Long and Prosper! Invest in Your Happiness, Health, and Wealth for Retirement and Beyond (Wiley, 2004). As an actuary, Steve Vernon can address not only finances, but health and longevity, too. Get a glimpse into the strange mind of an actuary on Steve’s blog, Money for Life, at www.MoneyWatch.com.
When it comes to money, though, we all have strange minds! Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich explain in Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them: Lessons from the Science of Behavioral Economics (Simon & Schuster, 2010 edition). Even if you’re a rational agent, you might learn a thing or two. Instead of people who do the wrong things, Thomas Stanley studies those who do the right things—millionaires. See The Millionaire Mind (Andrews McMeel, 2001) and with William Danko, The Millionaire Next Door (Pocket Books, 1998).
At the other extreme, we can learn from those who choose to live on less. Buy (or borrow) Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century (Penguin, 2008). You probably won’t adopt the lifestyle described by Dominguez, Robin, and Tilford, but just reading this book will put you in an altered state of money consciousness—in a good way.
The micro layer of retirement geography is your residence. Adelaide Altman looks at that issue in ElderHouse: Staying Safe and Independent in Your Own Home As You Age (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008). For a home that’s friendly to your current and future selves, consult Wendy Jordan’s Universal Design for the Home: Great Looking, Great Living Design for All Ages, Abilities, and Circumstances (Quarry Books, 2008).
Then step up a layer, and evaluate how friendly your community will be to your future self, too. A good guide is “Beyond 50.05,” from AARP. It’s called A Report to the Nation on Livable Communities: Creating Environments for Successful Aging (2005). Search for it on www.aarp.org, or request a free copy by email from fulfillment@aarp.org. Publication ID is 18316. If you decide your community is a “fixer-upper,” see Jay Walljasper’s The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking (New Society Publishers, 2007).
At the next layer, evaluating cities and regions has moved online as the number of geographical “calculators” has mushroomed. But it’s still worth getting inside the heads of the experts who’ve assembled the classic books on where to live. Three examples are David Savageau’s Retirement Places Rated: What You Need to Know to Plan the Retirement You Deserve (Frommer’s, 2007); Bert Sperling and Peter Sander’s Cities Ranked & Rated: More than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the U.S. and Canada (Wiley, 2007); and Warren Bland’s Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada (Next Decade, 2005).
What’s most important about a city or region sometimes can’t be found in guidebooks or online resources. They can have a personality all their own, which brings us to the inner layer of geography—a sense of place. Richard Florida has touched upon this phenomenon in Who’s Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life (Basic Books, 2009).
For a book that asserts biological aging is both natural and inevitable—but that you can still optimize your health—get Andrew Weil’s Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being (Anchor, 2007). On the other hand, if your biological ideal includes not aging, that’s the theme of Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy—Until You’re 80 and Beyond (Workman, 2007). Authors Chris Crowley and Herbert Lodge also offer a separate version for women.
Looking farther afield, Dan Buettner traveled the world to find factors shared by the world’s oldest people. The result is The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest (National Geographic, 2009). Take a personal assessment and also learn how to make your community healthier at www.BlueZones.com. John Robbins looked for the world’s oldest people, too. His take on biological vitality is Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples (Ballantine Books, 2007). However, for Robbins, sustainably healthy people and a sustainably healthy planet go hand-in-hand.
Instead of field research, some look to the laboratory for clues to extend healthy life. The only empirical evidence so far is for permanently reducing calorie intake. Take a nibble on The Anti-Aging Plan: The Nutrient-Rich, Low-Calorie Way of Eating for a Longer Life—The Only Diet Scientifically Proven to Extend Your Healthy Years (Da Capo Press; 2005), by Roy and Lisa Walford. It provides a small taste of Roy Walford’s extensive research into calorie reduction.
Instead of a body-based approach, Ellen Langer has researched a mind-body approach. She placed older people in an environment filled with cues from their younger days, and discovered they effectively became biologically younger! It’s not as simple as it sounds, so don’t try it at home without the instructions: Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility (Ballantine Books, 2009).
The surest way to receive high quality medical care is to develop partnering relationships with your medical practitioners. But before you’re qualified to partner with your doctor, you need some medical training!
For a fair and balanced account of how we ended up with the mainstream medical system that we have—and what your alternatives are—see Health and Healing: The Philosophy of Integrative Medicine and Optimum Health (Mariner Books, 2004). As a Harvard-trained physician, Andrew Weil dissects the conventional medical paradigm from both an insider’s and outsider’s perspective.
As you progress through the Third Age and into the Fourth, you’ll have more and more interaction with doctors, whether you like it or not. Truth be told, most doctors are a boon to their patients and to society—but they’re trained to see the world differently than we do. To get the inside perspective, read How Doctors Think (Mariner Books, 2008) by Jerome Groopman.
Another insider is Nortin Hadler. Unlike Andrew Weil, he doesn’t focus on the difference between conventional and alternative treatments, but on the total amount of treatment that we consume. His concern is that too many of us end up on the high end of the intervention continuum. See Worried Sick: A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America (University of North Carolina Press, 2008).
Regardless of your philosophy on conventional versus alternative treatment, and high versus low intervention, sooner or later you or someone you love will end up in the hospital. Before you check in, be sure to check out YOU: The Smart Patient: An Insider’s Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment (Free Press, 2006), by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz. Or, for a non-insider’s advice from an experienced patient, look into Jari Holland Buck’s Hospital Stay Handbook: A Guide to Becoming a Patient Advocate for Your Loved Ones (Llewellyn Publications, 2007).
The field of psychology recently turned over a new leaf. It didn’t abandon the study of psychological ill-being, but added a serious commitment to also studying well-being. Martin Seligman planted the seed of what is now flowering as “Positive Psychology.” To learn how it happened—and get plenty of practical advice—pick up his book, Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment (Free Press, 2004). It’s like a good textbook, interwoven with adventure travel.
This next resource actually is a text book! But A Primer in Positive Psychology (Oxford University Press, 2006) is nothing like what you were forced to read in school. Christopher Peterson makes you wish you were in his class at the University of Michigan. He also did the heavy lifting on the free VIA Strengths assessment at www.ViaCharacter.org.
Donald Clifton left academia to start what we know today as the Gallup Organization. His seminal work on strengths is Now, Discover Your Strengths (Free Press, 2001), with Marcus Buckingham. Tom Rath, Clifton’s grandson, has carried on the family legacy with Strengthsfinder 2.0 (Gallup Press, 2007). The profile at www.StrengthsFinder.com is oriented toward workplace outcomes.
If outcomes are what matter to you, you’ll like Sonja Lyubomirsky’s The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want (Penguin, 2008). Among the flood of happiness books, this is a practical, step-by-step guide. For a more philosophical approach, explore The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom (Basic Books, 2006), by Jonathan Haidt. It integrates empirical research with the age-old questions of life.
Rather than age-old questions, Gene Cohen asks old-age questions. Prepare to be surprised by The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain (Basic Books, 2006), and his earlier book, The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life (Harper, 2001).
Our top priorities for retirement include spending more time with friends. But when we leave our jobs, we leave much of our social network behind! It doesn’t help that the trend in society has actually been away from building and maintaining social relationships. Connect with Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (Simon & Schuster, 2001). He documents the decline of “social capital,” which can be just as important as financial capital to our retirement well-being. His follow-up is Better Together: Restoring the American Community (Simon & Schuster, 2003), which showcases programs that promote social engagement.
Promoting social engagement for the Third Age is Marc Freedman’s calling. He founded a nonprofit organization that not only builds social engagement, but directs it toward building a better society, too. Check out www.CivicVentures.org, and then read Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America (PublicAffairs, 2002). His sequel explores the growing societal trend of second careers—not just for a paycheck, but for fulfillment, too: Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life (PublicAffairs, 2008).
On a much more personal level, take a peek into the work of John Gottman. He invites couples to stay in his university “Love Lab,” and then videotapes them. (It’s not what you think!) By studying the social interactions that many of us don’t notice, he’s identified the characteristics of stronger and weaker relationships. He can predict in advance whether couples are more likely to stay together or split up! See Ten Lessons to Transform Your Marriage: America’s Love Lab Experts Share Their Strategies for Strengthening Your Relationship (Three Rivers Press, 2007), coauthored with his wife, Julie Schwartz Gottman. He takes a wider view in The Relationship Cure: A 5 Step Guide to Strengthening Your Marriage, Family, and Friendships (Three Rivers Press, 2002).