Encore

Encore
Marc Freedman
PublicAffairs
ISBN: 1-58648-483-4
Non-Fiction, Contemporary
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

More and more Baby Boomers are foregoing retirement to fulfill their career dreams. It is a trend that we are hearing a lot about lately. To me, it makes perfect sense. For the majority of people, raising our families, trying to pay off the mortgage, and just trying to survive financially forces us into jobs that pay the bills but leave us feeling cold and uninspired.
Many often fantasize about retirement but in reality the dream falls flat. Having a rest from the chaos of the rat race sounds wonderful and it is, at least for a while. Then, the realizations set in. Retirement was meant as a temporary situation, a nice little vacation before you died. Just a few decades ago, that was usually less than a decade. Now, with life spans ever increasing retirement could last 20, 30, or even 40 years, most of which the retiree will be quite healthy and mobile.
Who can play that much golf? Who wants to do absolutely nothing for 40 years? Who can even afford that? Enter the potential of a second career. Now that little nest egg can be used to finance needed schooling, the start of a new business, or serve as a subsidy for lower paying but more heartfelt work.
Encore not only discusses these important trends in retirement but shares the stories of individuals who followed their career dreams in the second half of their life. This book is definitely filled with important information for us all, whether we plan to retire in the near future or are just considering our options for the future.