Men and Retirement - New Book Coming Soon

Over a million Canadian men are of retirement age and as many as a third of them will struggle with retirement. For the past year, I've been reviewing the research and interviewing men and their partners to understand what it is to be a retirement-aged man. I've found some deeply rooted fears.

• Retirement, particularly early retirement, can kill you.

• Retirement is usually followed by the three D's - depression, divorce and drink.

• When men retire, they turn into grumpy old men.

• When men retire, they become a "used to be."

• When men retire, they become their father.

• If a retiree wants to keep working, no one will want him.

• After retirement, life is a downhill slide.

• You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

     This new book will replace these stereotypes with the reality of men's lives. The people I interviewed cover the retirement spectrum. Some of them retired in their 50's, and some are still working in their 80's. Some left work happily, some unhappily. Some retired and then went back to work. Some are working and wish they weren't. Others wish they were still working. Their stories will inspire you, surprise you and sometimes make you laugh. Look for the book in January 2016.