Official Review: Your Next Chapter
Posted: 11 Jul 2020, 11:21
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Your Next Chapter" by Alexandra Armstrong & Mary R. Donahue.]
In Your Next Chapter: A Woman’s Guide to a Successful Retirement, written by Alexandra Armstrong and Mary R. Donahue, the authors “explore retirement as women writing for women.” They use the stories of four fictional women (Catherine, Emily, Melissa, and Victoria) to analyze several aspects of retirement. In the first part of the book, the authors show how to assess one’s current situation to better prepare. In the second part, they talk about adjusting to retirement.
The book starts by presenting the four women’s profiles, which include profession, marital status, spouse, and children. Catherine is a partner in a law firm in Washington, DC. Emily, a divorcee in Atlanta, Georgia, struggles with money issues. Melissa is a homemaker in Detroit, Michigan, and Victoria, who is single, works as a tenured professor in Berkeley, California.
There are numerous positive aspects to mention in this book. For starters, I appreciated how it thoroughly explains how to put together a budget and assess one’s balance sheet, as well as possible sources of retirement income. The authors explain financial issues clearly, making themes like assets, pensions, personal investments, and life insurance easy to understand. I also liked how the book approaches emotional matters. The authors don’t shy away from topics that range from how to spend one’s time to spirituality and religion. I particularly liked how they propose an exercise of envisioning one’s future lifestyle in the first few months of retirement. They also consider physical and mental health issues, which I enjoyed.
Above all, I appreciated the concrete situations used to illustrate the discussions in each chapter. This aspect was what I liked the most. For instance, Catherine and her husband consult with a professional financial planner to help them sort through their options, which proves to be very useful. Emily, who has lived in the suburbs for many years, wants to retire somewhere she can walk rather than drive, as is often the case as people age. Melissa seeks a pastor to discuss some of her concerns about retirement, which include accommodating her husband’s desires to move to Florida. I was also touched by Victoria’s bout with breast cancer and how it prompted careful consideration of health care options.
In closing, there are no negatives worth mentioning here, and I give this well-structured and useful book 4 out of 4 stars. It is a well-written title that provides a wealth of information, as well as practical and actionable tips. I strongly recommend it to those who are planning their retirement, especially women.
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Your Next Chapter
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In Your Next Chapter: A Woman’s Guide to a Successful Retirement, written by Alexandra Armstrong and Mary R. Donahue, the authors “explore retirement as women writing for women.” They use the stories of four fictional women (Catherine, Emily, Melissa, and Victoria) to analyze several aspects of retirement. In the first part of the book, the authors show how to assess one’s current situation to better prepare. In the second part, they talk about adjusting to retirement.
The book starts by presenting the four women’s profiles, which include profession, marital status, spouse, and children. Catherine is a partner in a law firm in Washington, DC. Emily, a divorcee in Atlanta, Georgia, struggles with money issues. Melissa is a homemaker in Detroit, Michigan, and Victoria, who is single, works as a tenured professor in Berkeley, California.
There are numerous positive aspects to mention in this book. For starters, I appreciated how it thoroughly explains how to put together a budget and assess one’s balance sheet, as well as possible sources of retirement income. The authors explain financial issues clearly, making themes like assets, pensions, personal investments, and life insurance easy to understand. I also liked how the book approaches emotional matters. The authors don’t shy away from topics that range from how to spend one’s time to spirituality and religion. I particularly liked how they propose an exercise of envisioning one’s future lifestyle in the first few months of retirement. They also consider physical and mental health issues, which I enjoyed.
Above all, I appreciated the concrete situations used to illustrate the discussions in each chapter. This aspect was what I liked the most. For instance, Catherine and her husband consult with a professional financial planner to help them sort through their options, which proves to be very useful. Emily, who has lived in the suburbs for many years, wants to retire somewhere she can walk rather than drive, as is often the case as people age. Melissa seeks a pastor to discuss some of her concerns about retirement, which include accommodating her husband’s desires to move to Florida. I was also touched by Victoria’s bout with breast cancer and how it prompted careful consideration of health care options.
In closing, there are no negatives worth mentioning here, and I give this well-structured and useful book 4 out of 4 stars. It is a well-written title that provides a wealth of information, as well as practical and actionable tips. I strongly recommend it to those who are planning their retirement, especially women.
******
Your Next Chapter
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon