My Retirement Plan Is My Retirement Book

First, I like this article Smoking Is My Retirement Plan. Needless to say smoking is not part of my retirement plan.

And here is a short article about about a retirement study done in Australia that won't be a big surprise to either you or me. It is about how to retire happy with money or without much money.

The last part of the article states.

"While your financial assets are a good predictor of your retirement well-being, it's worth noting that as many retirees say that they have 'just enough' to live on with an annual income of $7,800 as they do with $130,000. So it's not just how much you have, but how you want or expect to live."

Of course, I have said the same in my two retirement books, only in different words.

Incidentally I was searching on Google for a great unsolicited review of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free on Quintessential Careers that I was aware of. I typed in my other best-selling book The Joy of Not Working by mistake.
I came across this review of The Joy of Not Working that I was not aware of.

Of course, my retirement plan entails selling 500,000 copies of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free which has now sold around 165,000 copies (over 300,000 copies as of August 15, 2016).

Here are some quotations about retirement to help your retirement plan and my retirement plan:

"Shun anything — shares, property, or the latest hot trend — with recent sharp appreciation. Bubbles burst. Wait until prices fall and then stabilize. Never buy in a market that is rising or falling fast. In the short term, stick to safe investments, even if you can only get 5 percent."
— Richard Koch

"The things that are most precious to the human soul are those that are beyond price — integrity, true friendship, health, achievement, reputation, true courage, great character, gratitude, greatness, emotional stability, common sense, self-esteem, creativity, wisdom, spiritual fulfillment, and peace of mind. These can’t be rented, bought, or sold — regardless of how much money you acquire."
— from Look Ma, Life's Easy

"Smoking is no retirement plan. Instead, it’s a death on the installment plan — with higher and higher payments. You’ll pay fiscally, mentally, socially — and physically. And most times the payments will go on for as long as you’re alive."
— Matthew J. Edlund, M.D

"If you want the best retirement outcome possible, get rich. If that fails, consider getting married, staying married — and doing your best to die before your spouse does."
— Andrea Coombes

"Re-retirement martinis tonight. Sad to be saying adios to such wonderful people, but happy to be thinking about my own stuff instead of other people's stuff. That, my friends is the definition of retirement."
— Sydney Lagier

"Today, every prosperous retired person who does not work in some retirement job has a grand scheme that does work."
— Dave Erhard

"You are the author of your own life, and you — and only you — can create the financial conditions for the ideal early retirement."
— Anon financial advisor

"If I would have known that retirement was going to be this great, I would have never have got myself a job after I graduated from school!"
— Unknown wise person

"Can I retire? The answer is obviously "no" if I am asking myself this question."
— Dave Erhard

"No one should rely on their home equity as a source of money for retirement. Home equity should be considered emergency money. I paid my home off 8 years prior to retirement and banked the mortgage payments for 8 years. Retirement plans must include worst case scenarios, a set amount you will need to retire. You should start living as though you retired a couple of years before you retire, to ensure that you can meet your monthly expenses. No one said retirement is going to be easy and no one should take for granted that it is going to be."
— "Popog", Alias for a person posting a comment on a USA TODAY article

The Joy of Not Working in Japan

Below is the latest e-mail that I received from a reader of several of my books, including The Joy of Not Working:

----- Original Message -----
From: Shane P.
To: vip-books
Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2012 4:33 AM
Subject: A Fan from Japan

Dear Mr. Zelinski,

Hello, my name is Shane. About 18 years ago while I was a university student I was lucky enough to chat with you in a cafe just outside the Princess Threatre, where you kindly gave an autographed copy of The Joy of Not Working. I was very motivated and impressed with your work that I bought my younger brother a copy for his birthday, as well as a copy of your other book, Seeing Double or Better in Business.

Unfortunately a year later, I gave away the book along with most of my possessions as I took a teaching position in Japan, got married, and spent the next 18 there. My brother got so inspired that a few years later he followed me over the pond and has been living 15 years in Kobe, Japan, as well. I was visiting his apartment one day when I happened across your book Career Success Without a Real Job.

I was quite surprised that a writer I recommended to him ended up having such a big impact on him as well. I quickly snatched the book off of his shelf and started reading it. It was great timing in my life as I had become more and more disfastified with my Japanese corporate life and marriage. (I see on your homepage yoou have written a book about marriage as well. I plan to make it my next read.)

[Incidentally], Career Success without a Real Job was a great book.

Thanks for taking the time for reading my letter and I hope you found my comments to be useful. As for myself, I just turned 40 and I am working up the courage to try and tell my wife and child I want more out of life than the corporate existence I presently find myself in.

I better read your book on marriage [The Joy of Not Being Married] first. Thanks for all the great advice and inspiration you have given me over the years.

All the Best,
Shane P.
Hiroshima, Japan

Here are some quotations about work and quotations about marriage to place the two in proper perspective:

There are seven sins in the world: Wealth without work,

Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character,
Commerce without morality, Science without humanity,
Worship without sacrifice, and politics without principle.
— Mahatma Gandhi

Every prosperous person who does not work has a creative scheme that does.
— John Otway

If a man has important work, and enough leisure and income to enable him to do it properly, he is in possession of as much happiness as is good for any of the children of Adam.
— Richard Henry Tawney

In careers — as in marriage — we are astonished at what others choose.
— Dave Erhard

Old people at weddings always poke me and say, "You're next." So, I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.
— Unknown wise person

Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.
— Mae West

Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.
— Oscar Wilde

There are two kinds of marriages — where the husband quotes the wife, or where the wife quotes the husband.
— Clifford Odets

Unemployment (and Retirement) Can Be Liberating

Here is the latest e-mail that I received about The Joy of Not Working — from an unemployed woman in Hawaii who feels that unemployment can be liberating:

From: Lynne D
Subject: "The Joy of Not Working"
To: Ernie Z.
Received: Thursday, February 16, 2012, 12:14 PM

Aloha Ernie!

I stumbled across your book at the local used book store in the business section, no less. Kind of ironic, isn't it! Anyway, I have been unemployed for one year now and had to dip into my IRA to pay living expenses as I do not qualify for unemployment anymore. I am so glad I discovered your book! I had been desperately seeking work. Now, I will slow down, sit on the beach until I decide what it is exactly I'm passionate about and what do I REALLY want to do! It's kinda scary and liberating all at once. Especially where there are 80+ applicants applying for any given job in my town of Hilo, HI.

I wonder if you've ever read, Your Owner's Manual by Burt Hotchkiss? I'm only have way thru your book but I have discovered a similar thread in some areas that mirror what Burt has to say about finding one's true essence and the like. That made me very happy!

Much aloha and Mahalo for a wonderful book!

I am joyously serving others and being served in ever expanding sustainable ways using all my talents and gifts.

Aloha Lynne

Here are some retirement quotes and some quotes about work and unemployment to put retirement and unemployment in perspective.

"Gainfully unemployed, very proud of it, too."
— Charles Baxter

There is life after retirement, and it is BETTER."
— Catherine Pulsifer

"Yes, I am thoroughly enjoying retirement! The best part is observing my neighbors
drive off to work in the morning knowing that that their day will be filled with jerks, brainless and endless meetings, jerks, vendor lunches where you hold your breath just waiting for the sales pitch until you regurgitate your pasta, more jerks and the eventual company reorganization of the section that was just reorganized last month!"
— Bill Kalmar

The Joy of Not Working - Latest Email

Here is the latest e-mail that I received about The Joy of Not Working:

Dear Ernie,

I came across your book TJONW [The Joy of Not Working ] in the mid 90’s it was purchased from a discount drugstore and I want to tell you how it has affected my life.

When I read your book it was like a duck going into water I could relate to your way of thinking and appreciated how organized you were as to sharing how to live frugally and happily…The main thing is “ I will find a way or make one “ a quote from Robert E. Peary

And if a person stays focused on that standard and lives within their means they can find a very fulfilling and rich life…There isn’t enough hours in the day to do all I would like such as: …gardening…sewing…cooking…wood crafting… recycling…and upcycling (making things from recycled items) …walking…kayaking…visiting…internet surfing…playing with the grandchildren…bartering…massaging (that’s my profession)…thrift shopping and yard sales (which saves lots of $)…and being a DIY person… also I am lucky to have the time to hang out the laundry and shop for things that are on sale and make homemade applesauce because it tastes better and be a vegan because it’s healthier…I always wanted to write to you and when I found all your web sites I wanted to join in and let others know that a more natural approach to living life and saving money [for retirment] affords you of enjoying your day to day activities and keeps you doing those types of things instead of punching a clock for someone else.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks for all the ideas,

Barbara H.
From Northern California

Here are some funny retirement quotes to help you in your retirement plan so that you Retire Happy, Wild, and Free:

"Anyone who thinks that they are going to be able to ease into retirement and everything is going to be just the way they figured it would be has obviously never been retired."
— Unknown Reader in response to Globe and Mail retirement article

"One wonders if the fallback retirement plan is what I call "Freedom Six Feet Under"."
— Jonathan Chevreau

"Money will be your friend — like all friends — only if you treat it with great respect. Treat it with disrespect and you will always have financial difficulties. Haven't you noticed? People who don't respect money don't have any."
— from The Lazy Person's Guide to Success

A Prosperous Retirement Plan Cannot Be Based on Laziness

In this photo is my client's Presentation Center that I spoke at recently. I talked to 50 business owners from across North America about The Joy of Not Working and How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free .

The presention center is located just behind my client's marvelous house. It holds 50 attendees comfortably and is much, much better than many presentation centers in luxury hotels that I have presented in. It has tall windows about 20 feet high that give the attendees an incredible view of the lake beside it. I would venture to say that the house and separate presentation center are worth at least $2.5 million.

My client is obviously very successful and prosperous and now works only about 10 to 12 hours a week. No doubt he could take early retirement if he wanted to and live very comfortably on a retirement plan that would far out do my retirement plan.

Apparently my client purchased The Joy of Not Working about 10 years ago and the book along with other books such as The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss inspired him to find a way to be more prosperous by working fewer hours a week. He now coaches other business owners from across North America how to do the same and has guest speakers such as me to add to what he has to say.

This is not about being lazy, in the truest sense of the word, however. This is about working smart and not hard so that your retirement plan is one that reflects prosperity. If you would like to attain even a modest fraction of the prosperity for your retirement that my client has attained, pay heed to these inspirational prosperity quotes:

"If you desire something that was created by human hands (especially hands that expect to be fairly compensated for their efforts) such as a nice home or a speedy piece of technology, then laziness is largely a path to scarcity. Get used to being denied many of life’s benefits if your attitude is entrenched in laziness."
— Steve Pavlina

"Laziness isn’t spiritual — unless your intent is to cultivate an unrefined and
slothful spirit. If that’s the case though, you should have incarnated as a rock."
— Steve Pavlina

"No one can achieve extraordinary prosperity with ordinary thinking and ordinary behavior. If you aren’t doing your best and creating something out-of-the-ordinary, how can you shamelessly expect extraordinary prosperity in return? If you are generating mediocrity, expect to receive the same in return from the Universe. That’s only fair, isn’t it?
— from Life's Secret Handbook

"Sooner or later, those who win and end up prosperous and free are those who decided that they must do the many necessary things that others think don't need doing."
— from Life's Secret Handbook by E.Z.

I would like to thank my client for having paid all my expenses out to Vancouver, for having paid me for making the presentation, and for having given me the opportunity to have associated with so many highly spirited individuals including his wife and himself.

My client has certainly given a lot of credence to an inspirational quotation by a well-known writer and publishing executive stated:

"The fastest way to succeed is to look as if you're playing by somebody else's rules, while quietly playing by your own."
— Michael Korda

The Joy of Not Working Celebrates Retirement

On Friday evening 17 of my great friends and I celebrated the 20th anniversary of my self-publishing The Joy of Not Working, a book that celebrates retirement.

No, I did not have any 1982 Latour wine flown in from the U.S as I had joked about in a previous post. We, nevertheless, had a great time dining on great Italian food and going through about 7 liters of house wine at Rigolettos restaurant here in Edmonton.

I paid for everything. The whole affair, including a 20 percent tip, cost me a bit less than $1,000 whereas just one bottle of 1982 Latour would have cost $1,700 or more. One of the reasons that I pay for celebrations such as this is that studies show that people get a lot more satisfaction from spending money on experiences than on material things.

I brought along the various editions of The Joy of Not Working to the celebration, including the original edition in which was a dedication to around 20 people who were my volunteer editors back in 1991. Two of the volunteer editors, Jim Egler and Ross Bradford, were able to attend. Jim was not only one of my volunteer editors, he also took the photo of me that appeared on the back cover of the original edition and appears with this FB post. Jim only shot 4 frames that afternoon 20 years ago. All 4 photos were great, amazing given that Jim is not a professional photographer. I wanted to go with another of the 4 photos, but others preferred the one that appears here on this post and on the original edtion of the book.

Incidentally, the photo was taken on the patio of the original Rigoletto's restaurant in Rice Howard Way. That was a real glass of white wine and I was reading a great book about innovation called If it Ain't Broke ... Break It! by Robert J. Kriegel.

Today, I told my uncle about the celebration and how much it cost me. He immediately asked me, "So, how are you going to make the celebration pay for itself?" I told him that I was prosperous enough to pay for these things just for the experience but it, in fact, may pay for itself many times over.

As it turns out I was looking for someone to put together a spiritual book with me. I have this great book idea that should fly big time. Because I have two other important projects on the go, I would like someone to do most of the work and I will share the publishing profits with whoever does the work. The book is not all that hard to do but does require well-intentioned, sustained effort for about three months. I have several friends and acquaintance who I considered as a co-author but eventually concluded that they were not suited because they are not industrious and adventurous enough.

Three days before the celebration, however, I got a LinkedIn connection request from Sandy, a spiritual friend of mine who I had not heard from in two years or so and now lives in Calgary. So on a whim, I decided to invite Sandy to the celebration. Much to my surprise, Sandy decided to make a trip to Edmonton and join in the fun. I ran the spiritual book idea by Sandy and she loved it. Because Sandy has written 3 books and had them published, I know that she is dedicated and can complete projects. When I asked Sandy how long it would take her to complete my book idea, she replied, "Give me a deadline and I will have it done by then." This response alone convinced me that Sandy will do a great job and complete the project in excellence.

Anyway, when I told my uncle this, he responded with: "Even though you can easily pay for the celebration with the income you make, I knew you were going to have an answer about how the cost of the celebration will take care of itself many times over in the future."

Weird that my uncle would ask me the question in the first place and then give me the answer that he did. He claims he is not spiritual. Moreover, he doesn't believe in prosperity karma achieved by spending money in positive ways to create more prosperity in one's life — at least I don't think he does.

Here are some quotations about retirement and money to help you to semi-retire in style as I have done so that you don't need a full-time retirement job:

It's never crowded along the path that will take you to destinations worth arriving at.
— Life's Secret Handbook by E.Z.

You are only as rich as the enrichment you bring to the world around you.
— Rajesh Setty

Money will be your friend — like all friends — only if you treat it with great respect. Treat it with disrespect and you will always have financial difficulties. Haven't you noticed? People who don't respect money don't have any.
— from The Lazy Person's Guide to Success

"No organization — government or otherwise — can take great care of you. Organizations aren't capable of this — only you are!"
— from Life's Secret Handbook

Celebrating The Joy of Not Working with 1982 Latour

SHOULD I SPEND $10,000 ON SOME 1982 LATOUR WINE FOR A CELEBRATION OF THE JOY OF NOT WORKING .

Note: I first blogged about 1982 Latour and how it is part of my retirement plan, a way to retire happy and enjoy the finer things in life.

The middle of September will be 20 years since I self-published my international bestseller The Joy of Not Working. This retirement book still sells 5,000 copies a year (now over 250,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages). It has earned me about $650,000 profit over the years and presently earns me about $10,000 a year.

So I am having a celebration about the success of this book with about 20 of my close friends. I am paying for a great meal along with some fine wine at a favorite restaurant.

The Question is: Should I have three or four bottles of 1982 Latour flown in from the U.S.?

I first learned about 1982 Latour from Kevin O'leary of Dragon's Den who stated that two or three hedge fund managers and he would go through three or four bottles of 1982 Latour in one meal at Grille 23 in Boston. (Legend has it that you don't get a hangover from 1982 Latour, but I don't believe that - alcohol is alcohol).

See the article by Kevin O'Leary at Madness of Hedge Fund Managers.

Anyway, I was curious about 1982 Latour. So I checked it out on the Internet. It does not come cheap, starting at about $1,599 a bottle. Some bottles sell for $25,000 or more.

Clearly, I want my guests to experience the best at my celebrations.

So again, should I purchase three or four bottles of 1982 Latour?

I have to keep in mind, however, that various blind studies have shown that people can't actually tell the difference between expensive wines and inexpensive wines.

In fact, one of these studies, published in The Journal of Wine Economics, found that we prefer to drink cheap wine as long as we don't know that it is cheap.

By using brain wave detectors, the researchers for this study found out that people will actually feel better after drinking wine if they are told that the wine is expensive even if isn't.

So the trick is to drink cheap wine while fooling oneself that it isn't. (Easier said than done.)

Of course, for my celebration, the alternative is to purchase three or four empty 1982 Latour bottles and have them filled with inexpensive good wine.

My guests will get great pleasure in drinking this apparently expensive wine.

Of course, I myself will know it is cheap wine so I won't experienceas much pleasure. No problem. I will order one bottle of the real thing and ensure that I drink out of that bottle while the majority of my guests drink the cheap stuff.

Again, there is no off-switch on my genius machine.

One last thought: If my guests find out later about the wine they were drinking, I can always quote Oscar Wilde:

"The secret to life is to find great pleasure in being terribly, terribly deceived."

What do you think? Any other suggestions.

Another Note: The Joy of Not Working and How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free still keep me a little busy but not enough to be a full time retirement job.

Prosperity in Retirement Through The Joy of Not Working

On January 1, 1991 I started writing The Joy of Not Working and made an agreement with myself that I would have it completed in rough by July 31 of that year. It turned out that I completed it one day ahead of schedule, on July 30 — in other words, exactly 20 years ago today.

In The Joy of Not Working and How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, I talked about how I don't like working too much in the months that don't have an "r" in them, the warmest months most suited for leisure time. At the time, I thought about how great it would be to be prosperous enough to work very little — or not at all — in these four months and still earn $10,000 a month for each of these months. It turns out that in the last 3 months (ones with no "r" in them) I have worked very little and have still earned over $10,000 in gross pretax income for each month largely due to sales of How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free.

To me this is true prosperity. I just want to make a point that there is great opportunity for anyone with a bit of motivation and determination to also attain this type of freedom and prosperity.

I just don't want to make it sound easy, however. It isn't easy and it's a good thing that it isn't easy. Otherwise, everyone would be doing it.

Perhaps you have noticed that the people are looking for the easy way out are the people who are broke, and even in debt big time. These are the people who go from one seminar to another seminar about how to make money but never ever achieve anything because they are not commited to anything. Others do spirtual meditations on prosperity and recite affirmations until they are blue in the face. Years later they are still broke wondering why the universe hasn't responded. Nothing has changed in their lives.

Most of these people will also end up with very little money in retirement, living at the poverty line, relying on winning a lottery as a retirement plan. If you want to have a happy retirement living a comfortable lifestyle, I would suggest that you get your act together and create something worthwhile for humanity regardless of how much struggle you have to put into it. Your retirement plan will then look more like my retirement plan. and you will find 1001 Ways to Enjoy Your Retirement.

It may sound a bit weird that I am giving this advice on a Saturday in a month that doesn't have an "r" in it. Fact is, 20 years ago I was actively working 4 or 5 hours a day every day of the week on The Joy of Not Working. The payoff didn't happen until later, some of it much later. (The book has earned me well over $650,000 and still brings me a passive income of about $10,000 a year.)

In short, this quotation applies:

"Much of tomorrow’s success
and prosperity will depend
upon what you do today.
The question is:
What seeds of success and
prosperity do you intend
to plant before the end of today?"
— from Life's Secret Handbook

Also see Letters about The Joy of Not Working

The Joy of Not Working While Unemployed at 38

Here is the latest e-mail that I received about my international bestseller The Joy of Not Working which has now sold over 225,000 copies and has been published in 17 languages (soon 18 with a Bulgarian edition to be released in the next year).

----- Original Message -----
From: Gunther B.
To: vip-books (at) telus.net
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 11:16 PM
Subject: The Joy of Not Working



Hi Ernie

I bought your book The Joy of Not Working today at Value Village here in Calgary (a signed copy too!). It's an amazing coincidence, in that I was laid off from Shell Canada (Oilsands) yesterday; I'm only 38.

Anyway, I can't see myself working again for such a top-heavy, beaurocratic monstrocity again. They really do not care about you the individual. I put in a lot of effort and contribution to the project and this is what I get in return. These huge bohemoths boast about their record profits every year, but they have no problem letting go the worker-bees (who make them their profits).

Anyway, I started reading your book tonight and it's great! Just what I needed, thanks. I'm so excited about continuing with it tomorrow.

Thanks so much for your insight and open-mindedness.

Best regards
Gunther

Go to this webpage for some tell-tale signs that you should be reading Career Success Without a Real Job:

Career Success on Twitter

About The Joy of Not Working

The Joy of Not Working by Ernie Zelinski is all about learning to live every part of your life — employment, unemployment, retirement living, and leisure time alike — to the fullest. You too can join the thousands of converts and learn to thrive at both work and play. Illustrated by eye-opening exercises, thought-provoking diagrams, and lively cartoons and retirement quotes, The Joy of Not Working will guide you to enjoy life like never before.

The Joy of Not Working is an international bestseller that has sold over 225,000 copies and has been published in 17 languages.

Top 10 Reasons to Read The Joy of Not Working

1. You are more independent and more creative than most people.
2. You were born a lover of life and not a workaholic.
3. You don't want the cheese; you just want to get out of the trap.
4. You like books that are reader friendly with lots of cartoons, quotations, and exercises.
5. You like books that make you smile and challenge traditional ways of living and thinking and have a lot of retirement quotes and retirement sayings in them.
6. You agree with the words of Bertrand Russell: "To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the best product of civilization."
7. You are receptive to the concept that we can achieve more if we relax, enjoy life more, forget about what the majority in society thinks is important, and focus on the things that really matter.
8. Your parents and co-workers will not approve of your adopting this book as your lifestyle Bible.
9. You know a good deal when you see one — if a book has been published in 17 languages in 20 different countries and has sold over 225,000 copies, it must have great value.
10. You know something important that the hard workers of this world don't know: the secret to a happy and fulfilling life is to work smart and not hard.

One of several free retirement gifts (in PDF format) on the Downloadable Free E-Books Webpage at the Real Success Resource Center, The E-book version of of The Joy of Not Working contains the Table of Contents, the Preface, and Chapter 1.

The Joy of Not Working is mentioned on the Reader's Comments on Steve Weber's Plug Your Book.