Book Review: The Retirement You Didn't See Coming

Title: The Retirement You Didn't See Coming

Author: Dan Haylett

Publisher: Bookvault Publishing

Publication Date: July 1, 2025

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I rarely review books other than ARCs, but when a book could be life-changing, I have to say so. This is one of those. Dan Haylett, a financial planner and retirement specialist, has written this for people approaching retirement or in its early years.

Don't expect investment strategies or withdrawal rates. This is about the emotional side of retirement, which is far more valuable. It's packed with author-drawn figures, deep questions to ponder, real human stories, and tools for crafting the second chapter you actually want.

After ten chapters dismantling ten illusions about retirement, Haylett offers two key sections. The first is the Retirement Reinvention Curve. Instead of climbing a straight line into retirement, he says, we move through three distinct phases: release, rebuild, and reignite. His descriptions helped me see exactly where I am. 

The second section lays out five pillars for a thriving retirement, which show how to rebuild and reignite. From page 162:

They won't guarantee a perfect retirement -- nothing can -- but they'll give you something solid to build on. Something human. Something resilient. Something real.

1. Purpose -- What gives your day meaning?
2. Identity -- Who are you now that you're not your job?
3. Relationships -- Who are you doing life with?
4. Structure -- What does a good Tuesday look like?
5. Well-being -- Do you have the energy to enjoy freedom?

These pillars work together to support each other. They evolve with you, and they can be revisited any time the ground shifts. Retirement isn't just about finding the right answer. It's about building the right environment for your next you to emerge.

As a recent retiree, I found myself drawn to the questions. One for the identity pillar asks: How would you describe yourself now, in one sentence? My answer: I am a lifelong learner seeking to thrive physically, recreationally, intellectually, socially and mentally, making time and space for relationships.

Near the end, Haylett turns to spending time and money in retirement, using the "Go-Go, Slow-Go, No-Go" framework. His point is that we have a limited window of good health to enjoy retirement before we slow down and eventually can't go at all. Over a 30-year retirement, that might mean three roughly successive decades. Do the long-awaited dreams early, before the later years make them harder.

I borrowed this book from the library and read it in 2 days. Now I'm buying a copy so I can go through it slowly and work through all the questions and exercises. After that, I'll pass it on to a friend or relative who needs it more than I do. It will help me design the next phase of my life.