February 17, 2008|By Nancy Paradis, St. Petersburg Times

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement wisdom that you won't get from your financial advisor by Ernie J. Zelinski.

Zelinski does not believe the most fulfilling times of a person's life are passed in jobs that are dull, repetitive and far from stimulating. He praises the alternative: What these workers could create for themselves if only they weren't chained to a traditional job. (He bases this attitude on his personal experience: semi-retiring at age 30 with a net worth of less than $30,000.)

While acknowledging the impact finances can play, this author of the best-seller The Joy of Not Working tackles retirement with the glee of someone in the desert who finds a bottle of chilled water. There are several keys to a happy retirement, he says, including:

• Retire sooner rather than later.
• Develop a "correct" relationship with money so it doesn't take a million dollars to let you enjoy retirement.
• Engage in creative and meaningful pursuits to generate a sense of purpose.
• Create and maintain great friendships.
• Follow your own dreams, not someone else's version.

As this book emphasizes, "a happy, wild and free retirement is based not only on a healthy relationship with money and our financial resources, but . . . above all, a happy retirement is based on a healthy relationship with ourselves."

The book is sprinkled with cartoon illustrations and pertinent quotations on work and retirement. Get this book if you look forward to a retirement with "zing."

By Nancy Miller, Quintessential Careers

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, by Ernie J. Zelinski, $16.95. Paperback. 240 pages, 2004, VIP Books;

ISBN: 096941949X

Planning for retirement should start at the beginning of your career rather than at the end. It's never too early to plan for retirement, writes Ernie J. Zelinski.

In his book, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, Zelinski says that the key to a happy retirement is preparation.

As Zelinski shows in his stories and anecdotes, you can enjoy a happy retirement if you begin preparing early.

I would not hesitate to share this book with friends, colleagues, or clients. Investigating the many options for retirement is even more important now than when the book was first written. With so many people having to change or rethink their retirement plans, this book is a breath of fresh air. At a time when people need inspiration and hope for their futures, learning How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free may be just what they need.

Five things I re-learned from this book are:

1. Plant a Get-a-Life Tree. Among the lists, activities, stories, and ideas that Zelinski offers for brainstorming retirement options, he illustrates how to plant a Get-a-Life Tree. The tree is a form of mind map to help people think about retirement options.

 2. Stay active before and after retirement. Zelinski emphasizes the importance of a healthy active lifestyle. Being active and healthy doesn't begin at retirement. The author tells us to find our interests and purpose long before we retire.

3. You don't have to be rich to enjoy retirement. In fact, Zelinski emphasizes the fact that having a nest egg doesn't guarantee a happy retirement. The book is rich with stories about the many ways people have found happiness in retirement.

4. Build healthy relationships before you retire. Having healthy relationships outside of work before you retire will be the foundation for retirement bliss.

5. Retirement can be the best part of your life. Reading Zelinski's book was fun and inspiring. The author reminds us to focus on the things that are really important in life. Retirement, after all, is just the beginning.