Packed with information that every senior should know, this is a helpful guidebook about preparing for life in the retirement years. Achieving a successful retirement requires careful planning, and Barringer offers a host of positive suggestions for how to do just that. Retiring comfortably doesn't happen by chance. It must be thoroughly planned and researched. Understanding the many choices that are offered to senior citizens is an essential step in planning for retirement. Barringer provides both practical and hopeful solutions that all senior citizens can benefit from.

In this very thorough book, the author discusses subjects such as impulsive buying and how to avoid it, marrying later in life, and relocating. Important practices, such as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine, as well as keeping a clean and updated household, are encouraged. Barringer acknowledges that being a senior citizen can be stressful. Not only are seniors confronted with new technologies and a faster speed of living, but they are also dealing with personal struggles that only those in their later years can understand. For example, the author writes with a heartfelt voice about the difficulties of losing a spouse after many decades of marriage. Losing longtime friends and siblings is another challenge that those in their golden years will experience. By detailing some of his own struggles and grief over his late friends, the author comes across as sympathetic and respectful of all those going through the same situations. Particularly for those seniors who are isolated, this book can act as a kindly reminder that they are not alone in the aging process.

Barringer addresses how seniors might feel about their adult children moving away from their hometowns to search for better jobs elsewhere. Not only can this cause loneliness for the aging parents, but it can also mean that grandchildren are living farther away than their grandparents might like. The role of grandparents offers a special bond with young children that must be nurtured and respected, and it can be difficult to create this when families are spread out in different areas of the world. Faith, the author claims, plays a major role in accepting the aging process gracefully. Barringer discusses the importance of scripture and includes passages such as Psalm 100: "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, serve the Lord with gladness."

Overall this is a well-structured book intended to act as a wake-up call to seniors. Barringer has a palpable affinity for those entering their senior years and genuinely strives to help his readers adjust in a positive and productive way. He encourages his readers to examine their financial status and leisure-time pursuits before retiring. By including easy-to-read charts and graphs, along with carefully structured chapters, the author makes his book accessible to all. Barringer gives his readers the tools they need to embrace the retirement years and immerse themselves in a supportive and thriving community. With an empathic voice, Barringer has written a simple how-to guidebook for planning and living one's best life in the golden years.

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