• How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

  • Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor
  • By: Ernie J. Zelinski
  • Narrated by: J. Charles
  • Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (472 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free  By  cover art

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

By: Ernie J. Zelinski
Narrated by: J. Charles
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.00

Buy for $20.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free offers inspirational advice on how to enjoy life to its fullest. The key to achieving an active and satisfying retirement involves a great deal more than having adequate financial resources; it also encompasses all other aspects of life - interesting leisure activities, creative pursuits, physical well-being, mental well-being, and solid social support.

In How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, bestselling author Ernie J. Zelinski guides you to:

  • Gain courage to take early retirement; in fact, the earlier the better.
  • Put money in proper perspective so that you don’t need a million dollars to retire.
  • Generate purpose in your retirement life with meaningful creative pursuits.
  • Follow your dreams instead of someone else’s.
  • Take charge of your mental, physical, and spiritual health.
  • Create and maintain great friends - a key ingredient for a great retirement.
  • Above all, make your retirement years the best time of your life.

With its friendly format and positive tone, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free offers retirement wisdom that you won’t get from your financial advisor. This wisdom will prove to be much more important for creating an active, satisfying, and happy retirement than how much money you have saved.

©2009 Ernie J. Zelinski (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“To be sure, retirement books are a glutted field, but most focus on money and financial planning. They view the finish line as the last day of employment. That’s where Zelinski’s begins.” ( National Post)

More from the same

What listeners say about How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    239
  • 4 Stars
    114
  • 3 Stars
    65
  • 2 Stars
    30
  • 1 Stars
    24
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    221
  • 4 Stars
    95
  • 3 Stars
    54
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    21
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    206
  • 4 Stars
    90
  • 3 Stars
    58
  • 2 Stars
    33
  • 1 Stars
    21

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

😎

Inspires me to make it happen, not wait for it to happen.
Thank you for inspiring me and giving me good sound direction.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Key thought - don’t retire too late!

Well worth reading. I got the most out of all the wisdom and wise sayings in this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great opener to those in or thinking to retire.

Uplifting and to the point, that will make you feel good about how to look at life after work...its not retiring, its growing a new skin...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing book!

I read every book I can by Ernie Zelinski! If you want to laugh, be moved, and find surprises in an audiobook, this is it! I’m going to listen over and over again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

I don't need motivation, I need skills

Would you try another book from Ernie J. Zelinski and/or J. Charles?

probably not

What about J. Charles’s performance did you like?

animated

Was How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free worth the listening time?

no

Any additional comments?

The entire book was nothing but motivational speaking. I expected and paid for HOW to do retire happy, wild and free, not WHY I should.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent resource for all the non-financial stuff

There are lots of titles around that deal with financial management for those planning their retirement. This book does not focus here. It takes a broad look at all the aspects of planning your retirement. Whilst many of its suggestions are suitable for North Americans, its advice is universal. A great first title to absorb as you start to plan your retirement.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Painful but valuable

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend reading, not listening, to this book. That way you can skim through parts. I may not be the intended audience and didn't like the evangalistic approach or demonizing work. I enjoy the work I do, AND I'm looking forward to retirement.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

This book really did get me thinking about retirement in a different way and I'm glad I stuck it out. But I found it painful to get through. I did like the second half better than the first half, when he gave practical suggestions.

How could the performance have been better?

The excited tone made this book hard to tolerate for me. I nearly gave up multiple times, and I really did pull the plug on my ipod after listening to the first 20 minutes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listening as you think about retiring!

Lots of unusual advice which is worthwhile. Helps the reader to think about more than the financial outcomes during this stage of life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book ! Hit the nail hard

Great content and talks about relevant topics .
If there is one retirement book you would read read this one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best pre-retirement book on the market

You think you are ready? Better read this book first :)
Take much preparation to be ready for this life change.
Great retirement gift!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!