Work Optional, Tanja Hester
Work Optional, Tanja Hester
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Work Optional
Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way

Author: Tanja Hester

Narrator: Tanja Hester

Unabridged: 6 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/12/2019

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

A practical action guide for financial independence and early retirement from the popular Our Next Life blogger.
In today's work culture, we're expected to hustle around the clock. But what if you could escape the traditional path and get on one that doesn't require working full-time until age 65? What if you could wake up every day without an alarm clock and do the things you love most?

Tanja Hester and her husband Mark left their crazed careerist lifestyle to live their dream life in Lake Tahoe, retiring early from high-stress careers. Now Tanja will help you map out a customized plan for freedom and make it easy to succeed, whether you're good at math and budgeting -- or not!
Work Optional is more than just a financial plan: it's a plan for your whole life -- designed by you, not by an employer or clients. Tanja walks you through envisioning your dream life, accounting for variables such as health care and children, protecting yourself from recessions and future unknowns, and achieving a purpose-filled early retirement, semi-retirement, or career intermission with completely doable, non-penny-pinching steps.

You can live a happier, more meaningful life, free from the daily grind. Regardless of where you are in your career, Work Optionalwill get you there.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Cher 'N Books on May 10, 2022

2 stars - Meh. Just ok. What I did like: One short paragraph about the merits of an umbrella insurance policy. What I didn’t like: Treating the reader as though they are obtuse by unnecessarily explaining the obvious. The more expensive your life is, the harder it is to save money. Eye rolling motivati......more

Goodreads review by Jay on February 06, 2019

Early retirement has become a meme, passed through exposure to any of a number of blogs and Reddit forums focused on the concept. There are a lot of these, grown over the past five years or so. The author is one of those blog authors, following her and her spouse through their investigation of early......more

Goodreads review by Stephen on May 18, 2019

I agree with Cher's review below: "In all fairness: This is a subject upon which I am quite educated and was disappointed to gleam very little from my invested reading time. A total novice to the personal finance world that doesn’t know the difference between a stock and a bond, or doesn't have the......more

Goodreads review by Adam on February 03, 2019

This isn't a finance book or a memoir. Having read Tanja's blog for the last few years, I couldn't wait to see what she'd focus on. The result? A guidebook for how to retire early by following your own path. This one challenges you with questions, activities and thought provoking questions that help......more

Goodreads review by Timothy on April 16, 2019

Not a bad book overall, but honestly it reads like most other personal finance books out there on early retirement. So if you had read a lot of those you won't find much new here. In fact, I'm a bit disappointed by the book since I enjoyed the blog so much. It seemed to gloss over adjusting to retir......more


Quotes

Forbes, "Best Early Retirement Blogs to Read!"
MarketWatch
, "Best Books for FIRE!"

Forbes, "Money and Productivity Books You Should Absolutely Read This Summer!"
SavingAdvice.com, "Best Money Books By Finance Podcasters"

"Tanja Hester and her partner... achieved early financial independence, and in these pages she takes you on her journey. Learn why so many are firing their bosses and searching for meaning and purpose beyond cubicles and 24/7 jobs."—Vicki Robin, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Your Money or Your Life

"This isn't just a book about how to retire early. It's a book that proves it's possible to be mindful with your spending, and create a life that aligns with your values and passions-and work can play whatever role you want it to."
Cait Flanders, bestselling author of The Year of Less

"Hester's story is relatable, refreshing, and a pleasure to read. All too often we chase external measures of success without thinking about what we truly want from life. In Work Optional, Hester gives us a roadmap for a less traveled path: living a more purpose-driven life through financial independence."—Kristin Wong, author of Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford

"Inspirational, grounded, and thought-provoking, Work Optional cracks open preconceived ideas of what it means to work and what it means to live a fulfilling, purpose-driven life. Go on this adventure to learn not only the practical steps of early retirement, but more importantly, to discern what you truly want out of life. With Hester as your guide... you just might find yourself living a life you never imagined possible."—Elizabeth Willard Thames, author of Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living

"Ms. Hester get[s] you to think about how you might retire early, forc[ing] you to ponder how you could cut current spending and increase your income, savings and the rates they earn."—The New York Times

"Hester is equal parts analytical and encouraging in Work Optional, which helps the reader tear down any misconceptions about what it means to create a life on your terms. This will undoubtedly be a defining handbook for those looking to diverge from society's expectations of a traditional career path."—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial Takes on Investing

"Tanja Hester turns [the dream of early retirement] into a reality, by guiding you to map out your own plan for living the good life earlier than you might have originally expected."—Bustle

"Work Optional outlines a realistic yet awe-inspiring path to a life where work is optional. There are plenty of books out there about how to save money and build wealth but if you want to weave financial excellence into a life full of adventure, contribution, and meaning - this is the book for you."—Chad Carson, author of Retire Early with Real Estate

"Financial independence and early retirement are truly the ultimate life hacks, and in the page-turning book Work Optional, Tanja Hester lays out a concrete path to both define your future and help you get there. This newfound freedom gives you the space to focus on what you want out of life: your projects, passions, community and ultimately your happiness."—Brad Barrett, co-host of the ChooseFI podcast