Victory Lap Retirement, Second Edition: Work While You Play, Play While You Work

The key to a happy retirement may be . . . not retiring. Work because you want to, not because you have to, to achieve balance, health, and purpose in your life after full-time employment.
The rules of retirement have changed and there’s more at risk than ever. People are living longer and have to finance as many years in retirement as they had in their entire working career. So what will thirty or forty years, or more, in retirement look like for you?
The old idea of full-stop retirement—going from 100 percent work mode to 100 percent leisure mode—is now neither sustainable nor desirable. Besides, many studies have shown that those who stay engaged, challenged, and stimulated stay healthier and live longer.
The key is to work because you want to and not because you have to. Victory Lap Retirement shows you how to create the post-employment lifestyle that’s right for you—a unique blend of work and play that allows you to live life to the fullest, on your terms, while you are young enough to enjoy it.

• Learn when you’re financially ready to run your own unique Victory Lap—a special period in life with more balance, purpose, and fulfillment than ever before.
• Create a life you don’t have to, or want to, retire from—and turn your paycheck into a “playcheck.”
• Develop a financial plan for your Victory Lap and integrate it seamlessly with your lifestyle planning.
• Determine how much you can spend, whether you need to save and how much, and the level of income you need in Victory Lap.
• Intentionally design for yourself a vibrant, healthy, low-stress, sustainable lifestyle by staying active and engaged in a Victory Lap.

“This wise book rests on some important truths: We all crave lives of meaning, we want to continue to grow and learn throughout our years, and financial well-being is central to our health and happiness. Victory Lap Retirement is a how-to guide for making all of those goals come together into a truly modern retirement plan.” —Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance and Senior Columnist, Morningstar, Inc.
“[The authors] say the full-stop retirement doesn’t work anymore, and I agree. Start planning your Victory Lap.” —Rob Carrick, Personal Finance Columnist, The Globe and Mail
“I’ve long believed that the idea of retiring at sixty-five is as outdated as the horse and buggy. You could live another thirty years or more. What are you going to do with that time? This book can help you find the answers.” —Gordon Pape, Bestselling Author and Publisher of The Internet Wealth Builder and The Income Investor
“Victory Lap Retirement provides a great model for finding the right balance between today and tomorrow, work and play, family and self, financial independence and fun. It’s a brilliant roadmap for being deliberate about your priorities and to avoid ending up just being a cog in the wheel of life. The authors masterfully leverage their personal experience and the lessons learned from working with thousands of clients, bucking the tired old model of retirement and instead offering readers a detailed roadmap to deliberately create a far more meaningful, interesting, and fulfilling second half of life.” —Brent Brodeski, CEO, Savant Capital Management
“The authors reframe the idea of retirement as a smart twist on an age-old dilemma. The science of well-being later in life tells us we need to have a purpose—why not make a few bucks while you’re at it? This book will open your mind to what your Victory Lap might be if the thought of doing nothing at some point is foreign to you.” —Larry Berman, Host of BNN Bloomberg’s Berman’s Call, and Chief Investment Officer, ETF Capital Management

Mike Drak is a thirty-eight-year veteran of the financial services industry. He started his own Victory Lap in 2014 and is busy helping others transition into their own personal versions. In addition to mentoring others, he gives speeches and seminars to groups across Canada and cultivates and maintains the Victory Lap community.

Rob Morrison, CFP,® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional and President of Huber Financial Advisors, LLC, in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He has been a wealth manager for nearly twenty years and has coached many clients through their Victory Lap transitions. Rob is a passionate advocate for his clients and enjoys speaking about the changing retirement landscape.

Jonathan Chevreau is a veteran financial columnist, blogger, and author. He was personal finance columnist for the Financial Post (1993-2012), and editor-in-chief of MoneySense Magazine (2012-2014). Since declaring his Findependence Day (the day he became financially independent) in 2014, he has been blogging for the Motley Fool, Financial Post, and MoneySense.ca, and launched the Financial Independence Hub in 2014, a website that covers the topic from a North American perspective.