Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion After 50

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 208 pages
• Published by: Jossey-Bass
• Edition: 1st Edition November 10, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 078798356X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0787983567
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Weighs: 12.8 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
As the boomer generation's hair turns gray, it's not surprising to see retirement advice books like this one, which argues against conventional scenarios. As founder and CEO of New Directions, which coaches older workers on making the transition from working to life after a career, author Corbett points out that boomers' longer life expectancy and better health means that reprioritizing may be more rewarding than simply stopping working. In his first few chapters, Corbett discusses why the concept of retirement requirements to be retired, then quickly moves to his central proposal. He encourages readers to focus on building a portfolio of skills, which allows them to shuffle their skills in the same way they would remix a financial portfolio, rather than follow a linear career trajectory. Instead of abandoning work altogether, people can refocus later in life on the preferred skills and meaningful pursuits that suit them best. This insightful and readable book provides not only a convincing argument for the portfolio concept but also concrete instructions on how to get started. If there's a drawback, it's that the subtitle dismisses younger readers who could benefit by putting this plan into action long before reaching age 50. (Nov.)
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Product Description
Praise for Portfolio Life

"Dave Corbett's book turns two simple ideas into a program for life-enrichment, that you can create a life expressly for yourself and that the so-called retirement years are the best time to do it. Drawing on a lifetime of work with people who were rethinking what they wanted and their direction, he shows how to do both those things. Be warned: If you read the book, you're going to be changed. But I think you'll like how you turn out."
--Bill Bridges, author, Transitions and Job Shift

"Dave's book reveals a powerful and profound formula for crafting a genuinely rich life. If you agree that retirement is passé, and you are a lifelong learner and have a desire to make your life count in a deeply fulfilling way, you will love this book."
--Fred Harburg, former chief learning officer and president, Motorola University

"Healthy, fit, financially secure, and happy for another forty years? Is there really that kind of gold over 'them thar' hills? Yes, and Portfolio Life is the guide, leading boomers to a life path never before traveled by so many. Don't pass 50 without it."
--Natalie Jacobson, news anchor, WCVB-TV Boston

"This is the work of a wise, thoughtful author with decades of experience helping people be more successful in the next chapter of their lives. It will help you embrace change and explore the possibilities that come with an additional twenty to thirty productive years to be designed and lived on your own terms."
--Anne Szostak, chairman, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America

"This timely book should be read by anyone of any age who wants his or her life to have meaning and purpose beyond the accumulation of money and things."
--Millard Fuller, founder, Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center for Housing

Reader Reviews
Conventional retirement books tend to focus on the event of the end of normal full-time employment, followed by some sort of activity-oriented shift into hobbies and possibly consulting and/or Board Membership. On the other hand, Portfolio Life makes the reader focus on thinking about how we want to spend our time, what balance of activities would be fulfilling, and what rewards (psychic and material) we expect. It suggests not an activity-oriented process, but rather what might be called a liberal enlightenment process. If done successfully, it provides a road map (admittedly and rightfully being updated from time to time) for the rest of our lives. And in Portfolio Life, Corbett provides the reader with useful and practical advice to manage the process and come up with a strategy that can be implemented.