Reboot!

"It's better to wear out than rust out." That is the message of 'Reboot!' While American culture glamorizes the "Golden Years" of endless leisure and amusement, Phil Burgess rejects retirement, as he makes the case for returning to work in the post-career years, a time he calls later life. Based on solid research from the social and medical sciences, the author says, "It is better to die with your boots on, fully engaged in helping others and repairing the world." 'Reboot!' is partly autobiographical. Indeed, the author is working well into his own post-career years, following two failed retirements. He is also convincing in his eye-opening, historically rooted, and hope-filled arguments for engaging in life-long work that is productive and satisfying. 'Reboot!' identifies five different types of work: 'in-kind,' 'volunteer,' 'Samaritan,' 'enrichment,' and 'paid work.' 'Booters' who incorporate one or more of these types of work into their post-career lifestyle will, according to Burgess, live longer, live better, and die faster - avoiding boredom, aimless busy-ness, diminished self-worth and the anguish (and cost) of lingering death. With America's 78 million boomers turning 65 at the rate of 10,000 a day for the next 18 years, 'Reboot!' provides a timely and provocative alternative to the conventional idea of retirement. With the promises of Social Security and Medicare about to be broken, 'Reboot!' provides an upbeat and constructive way to deal with new financial realities. For men and women navigating life's transitions, striving to finish well, 'Reboot!' provides a roadmap for living a life of meaning, challenging the reader to be a booter, not a retiree. Burgess boldly asserts that retirement is a deadly disease, and that work after a life of work is the best option for post-career years that are meaningful, productive, healthy, and satisfying.