The book is both a wake-up call and a practical guide for workers in their 40s, 50s, 60s wanting to understand and navigate the changing face of work and retirement today.
The authors use the latest research to dismantle the outdated retirement dream, expose broken recruitment, and show why your age is an asset and not a liability.
Who is it for?
- Anyone aged 40 to 70 thinking about career change, a pivot, or simply staying meaningfully in work for longer
- People who feel quietly written off in their current job, or invisible on the job market
- Mid- and late-career professionals craving more purpose, not just more pay
- HR leaders, hiring managers and policymakers who want to stop wasting older talent
- Anyone questioning whether the traditional “retire at 65” model still works for them
What You’ll Learn / Key Takeaways
- Why retirement, designed in 1948 when life expectancy was 66, is no longer fit for purpose
- The difference between fluid and crystallised intelligence, and why most hiring measures the wrong one
- Why work is one of the strongest markers of healthy ageing, linked to purpose, income and connection
- How modern recruitment is broken for older candidates and what to do instead of hitting “easy apply”
- Common career myths busted, including the well-meaning but unhelpful “do a job you love”
- A clear structure for navigating change: clarifying, exploring, experimenting and securing the work you actually want
- How to become a constructive “age activist” and push for change in your workplace and community
Why We Love It
It’s insightful, evidence-led and refreshingly free of platitudes. Rather than another feel-good book about ageing, it offers a clear-eyed diagnosis of the current situation along with a practical guide to navigating longer working lives with purpose and intention; reminding us that good work keeps us alive mentally, socially and emotionally.
