[Work Optional] takes a practical approach to this pie-in-the-sky goal [of early retirement], however much one might earn. She outlines procedures for saving for a full early retirement but also for partial retirement or just a career sabbatical for those with fewer financial resources. She walks the reader through every aspect of this planning, from figuring out your true annual budget to where to invest for the greatest likelihood of steady passive income later on.
―New York Post
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.
―New York Times
In Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way, Tanja Hester turns that 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
In today’s work culture, we’re expected to be reachable at all times and to hustle around the clock. But what if you could escape the traditional life path and get on an alternate one, 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, instead of punching the clock for someone else?
Work Optional is more than just a financial plan. It’s a plan for your whole life – a life designed by you, not by an employer or clients. Work Optional walks you through envisioning your dream life, creating a solid financial plan to support you, and achieving a purpose-filled early retirement, semi-retirement or career intermission with completely doable, non-penny-pinching steps.
A defining handbook for those looking to diverge from society’s expectations of a traditional career path.
—Erin Lowry, author of the Broke Millennial series
Author Tanja Hester and her husband Mark Bunge left their latte-drinking, crazed careerist lifestyle to live their dream life in Lake Tahoe, retiring early from high-stress careers. As one of the most influential voices in the financial independence/retire early (FIRE) movement, Tanja documented the journey on her award-winning blog Our Next Life. Work Optional will help you map out your customized financial plan and health care plan, and make it easy to succeed whether you’re good at math and budgeting—or not!
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
Work Optional offers practical solutions on:
- How to build a solid early retirement financial plan
- How to account for future expenses you can plan for—and those you can’t
- How to retire early with kids, as a single person, or while supporting loved ones
- How to save money fast without pinching pennies
- How to make your plan bulletproof to withstand economic downturns
You can live a happier, more meaningful life, one no longer defined by the daily grind or the need for a paycheck. Work Optional will get you there.
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
Work Optional is now available wherever books are sold, published by Hachette Books and Hachette Audio.
Work Optional by Tanja Hester 