View source for Rockstar Retirement Programme: How to retire like a rockstar by Dominic Watson

{{infobox1
|title=Rockstar Retirement Programme: How to retire like a rockstar
|author=Dominic Watson
|reviewer= Zoe Morris
|genre=Lifestyle
|summary=A very accessible guide that will have you thinking differently, this book takes you from backing singer to full on Rockstar of your own retirement
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=282
|publisher=FCM Publishing
|date=May 2018
|isbn=978-0993454684
|website=https://rockstarretirement.com/
|video= XypEkbFS2OI
|cover=0993454682
|aznuk=0993454682
|aznus=0993454682
}} 
Even with a birthday fast approaching, I'm still a bit young to be reading about retirement. My next life change in the pipeline will be a big one, and it does involve leaving the 9 to 5 behind for a yacht and the silky blue waters of the Caribbean, but only for a year, and then I will be back, tanned and refreshed but barely 40 and with many working years still to come. Also, I like work. My job is interesting, I get to travel, what we do matters and it's not badly rewarded. So no, I'm not planning to retire just yet. But as the premise of this book is about planning (and if not now, then when?) I was still intrigued.  
 
Dominic Watson is a business man and consultant with many years' experience helping others sell their business and transition towards retirement. Through this, he's amassed a lot of knowledge about people: what is important to them, what motivates them, what mistakes they often make, how with hindsight things could have been different and better.
 
In the interests of full disclosure, I know Dom. We're in the same running club though we first met as Parkrun tourists one Saturday morning, and ended up running the loop together, talking the whole way round. After what I thought was quite a quick pace, he cheerfully said ''That was one of the slowest times I've ever done at Parkrun'' but then redeemed himself by adding ''but one of the most enjoyable''. It turned out we had a lot in common beyond running – from business backgrounds to views on life – and when it transpired he was an author and I was a book reviewer, well that worked out rather nicely.
 
And so, the book. As the title would suggest, this is a book with a theme and that theme is rock star living. Peppered throughout the book are references to the world of music, song lyrics, analogies. For men (and some women) of a certain age, rock stars are the epitome of success and cool and so it works. They have what you want and this book explains how you can emulate their lifestyle, even if your groupies are your children and the nearest you get to going on tour is catching the 7.19 from Crewe to London every week.
 
In the Rockstar scenario, retirement planning is about more than just wealth accumulation. It's about living the life you want, striking the right balance between time and money, and looking after yourself. It is definitely something that comes with age, this realisation that money alone is not everything. Forget wanting to be disgustingly rich, now I want to have time to enjoy a more modest bank balance. Or as the saying of summer 2018 goes, 'making memories' is where it's at.
 
The book is split into 'lessons' (aka chapters) which breaks the learning down into bite sized chunks, perfect if your life is so rock and roll you can only spare 10 or 15 minutes for reading before bed. Some of the titles may surprise you – think ''rock star health'' and ''creating a rock star legacy'' – but it's all within the theme. There are case studies, too. Not surprisingly, I was drawn to the Greens who went off sailing for 2 weeks and came back 16 years later. That's some #lifegoals right there.   
 
The book is practical rather than academic. There are exercises on which to reflect, points to think about, ideas to explore. It's an accessible read but it's very comprehensive too, and entertaining to boot. Dom's personality shines through and while such a personable book may not be everyone's cup of tea, I liked feeling like we were having an informal chat rather than it being just me in a room ploughing through a dreary guide to old age until I died (prematurely) of boredom.
 
I'd like to thank Dom for giving me a copy to review. There's much more information on the [https://rockstarretirement.com/ website] including videos featuring yours truly if you look hard enough.
 
This book should, if all goes to plan, make you happy. For another perspective, there's always [[Grumpy Old Rock Star by Rick Wakeman]]. 
 
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