Break Free from the Saver Mindset, Unlock Your Best Years, and Stop Hoarding Joy

If you’ve accumulated a well-funded retirement account and ever hesitated to book the trip, buy the toy, or splurge on the once-in-a-lifetime experience because “it’s not the responsible thing to do”—this book is your permission slip and your battle cry.

You did the hard part.
You saved. You sacrificed. You made it to retirement with a nest egg and a bucket list.
But if your portfolio is growing while your best years are shrinking, something’s gone very wrong.

This is not another book about budgeting. It’s not about asset allocation or safe withdrawal rates. It’s about the much harder part: changing your mindset from saver to spender. It’s about learning how to enjoy your money without guilt, without fear, and without asking Suze Orman for permission.

Richard Sheffield retired at 62 with a solid net worth, excellent health, and big plans. And yet—he couldn’t make himself spend the money. Like millions of retirees, he was stuck in optimization mode, watching life go by while his net worth went up. Until he realized he was winning the wrong game.

In this refreshingly honest, funny, and slightly irreverent guide, Sheffield unpacks:

• Why so many retirees hoard wealth they’ll never spend

• How to rewire your brain for joy, freedom, and guilt-free indulgence

• Behavioral science strategies that actually work (no vision boards here)

• The real reason your financial planner’s “safe spending rate” still feels terrifying

• And why dying with millions in the bank is a tragedy, not a triumph

If you’re retired (or almost there) and find yourself hesitating to live the life you dreamed of, this book will call you out—lovingly, loudly, and with a leather-jacket-wearing professor’s wink. Because time is your most valuable asset now. And if you don’t spend it—and your money—your daughter-in-law’s French bulldog is getting a TikTok account and a jeweled GoPro harness. "Not with MY money?"

Stop saving.
Start living.
Spend your damn retirement money.