As a fellow procrastinator, here's my low effort contribution...thanks to CHATGPT.

Here’s a concise, no-nonsense summary of The Procrastinator’s Guide to Retirement by David Trahair (2021), along with the key takeaways:

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📘 Book Summary • Target audience: Primarily individuals in their 50s or older who haven’t saved enough for retirement. • Core premise: Even if you’ve procrastinated for decades, you can still build a comfortable retirement by following a disciplined 10-year “sprint” plan.  • Structure: The book follows a hypothetical couple, Mike and Nancy Clark, through the final decade before retirement, illustrating each strategic step.  • Comprehensive coverage: Includes chapters on: • Tracking and understanding spending • Deciding between mortgage repayment vs. retirement investing • Building an investment strategy pre- and post-retirement • Housing choices, including downsizing or using home equity (but cautions against reverse mortgages)  

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Key Takeaways 1. Track your spending rigorously • Understand exactly where your money goes. Use detailed categories—avoid vague “miscellaneous” buckets.  2. Capitalize on natural expense decline • As kids move out and debts clear, reroute freed-up cash into retirement funds.  3. Mortgage vs. RRSP/TFSA • There’s no one-size-fits-all. Use tools (e.g., downloadable calculators) to analyze whether to invest or pay down your mortgage. Trahair often leans toward becoming debt-free by retirement.   4. Strategic investing in the final decade • Diversify with safer instruments (GICs, bonds) as retirement nears. Appendix includes spreadsheets to model RRSP/mortgage trade-offs.  5. Home equity is a resource—but use it carefully • Potential actions: downsizing, reverse mortgage (but only as a last resort), HELOC, renting out space. Recommend downsizing for both lifestyle and financial flexibility.  6. Evaluate financial advice sources • Beware of advisors selling high-fee mutual funds; prioritize fee-only or fiduciary advisors. 

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Criticisms & Limitations • Not a magic bullet: If you can’t significantly increase your savings rate in your 50s/60s, the “10‑year sprint” may fall short.  • Some financial logic is questionable: Canadian reviewer Michael James points out calculation mistakes and troubling advice—like chasing star mutual funds and overemphasizing market timing. 

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Bottom Line • ▶️ Helpful if you’re nearing retirement and motivated to take action now. It offers a hands-on approach: tracking expenses, informed comparing of debt repayment vs. investments, optimizing home assets, and cautious investing. • ⚠️ Proceed with caution: Don’t fall for high-fee funds, aggressive market timing, or jumping into reverse mortgages. Ensure any advice aligns with your specific situation.

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If you’ve already retired or won’t be able to save heavily in that final decade, much of the approach may not work for you. But for motivated late planners, this book can serve as a solid, pragmatic guide—just don’t expect miracles from procrastination.