Advertising Legend Reveals Why Retirement Isn't What Was Promised

With sarcasm, sincerity, and sharp cultural critique, Coming of Age in Retirement: An Advertising Executive's Story of Revelation and Enlightenment explores what really happens when the career ends and the soul-searching begins.

Written by acclaimed advertising CEO and bestselling author Tom Marks , this candid and witty memoir dismantles the retirement fantasies sold to millions by the very industry he helped build. Part cultural analysis, part personal confessional, the book blends humor and hard-won wisdom to show that retirement isn't about beaches and bucket lists, it's about identity, honesty, and rediscovering purpose.

The first half of the book traces how Americans' ideas of retirement were manufactured through decades of advertising campaigns, economic shifts, and policy quirks. The second half turns inward, recounting Marks's own chaotic and humbling transition out of agency life. With fearless honesty, he shares the failures, therapy sessions, unexpected lessons, and small triumphs that shaped his second act.

Early reception has been striking. The book reached #1 across multiple Amazon categories , including Self-Help: Mid-Life, Gerontology, and Biographies & Memoirs: Philosophers. It also received the Literary Titan Book Award .

Literary Titan praised it as“Funny, thoughtful, and eye-opening... This isn't a how-to. It's about getting honest with yourself, about reckoning with who you've been, who you might become, and what really matters in the time you have left.”

Reflecting on his motivation, Marks explains:“I wanted to share my retirement struggles with the millions of other U.S. retirees in the hope that my odyssey might add clarity and purpose for seniors and those nearing retirement age. After 48 years in advertising, I also wanted to unpack how the industry has completely manufactured our perceptions of retirement.”

Irreverent yet deeply personal, Coming of Age in Retirement invites readers to laugh, reflect, and question the glossy narratives about aging. It is both a reality check and a relief for anyone nearing or navigating life beyond work.

Coming of Age in Retirement is available at booksellers nationwide and online.

About the Author

Tom Marks survived 48 years in advertising and lived to write about it. He is the bestselling author of The Second-Best Business Book Ever Written and winner of numerous honors, including the Gold Medal from the Nonfiction Writers Association , multiple Impact Awards , American Book Fest Awards , and more than 65 American Advertising Awards .

Marks founded TMA+Peritus , a top marketing and thought leadership firm, and was named one of the best CEOs among U.S. advertising agencies. A veteran speaker and frequent podcast guest, he has shared his sharp, often humorous insights on leadership, creativity, and culture. Despite his professional success, Marks admits he“failed spectacularly at retirement,” a failure that became the inspiration for Coming of Age in Retirement.

Learn More

Discover more about Coming of Age in Retirement and author Tom Marks by visiting . Explore exclusive insights, author updates, and resources designed to spark honest conversations about what retirement really means.

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