Robert Barbera started working as a shoeshine boy at the age of 6. Several decades later, he has retired from his role as CEO of the property management company he built, but this doesn’t mean that he’s taking it easy. These days, he stays busy engaging in philanthropic endeavors and writing.

He penned his first book at 87. Part memoir and part financial guide, Building Wealth (2019) grew out of Barbera’s realization that he wanted to leave behind a written record of his life. “As my friends were passing away, as my relatives were passing away, I discovered that I had regrets about the questions I hadn’t asked them—that I hadn’t tried to find out more about them,” Barbera says. “For instance, my dad was a very quiet man. Whenever he told me something new about himself, I would think, Gee whiz, you could have told me this a long time ago? There were so many details about my family that I had to put together for myself, long after the people I could have talked to were gone. So it came to me that maybe I should write down some of my experiences: where I came from, how I developed, and what I was interested in.”

Although Building Wealth was his first book, Barbera had been writing for some time. As a columnist for the newspapers he owned, he would publish a weekly profile of historical figures he found noteworthy, usually an Italian or Italian-American figure. Ultimately, Barbera’s desire to honor his heroes and inspire others turned into the Mentoris Project, a not-for-profit publishing operation fueled by Barbera’s passions. Its list includes nonfiction titles like Relentless Visionary: Alessandro Volta (2020), as well as biographical novels, including God’s Messenger (2018)—about Mother Frances X. Cabrini—and a fictional account of the life of filmmaker Federico Fellini, The Dream of Life (2022).

Barbera’s decision to commission works of fiction about many of the people he admires reflects his desire to reach an audience that might not be captivated by scholarly biography but may well enjoy a lively narrative. The same impulse shapes his latest book, in which several couples of varying ages enjoy a riverboat cruise while learning how to prepare for a secure—even pleasurable—retirement. As they follow the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Orleans, the characters get expert advice on assessing their assets and income, forecasting their future needs, and planning ahead.

Kirkus Reviews says about Retire and Refire (2022),“Retirement books with a financial focus tend to be straightforward, factual, and dry. Real estate investor/philanthropist Barbera, author of Building Wealth 101 (2021), changes things up with a novel, engaging approach.”

“When we talked to Gunnar today, he gave us some good ideas for ways to improve our finances moving forward, but more importantly, he made us think about the kind of life we want to live. Between work and the kids and, well, all the other things life throws at us, I don’t know that Joe and I have ever had a discussion about how we envision retirement.”

“For all I know,” Joe added, “Betty wants to buy an RV and travel the country.”

Betty snorted. “If we’re going to travel, it had better be to Europe.”

Joe looked surprised. “Really?”

“Absolutely.”

Peter laughed. “It looks like William’s strategy to get us talking about our futures is working,” he said.

As a vital, active man in his 90s, Barbera is frustrated by the idea that older people have nothing to offer and by the sense of futility and the fatalism that attitude engenders. “Society turns you out when you’re 65. What a waste of great people! They’ve learned so much and accomplished so much, and then they’re put out to pasture. And so many people, when they retire, are just waiting for death. What a terrible way to look at life!” Retire and Refire is Barbera’s attempt to push back against this mentality. The characters in his narrative not only receive solid advice for their circumstances but they also enjoy the sort of adventure that may well be available to people who make a plan for retirement.

It should be clear from how Barbera is spending his time now that, while he appreciates the kind of good food and good company his characters enjoy, he believes that having a sense of purpose is an essential part of having a good life. His own sense of purpose—and his approach to creating wealth—is informed by his experience as the child of immigrants. “My dad came over from Italy when he was 8, and my mom didn’t come over until she was 21. My parents never really fit in. They were not typical Americans.” And, Barbera points out, discrimination against Italians was common in the early part of the 20th century.

His family was conservative with money because they had to be, and they taught him to understand the value of money and to care for the things money can buy. Nothing was wasted in their house. Barbera credits his upbringing with his work ethic and his personal philosophy. “Coming from an immigrant family created challenges, but it also prepared me to meet the difficulties of life. When a challenge comes along, I accept it for what it is and try to figure out how to overcome it.”

Even Barbera’s choice of a hobby is pragmatic. After years of landscaping the properties that he developed, he’s tending his own garden. He does grow roses for their beauty, but he has also planted vegetables and fruit trees. “We have an acre, and I love making the best use of it. I’ve always felt guilty about growing grass. Now I have time to create what I call a ‘useful yard.’ ”

And Barbera is, not surprisingly, working on another book at the moment. “I wrote How to Jump-Start Your Way to Real Estate Wealth (2023), and then it occurred to me that I might want to tell people about how to become a stock investor. So that’s what I’m doing right now. I like to be productive. I like to make money, and I like to think about the best ways to use it. And I enjoy reading and writing. I just love the academy of life.”

Jessica Jernigan is a writer who lives and works on Anishinaabe land in Central Michigan.