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Retired Washington Post Columnist and Author of "How To Retire Happy"

Stan Hinden wrote the "Retirement Journal" column in The Washington Post for seven years after he retired as a financial writer. He is also the author of the book, "HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY" (Second Edition 2006) by McGraw-Hill. The subtitle is: "The 12 Most Important Decisions You Must Make before You Retire."

HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY was inspired by Stan Hinden's long-running column in The Washington Post, which discussed the decisions, dilemmas and challenges that confront retirees and those who are planning to retire.

The "Retirement Journal" columns were inspired, in turn, by the experiences-both good and bad — that Stan and his wife, Sara, had as retirees. Sara retired from General Electric Co.'s Information System division in Rockville, Md. in 1993.

Stan's column appeared each month in the Sunday Business section of The Washington Post from 1997 to 2004. In 1998, The Post nominated "Retirement Journal" for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. At the same time, the column won an award from the American University School of Communication and the Investment Company Institute for "Excellence in personal finance reporting."

Stan has appeared on radio and television and spoken often on the subject: "What I Wish I Had Known About Retirement." He continues to write articles for The Washington Post, the AARP Bulletin and other publications.

Before he retired from The Post in 1996, Stan spent 12 years in the Business section, writing about stocks and mutual funds. In total, Stan spent 23 years at the Post as a full-time writer and editor, as part of his 45-year career in journalism.

Prior to joining the Post, Stan was the editor of National Journal, a weekly Washington publication devoted to federal policy-making.

Previously, he worked at Newsday, the Long Island newspaper, where he spent 19 years. While there, he served as national political correspondent, editorial page editor and political editor. He is listed in Who's Who in America.

Stan was born in New York City. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1950, after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was married to Sara L. Hinden on May 24, 1953. They live in suburban Maryland.