For millions of Baby Boomers who are leaving the workplace and beginning retirement, it can feel like jumping off a cliff, leaping from the safety of income and identity and into the unknown.

Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez wasn't going to make that jump uninformed. The result is his new book, "Independence Day: What I Learned about Retirement from Some Who've Done it and Some Who Never Will."

Steve Lopez joined Lisa McRee on "LA Times Today."

He is in his late 60s, so retirement has been on his mind. Lopez talked about what he learned from talking to people from all industries who have retired or decided to keep working past his age.  

"I did interview Mel Brooks and Norman Lear, partly because they're working into their 90s, and in the case of Norman Lear in particular, working like crazy. I wondered, if you do creative work, do you need to keep working to stay alive? You need to get those creative juices flowing every day to get you out of bed. I learned that there are a lot of people who are feeling isolated and lonely, and it wasn't quite what they expected. I met people who wish they would have done it sooner and people wish they never would have.

"As I was writing this book, we were in the middle of the pandemic and our office was closed," Lopez continued. "I was spending a lot of time at home. And I one day cheerily said to my wife, 'You know what this is? This is kind of a preview of retirement, a pandemic, because I'm here with you a little bit more each day.' Alison looked at me and said, 'If this is a preview, I don't want to see the movie.' You've got to manage those relationships and really think about them."

One piece of advice Lopez received was from Rabbi Naomi Levy, who said that people should practice the things they want to do in retirement and see if they really spark a passion, rather than hoping they will fulfill them for years. Lopez shared his own decision about retiring from the LA Times.

"I'm still here. If you open the paper, you might still find my column. So, I ended up with kind of a hybrid model. I've stepped away a little bit, but I just can't let go."

"Independence Day: What I Learned about Retirement from Some Who've Done it and Some Who Never Will” is out Nov. 1. 

Click the arrow above to watch the full interview. 

Watch "LA Times Today" at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.