There wouldn't be a need for dating advice if women over 50 just wanted to find a date. I've lost count of the number of women who told me they prefer Friday night with Ben and Jerry and Netflix to dating a man with no potential. Women want and deserve more than that. Tricks and gimmicks are useless so I only offer real-life answers to questions such as why men and women over 50 are perfect for each other, why emotional honesty is critical in dating and in relationships, and what it means to date smart.

Online dating is the one place where women over 50 are unequal to men. Every aspect of it is skewed in favor of men, which frequently leaves women feeling at the mercy of male daters. My vast dating experiences level the online dating playing field.

I've been writing about dating after 50 for AARP, The Huffington Post, Maria Shriver, and several other online magazines more than a decade. I've received several thousand comments and emails. My perspective on men derives from facilitating men in groups for 30 years. I'm also a date coach for women over 50. My coaching clients have succeeded by using the information shared in this book. I met my partner online four years ago using these techniques.

I understand dating from both genders' perspectives, and what's abundantly clear is that a surprizingly large number of men over 50 are stuck in anachronistic dating paradigms. Some believe dating younger women is a smart dating strategy. These dream seekers are best left to their fantasies. Unlike women, most of whom are dating and relationship savvy, many men are clueless. But there are a fair number of men over 50 that appreciate women over 50. I share how to separate the winners from the losers.