Do Retirement YOUR way! : The Human Side of Money presented by Client Care

Frankie sang, “I did it MY way!” Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

We are all unique, no matter how similar we may think we are to somebody else, no two of us are exactly the same. We are a product of our lives, our experiences good and bad and our environment. I am one of five siblings and every one of us is different in many ways, especially in how we behave around money.

As much as we know this, many retirees look to others who look like them when planning and living their retirement. Partly to blame for this is the financial services industry, which deals with our retirement. It likes to place us into groups, or buckets based on a profile, as this makes it easier for them to deal with us.

A quick Google search tells us that only 6% of South Africans are on track to retire comfortably. What we need to understand is that within that 6% are hundreds of thousands of individuals, couples, families, and extended families who are dealing with this retirement THING. To treat them all the same makes no sense.

If your retirement plan or life (if you are in it) looks the same as the person next door or up the street, then consider that maybe you have some work to do. Retirement should be as individual as the unique path you have followed through your life up till then. While on the outset some things may look similar, I believe that most retirees can enhance this phase of their life by digging deeper into what is possible for them.

Perhaps this sounds a bit airy fairy, but do you want to look back one day and possibly regret that you have not lived life more by design than on remote? If this is something you want to consider then know that it is not that difficult to do. Book that quiet weekend away that you know you need and go alone or just with your loved one. Being in nature always refreshes our sensors and minds. Running water, crashing waves, big skies, fresh mountain air and the sounds of birds at sunrise, bring peace and clarity to our minds.

Think about when you have been at your happiest, most fulfilled and at peace. Write these moments down and plan how you can get more of them. Even retirees live in a busy world these days where days, weeks and months roll into each other, its almost unavoidable and not necessarily horrible, but is it want we want?

Having enough money to retire is the first step to a happy retirement but it is not a guarantee to a dignified and fulfilling retirement.

Hope you enjoy this Greg…..

Dirk Groeneveld, Certified Financial Planner.