I was reminded of this recently over dinner with friends. Our host, soon to turn 80, spent decades in senior roles at one of South Africa’s largest insurers. This is someone who understands money, risk, and planning better than most. And yet, as the evening unfolded, he quietly admitted a fear: that he might live too long and run out of funds.
Three themes from that conversation are ones I see repeatedly while working with our retired clients.
The first is longevity. We all know, intellectually, that people are living longer. But we don’t always grasp what that really means. Living longer isn’t just about more years, it’s about more active years. In places like St Francis, I see it daily: people in their 70s playing golf in the morning, tennis in the afternoon, and paddling the canals in between. A longer life often means a fuller, more active (and therefore more expensive) life. And if health does decline, the costs can rise sharply, with medical inflation running well ahead of normal inflation.
This brings me to the second point: inflation is the real enemy.
Too often, the focus is on investment returns, complex portfolios, or finding the next “star” manager. But none of that matters if your money isn’t keeping ahead of inflation. What truly counts is the real return, what’s left after inflation has taken its bite. No one retires well because they picked a brilliant fund manager. They retire well because, over time, they have saved diligently and their investments quietly outpaced inflation.
The third theme is generosity. Many retirees take great pride in helping their children and grandchildren by paying for education, settling debts, supporting lifestyles. It’s a noble and often deeply rewarding thing to do. But without clear boundaries and proper planning, it can come at a cost. I’ve seen too many cases where well-intentioned support leads to financial strain later on, or forces retirees to scale back just when they should be enjoying the fruits of a lifetime’s work.
The good news is that these challenges are not insurmountable. With proper financial planning grounded in realistic cashflow modelling and an understanding of your personal inflation rate, clarity replaces fear. You begin to see what’s possible, what needs adjusting, and where you can afford to be generous.
There’s no need to navigate this alone. And in all my years, I’ve never seen someone unable to retire because they sought good advice. Help is available. Ask for it and give yourself permission to live the life you’ve worked so hard to build.
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Dirk Groeneveld, Certified Financial Planner
t. 083 261 9287
Recent columns:
- Let’s talk about your budget
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- Financial Planning, What It Really Is
- Planning Retirement Properly: Turning Wealth Into a Life Well Lived
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Disclaimer:
This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice in any way or form. It is important to consult a financial planner to receive financial advice before acting on any information contained herein. Client Care and PWM and its directors, officers, and employees shall not be responsible and disclaim all liability for any loss, damage (whether direct, indirect, special or consequential) and/or expense of any nature whatsoever, which may be suffered as a result of, or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to the use of, or reliance upon any information contained in this article.
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