Who Are You When the Business Card Goes in the Drawer? The Human Side Of Money Presented By Client Care

Most of us picture retirement as a list of things we’ll finally stop doing. No more early alarms, no more traffic, no more meetings that could have been a phone call. What we seldom picture is what quietly goes missing with them.

For decades, a job title does a lot of heavy lifting. At a braai, you say “I’m an engineer” or “I ran the practice,” and people know where to place you. Say “I’m retired,” and you’ve told them what you used to do, but very little about who you are now.

In over thirty years of sitting with clients, I’ve noticed something. People who say they miss work rarely miss the work itself. They miss what came with it: the routine, the colleagues, the quiet satisfaction of being good at something, and knowing someone was counting on them to show up. So when the phone rings less and the old office carries on perfectly well without them, a gentle question can surface; who am I now?

If that’s where you find yourself, please know it’s completely normal. It isn’t a sign that retirement has gone wrong. It’s simply part of settling into a new chapter. The good news is that you don’t need one grand purpose to replace your career. I’d suggest thinking about it the way we think about an investment portfolio. Your career was one very large holding. It supplied income, status, friendship and meaning all at once. That concentration served you well, but now it’s time to diversify.

Here in St Francis Bay, the options are right on our doorstep. You might become the grandparent who teaches the little ones to fish off the canals, a volunteer with one of our community organisations, a regular on the golf course, part of a morning walking group on the beach, or simply the neighbour who always knows whom to call. Some roles bring meaning, some bring friendship, and some just make a Wednesday more enjoyable. Together, they make a fuller life than any single title ever could.

Here’s a small exercise that could help you, finish this sentence:

“When I stop being known as ______, I’d like to spend more time being ______.”

Choose something active, then take one small step towards it this month.

And if you know someone who has made the transition gracefully, invite them for coffee at Bruce’s and ask what they missed most when they stopped working, and what eventually filled that gap.

You’ll likely leave with more than good advice. You’ll leave reassured.

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Dirk Groeneveld, Certified Financial Planner

t. 083 261 9287

e. dirk@clientcare.co.za