Author: Kim Potgieter

Sometimes we have a plan in mind, but life has a different path for us to follow.  This truth was vividly illustrated through my recent experience. I have a party trick I have done for years: the splits. This tendency stems from a childhood memory: I was six, and my then ballet teacher politely suggested I do Scottish dancing instead of ballet (I was not even dainty as a child). So, at 46, I still do the splits … perhaps hoping that things have changed! At this year’s company Christmas party, themed ‘Broadway’, two colleagues and...

Relationships are very important to me. It is important to start by looking at your relationship with yourself. Do you like yourself? I have a good relationship with myself and am aware that people sometimes find me over-confident, often a result of me getting overly excited about something. Next one needs to look at is your relationship with your spouse. I am fortunate to have a husband who challenges me, which is vital when you are as strong-willed as I am. My husband’s love language is time together which can, in this busy life, become an issue. I have three children aged 22, 13 and 9...

“Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways”  Stephen Vincent Benèt. A few weekends ago my young daughter Gabi begged me to jump on the trampoline with her at the Vaal Dam.  Well, I’m sure it had been about 30 years since last I jumped on a trampoline and the experience had me in stitches.  And the more I laughed the more Gabi begged me to jump.  Remember, when you’re jumping up and down, so too is every part of your body.  But once you get past that uncomfortable sensation, it’s actually a...

After further discussion his face lit up when he told me how he loved to teach and really wanted to be able to pass on basic life skills to youths who hadn’t had the same opportunities in life he had had.  But where and how would this happen?  I encouraged him to actively participate in making his passion a reality and to start the journey, and I assured him that the opportunity would present itself. The theme of passing on knowledge comes up in so many of the life planning meetings I have with retired people.  What I have found is that at this stage in life, when people stop...

I am ashamed to confess that when my mother wanted to teach me as a child, I resisted her suggestion … the outcome of this is that I had to admit to my own daughter I do not have the skill. With both Gabi’s grannies having passed away, we no longer have the privilege of knitting tutors in the family! Never daunted, I set about finding a solution … and came across a lovely woman who this holiday has taught Gabi how to knit and embroider. Gabi is now graciously teaching me to knit. My husband loves woodwork and a while ago set up a workshop at home. I watch him share his love of wood with the...

I am noticing, however, what I call the “hassle factor”.  In the past, you may have had abundant energy and received midnight calls about burst geysers and rogue DSTV aerials with a degree of equanimity. Now, these minor irritations can morph into monsters. My own experience bears me out.  I recently sold my two townhouses, purchased as an investment, because I was not as cash-positive as I had thought.  With the increasing cost of rates and levies, I had to recognise that the rental return did not warrant holding onto the properties. A client I was chatting to this week had...

If you’ve considered relocating for your retirement, have you thought about how that will affect how connected you will be to the people and places you enjoy?  All too often, when clients come to do their retirement plans, the first thing they tell me is “We are moving away from the madness that is Jo’burg.”  Often after our discussions, the clients realise that, if they were to leave Johannesburg, they would feel too cut off from family, friends and their community.  If the clients really want to move away, it is important for them to have a plans to replace what they have...

In these situations, when we talk about bucket lists, we usually chat about exotic holiday destinations and adventures they want to pursue.  However, often times, as you will see in the stories that I will share with you, there are people that simply aren’t able to spend their retirement savings on those dreams because life has thrown them unexpected curve balls.  Their bucket lists involve simpler, real-life desires that a few of you may be able to relate to. Wally and Elaine were about to retire, but they had already drawn a substantial amount of money from their retirement...

I see numerous couples every year and for the most part they are in reasonably good shape financially.  Most of them have a vision for their life’s journey, and if they don’t, it usually doesn’t take long to figure out what makes them tick and to help them make plans for their future.  What I spend most of my time doing, however, is relationship work.  I usually work with the couple, but my work often extends to the wider family too.  What I have discovered is that we often operate unconsciously, not realising how powerful our words and actions can be.  Those...