It is almost a month into my New Chapter following my 50th year, and yes! I am still celebrating. I’ve come up with one “thing” for each of my five decades. I’m calling them my “five fabulous things”. Here they are: going on a cooking course in Greece with four of my school girlfriends (of forty years!); listening to Andrea Bocelli on his farm in Tuscany; working towards my dream of meeting Brené Brown (author of Daring Greatly, my favourite book of all time) come true; writing my next book which will talk about Courageous Conversations around our Relationship with Money Matters to...

Life Planning is the first and crucial step in Retiremeant™ Planning. With a solid and holistic Life Plan, you are able to visualise and write down what your life would look like if it turned out well. Once we have the answer to this question, we begin to look at how to invest your money to enable the life that you dream of living. With a solid life plan you become the master and money the enabler for achieving your life goals. Have you considered what Retiremeant™  means to you and how you would ideally like to spend the second half of your life? Have you taken...

Retiremeant™ means having the freedom to achieve your yet unfulfilled dreams and goals, on your terms and in your own time. Why we added the “A” to Retiremeant™? You may have the money you need to retire, or at least planning to have it in the years ahead. But have you considered what your life would look like in retirement? The “A” reminds us to not only consider our finances in Retiremeant™ Planning, but to also consider and plan for a meaningful experience in this phase of your life. I truly believe that you can retire with both meaning and money. A Retiremeant™ Plan comprises of...

Death is not easy to discuss. Very few people are comfortable discussing death with their parents or children and it is often approached in a tongue in cheek sort of way. My purpose is certainly not to instill the fear of death in you, but to motivate you to be prepared for the inevitable. As Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” With 2018 just starting, why not tick drafting your Will off your to-do-list right from the start. It will give you peace of mind that your affairs are in order and time to think and reflect on all...

Do you remember the ‘Salusa 45” advertisements of a few years ago? I remember the commercial so well – portraying people of 45 years or older as people who need a tonic for extra energy and nutrients; as people who are nearing their retirement age, and as people who are struggling just a little bit with the daily demands of life. We are still bombarded with idyllic images of “retirees” living in beautiful lifestyle estates, spending their time walking on the beach, watching the sunsets and enjoying a relaxed and tranquil old age. But is this still relevant in today’s day and...

I am the first to admit that I allow the fullness of my schedule to crowd my life.  So, this day of visiting gardens was both a special time to relax and a reminder of what I have been missing.  I walked through these majestic blooms with their delicate petals, riotous colours and heady scents and just soaked in their beauty and the peace that emanates from them. Together with their aesthetic appeal, I have come to appreciate the passion with which people cultivate their roses. Like his roses, founder, Ludwig Taschner is a survivor.  Born in...

Following the presentation, a number of participants shared that they understood for the first time the need to retire to something, rather than leaving a fulfilling future to chance.  I explain that their personal retirement financial plans can be built around their lives, dreams and aspirations, rather than being just a set of numbers. Including their goals and dreams in the financial equation will ensure that they achieve more meaning and purpose – in other words, retire successfully. In the presentation, I use the Wheel of Balance as a tool to explain the concept of retiring to...

On a recent trip to New York, these two loves in my life combined in a unique way as I experienced the joy of learning through travel. Not only did I discover exciting things about my destination, but this time, my travelling companion opened my eyes to the new way to travel: by using technology. (Of course, those who know me well are aware I am very nervous of managing technology; yet, I was surprised by my excitement at using these new aids.) For me, travelling to a new and energising city always has certain challenges, especially when navigating the city using cumbersome street...

Such moments are my frequent experience, largely because I ama life-long learner, and because so much of my working life entails encounters with our clients.  While I go into a meeting to guide and facilitate discussion, I far more often find myself emerging from meetings with fresh knowledge and understanding. These paradoxes characterise our lives. Consider our client, Bruce Watt, who shared in a recent newsletter his experience of loss.  Out of that loss came a strong desire to help others deal with their grief, and a book emerged from the process.  From grief …...

The wonderful and unexpected outcome of my book being on bookstore shelves across the country has been expanding my circle of acquaintances.  My message in Retiremeant is that this time of your life is one where you get to make your unfulfilled dreams and goals a reality on your own terms and in your own time – very much a value that Chartered Wealth has espoused since its inception.  With new people from all around South Africa sharing their stories with me, a significant theme has emerged:  the different dynamics around exiting work.  I think the idea is worth...