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...

I start by asking, “What kind of equipment is getting you around the road of life, a vintage performance bike or a dilapidated bike with bad breaks?”  The car analogy is useful but the reality is a car can be replaced, whereas your body (bar a few aesthetic body parts) cannot.  It is likely that you will probably require the use of your body for another 40 years, so if it is not in good nick now your only option is to restore it.  Like a vintage car, character is not a bad thing but the goal is to clean it up and get it running as well as you can.  Even if you have a...

Trends in ageing Sarah Harper, Professor in Gerontology, and Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, Oxford Martin School, shared some startling new findings regarding the social implications of demographic changes around the world in her presentation entitled .Rethinking Global Ageing. According to a UN report released in October, 2012, within a decade, the number of people over 60 will exceed one billion. For the first time in history, population growth is being driven by increasing longevity rather than by fertility rates: older people are living longer, younger...

On our Retire Successfully Wheel of Balance we have identified Work as an area you need to be engaged in.  In fact, people who work after retiring enjoy better health. According to a study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology in 2009 “retirees who transition from full-time work into temporary or part-time jobs experience fewer major diseases and are able to function better day-to-day than people who stop working altogether.” In life planning meetings I always discuss work in the context of the Chartered Wealth Solutions’ definition of retirement:...