The emotional side of retirement is often overlooked, yet it plays a crucial role in a fulfilling life post-career.
We’ve spoken to clients who followed the traditional “one-and-done” route. Some had great plans, but once the garden was sorted and the house was repainted, they found themselves feeling lost. The emotional impact was evident as daytime TV became routine, social circles faded, and their mental and physical health began to decline.
But we’ve also seen the opposite.
One client learned to drive an HGV and started to deliver aid to Eastern Europe. Another took up cycling and regularly rides 120km in a single session—even into their 70s!
There’s a parallel here with redundancy. It can come with an overwhelming sense of loss. The key difference? You can’t usually plan for redundancy, but you can prepare for retirement, emotionally and financially.
Envisioning Your Ideal Week
Before you calculate your retirement number, ask yourself:
What would a perfect week in retirement look like?
Would you:
- Play golf with your partner?
- Spend time with grandchildren?
- Travel in a campervan?
- Take on community projects?
Sit down with your partner and map out a typical week. Think in terms of:
- How do you spend your time
- Activities you want to pursue
- People you’ll connect with
- Locations or settings you’d enjoy
This exercise helps bring clarity and helps shape realistic financial goals, ensuring both the emotional and practical aspects are considered.
Aligning Your Values with Your Lifestyle
At Manning Gee Investments, we believe financial planning should reflect your personal values, not just your bank balance. We help integrate your emotional and financial goals seamlessly.
One activity we encourage is for couples to write down their top three personal values, separately, and then compare. It’s a powerful way to uncover what matters.
Your retirement plan might need to consider:
- Caring responsibilities
- More involvement in the local community
- Downsizing or relocating
- Philanthropy or legacy goals
Understanding these priorities before the numbers ensures your financial plan is built around your life, not the other way around.
When Vision Meets Plan
Once your vision is clear, we can help you build a plan to support it emotionally and financially.
Your income needs will depend on your chosen lifestyle, but we’ll help you calculate how to get there, factoring in:
- Longevity and rising life expectancy
- Inflation and rising living costs
- Market and investment risks
A great plan doesn’t just focus on the starting point; it adapts and evolves with you over time.
Conclusion: Retirement Planning Starts With You
You may have seen online ads asking, “Can you retire at 60 with £250,000?”, with a picture of someone playing golf.
But that misses the point.
Retirement doesn’t start with products, pension pots, or numbers. It begins with you.
At Manning Gee, we help you shape your retirement vision and then turn it into an actionable plan. But more than that, we’re here for every stage of the journey, helping you adapt and adjust as life unfolds, supporting your emotional well-being along the way.
Ready to explore your retirement vision?
Let’s start with a conversation, not a calculation.
General disclaimer: We sourced the data from external providers. While we strive for maximum accuracy, we cannot guarantee the reliability of the data they supply. The author writes the introduction from their perspective, reflecting their views, which may not align with those of Manning Gee Investments. Anyone considering a product or service based on this blog should seek professional advice or conduct their own research before deciding. The author bears no liability for decisions made based on this blog. Investments can rise and fall in value, and the return at the end of the investment period is not guaranteed—you may receive less than you originally invested.