Can I afford to retire?

Retirement has often been described as “the longest holiday of your life.” But attractive as that sounds, can you afford to pay for the holiday?

Can I afford to retire?

Research by one leading insurance company shows that 69% of people over the age of 50 are concerned about their income in retirement.

Many people underestimate how much income they will need when they retire. If you’ve been used to having two cars, going on foreign holidays and eating out then it is unlikely that you’ll want to give those up simply because you’ve stopped work. In fact, many people find that their need for income actually increases when they retire. After all, if you’re behind a desk all day, the only money you’ll spend will probably be on a sandwich at lunchtime. Contrast this with how much you spend on a day off.

As worries about income in retirement increase, so do people opting to keep working after their normal retirement date.

Many people who have their own business argue that “my business is my pension.” Again, that works well in theory – but it assumes that you can sell the business for the price you want at exactly the time you want. With technology changing ever more quickly and more and more businesses losing market share to the internet, relying on your business to fund your retirement can be a high risk strategy.

More than any other aspect of financial planning, your retirement demands careful consideration. From checking on your likely state pension to tracking down any previous pensions you might have to making sure you’re contributing sufficient to your current pension – retirement planning needs to be done thoroughly and reviewed regularly.

If you are in any way worried about your provision for retirement or you’d like advice on any aspect of pension planning, please feel free to get in touch with us directly.