If you’re in your 50s or 60s and starting to think seriously about the next chapter of your life, there is a question I think we massively underestimate. Where are you actually going to go? I don’t mean where you’re going to travel. I don’t mean whether you’re going to move house, spend winters somewhere […]
I have a habit of buying books for other people. Sometimes I recommend them. Sometimes I lend them out and never see them again. Quite often, I simply buy someone a copy because I think there is an idea inside that might genuinely help them. There are a handful of books I find myself recommending […]
The Broken Model “Have you ever felt like you’ve spent your whole life climbing a ladder, only to worry it might be leaning against the wrong building? For decades, we’ve been sold a specific story about life. It’s the ‘Three Stage Model’: You Learn, then you Earn, and then—abruptly—you Rest. But here is the problem: we are living longer than ever before. If you […]
For much of your adult life, you’ve probably been working towards something. Building a career. Growing a business. Paying off the mortgage. Raising a family. Saving into your pension. Investing for the future. Working towards the day when financial independence finally arrives. For years, perhaps even decades, you’ve had a map. You knew what success […]
When people first come to see me to talk about retirement, they usually arrive well prepared. They bring pension statements. Investment reports. Spreadsheets. Lists of monthly spending. Questions about tax. Questions about when they can afford to stop working. All of that is incredibly useful. After all, understanding your finances is an essential part of […]
One of the first questions people ask when they’re approaching retirement is perfectly sensible. “How much money do I need?” As a Chartered Financial Planner, I’ve spent years helping people answer exactly that question. It’s important. You need to know whether your savings, pensions and investments can support the lifestyle you want to live. But […]
How did you sleep last night? Not “fine.” Not “okay.” How did you actually sleep? How long were you in deep sleep? How much REM sleep did you get? How many times did you wake during the night without even realising it? For most of us, the honest answer is that we have no idea. […]
Think back to one of the classic board games from childhood. For many people, it was The Game of Life. It had everything. A colourful spinning wheel, tiny plastic cars and a winding road that took you through all the major milestones society expected you to follow. You started with education. You found a career. […]
When was the last time you learned something that genuinely changed the way you think? Not a headline scrolling past on your phone. Not another work email. Not half listening to a podcast while driving. I mean something that truly stretched you. Something that challenged an assumption you had always held. Something that made you […]
When someone asks us what we’re not very good at, most of us barely need to think. We can list our weaknesses almost instantly. “I’m hopeless with technology.” “I’ve never been very organised.” “I’m terrible at remembering names.” For many people, those answers come naturally because we’ve spent years noticing what doesn’t go well. Now […]