When people begin thinking about retirement or the next chapter of their lives, their instinct is usually to look forwards. They make lists of places they want to visit. They think about hobbies they might enjoy. They search for articles about retirement, purpose, wellbeing and happiness. They ask themselves questions such as: What should I […]
For most of our lives, we are moving towards something. We work hard in school so we can build a career. We spend decades climbing professional ladders, building businesses, raising families, paying mortgages, investing in pensions, and creating financial security. Every step has a purpose. Every year has a goal. There is always a destination […]
There is a blue willow pattern Chinese plate sitting in my memory that, in a roundabout way, explains exactly why What Happens Next exists. Let me take you back. Primary school, East London, mid-1980s. I was the sort of kid who noticed if someone was sitting on their own at break time. Not because anyone […]
The physical health conversation most people never have before they stop working Here is something I probably do not say to clients often enough. Stopping work can actually be bad for your body. I hold back partly because I do not feel fully qualified to talk about it, and partly because I genuinely do not […]
The conversations most people never have before they stop working When someone sits down with me and tells me they are thinking about stopping work, most people expect me to ask about their pension. How much have they got? What age are they thinking? Is the number there yet? I do get to all of […]
Retiring early can sound like the dream. No more Monday morning rush. No more packed calendar. No more pressure from clients, colleagues, deadlines or targets. No more squeezing life into the edges of work. For many people, early retirement represents freedom. It is the reward for decades of effort, discipline, saving and planning. It is […]
About 18 months ago, I picked up a padel tennis racket for the first time. I had no idea what I was doing. I did not understand the angles, the glass, the positioning or the rhythm of the game. I lost every single match. I was, without question, the worst person on the court. Everyone […]
There is a question that sounds simple at first, but becomes more difficult the longer you sit with it. Think about your last normal working week. Not a week with a holiday, a wedding, a birthday, a crisis or something unusual in the diary. Just a standard, ordinary week. What did it look like? For […]
There is a significant change coming to the UK tax system, and it has the potential to affect around 49,000 families. Quite possibly yours. From 6 April 2027, unused pension funds will be brought into the scope of inheritance tax for the first time. This is not a small technical adjustment. It is a meaningful […]
There is a question that quietly underpins almost every conversation about retirement and later life, yet it is rarely asked outright. What story are you already telling yourself about your future? Not the usual questions about pensions, savings, or how you will spend your time. Those matter, of course. But this is something deeper. It […]