Steve explains how we gave him the ‘confidence to retire’

Many fear retirement because they don’t want to leave their job. Maybe, they’re not sure what they’d do with their free time. or they feel guilty in leaving their team short during a big project.

It can be quite difficult to get over the fear of retirement; in fact, some are never able to get over it despite being able to retire early.

Our client, Steve from Altrincham in Greater Manchester, didn’t let fear dictate his next move and he’s now happily retired. We spoke to him to find out how we helped him retire, what retired life is like and what his plans are for the future.

Fact File

Name: Steve

Age: 60

Pension types: Defined Benefit & Defined Contribution

Retired since: July 2020

Hobbies: Archery, reading, SCI-FI

Objectives: Steve wanted not to have to work again. Ultimately, he wanted to enjoy retirement and spend time on his hobbies, travelling or with his friends rather than worrying about work or money.

What was the thing that started you on the road to retirement?

Steve: “I’d just left my job.

“I was with that company for 18 years and for the majority of it I really loved it. However, last year there were some structural changes and it made things less enjoyable, and the workload was so much that it was getting too hard.

“In the run-up to my 60th birthday, I got sent a retirement guide by the government, and it told me to speak to an independent financial adviser, and that led me to Joslin Rhodes.”

How much did you know about pensions and retirement planning?

Steve: “Well, I knew enough to do some rough working out on what I’d probably have in retirement. I knew it’d be quite good because I had four pension pots.

“So I had a good base-line understanding, but I was very naive. It wasn’t until I spoke with Joslin Rhodes that I got to see what options were available to me.”

How did you find the lifestyle financial planning process?

Steve: “I haven’t really heard about it at all; I have to admit. I was expecting I’d come in and you’d say ‘just move your pots over here, and that’ll be enough’.

“Whereas what I went through was actually a lot more reassuring.

“Steph gave me sound advice about what we could do and provided the numbers to back it up. You can’t really ask for more than that.”

What is retired life like now?

Steve: “I’ve been retired since the end of June, and it’s great. You just enjoy life, and I’m really not missing being on call at work.

“Obviously, the lockdown has got in the way a bit. My main hobby is archery, and sadly the club was closed for a few months.

“I’ve been keeping busy though, reading a lot of books on mathematics and machine learning, which is something I’ve always wanted to spend more time doing. I’ve managed to get my house and garden vaguely how I want them to look.

“Walking has been another big one. I’ve been walking every day to get myself physically active.

“Most of all, I’m just loving not having to be at work. I have the time to do stuff that I want to do. I wasn’t even enjoying the weekend as I was often on call, which would ruin any plans with I’d make with friends.

“Once we’ve got COVID-19 out of the way, I’ll hopefully be going to meet with friends at Sci-Fi conventions, get back into my archery full-time and do some travelling.”

How did you find meeting over video calls?

Steve: “I found it to be terrific. Obviously, I come from an IT background, so I was used to the software and so on.

“It was great to be able to see Steph and her body language and so on while she’s explaining things to me. I think if it was just over the phone, I’d have struggled to be confident in what was being said.

“I’d say anyone who has been working remotely during COVID-19 would find this process really straightforward.”

How did we help you the most with your retirement planning?

Steve: “My main question was I didn’t know what was the best option to get the best out of my pension pots. I was a little bit freaked out by how the markets were performing from March to June too.

“However, Steph showed me the numbers and all the options, then engaged with me on every step. She left me feeling confident that I’m going to be okay in retirement.”

What advice would you give to someone thinking about retirement?

Steve: “I’d say speaking to an independent financial adviser is a must.

“For me, I’d done the rough numbers, but I wasn’t able to plan out exactly how much I’d have for the next 20-30 years.

“Everyone is probably a bit naive when it comes to retirement and pensions, so getting that extra help is beneficial.”

How can we help you live the retirement dream? – Free retirement review

Get started on your journey to retirement by having one of our free no-obligation first meetings.

You’ll be able to speak with our financial advisers who can explain our PlanHappy Lifestyle Financial Planning process, how it can help you. Most importantly, you can work through what it is you want to do in retirement.

You tell us what you want to do, you tell us your goals and aspirations, and then we start your journey to retirement.

✓ Retirement Savings – how much you need to save for retirement

✓ Retirement Date – when you can afford to stop working

✓ Retirement Income – how much you can spend in retirement

So, if you’re looking to make sense of pension and retirement planning options with straightforward financial planning advice, we’re here to help.

Contact our friendly team on, 033 0133 3035 or click to arrange a call back from one of our experts.