Jay Pillay: Retirement will be a picnic – really?

Say you’ve chosen your site for a picnic this Saturday. You know that you have to take everything you need, with you. Perhaps the only thing they provide is the convenience of the smallest room in your house!

So, you make a list. You tick off the items as you pack your car. You know that if you miss anything, you’ll have to make do without it. You realise the wisdom of, “I’d rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!”

Now, think of retirement as going on a picnic that could last 30 years. There is just one item that has the potential to give you all you need.

Yes, that’s an adequate monthly salary – which you’ll now call a pension. Generous pensions don’t occur without the right mindset, and without smart preparation.

Here’s a new word: Think of your 40 working years as pretirement. If you’ve already been in pretirement for twenty years (are you?), you should be 50% of the way to creating your ‘generous pension’ (are you?).

I’ve done my 40 years of pretirement. I’m now 15 years into my retirement. Yes, it’s a picnic (almost) – I’m glad I started early, and kept at it.

Talk to the professionals about your pension provision.

Yes, you can enjoy that long picnic called retirement. Really.

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