Hi Reader

It's been a bit of a journey but my book has finally started to make it into the hands of people all across the globe and I couldn't be more humbled, excited, and proud to see the pictures of people holding the book and the initial feedback that I'm getting. Thank you to all those that have already purchased a copy and for those the haven't click the link below to order yours now.

​https://www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/the-retirement-you-didn-t-see-coming-1​

Just a heads-up that next week will be the last newsletter before I’ll be pressing pause on the newsletter, the podcast, and all things Humans vs Retirement throughout August. I’m taking a much-needed break to switch off, soak up some family time, and recharge the creative batteries. I’ll also be doing some behind-the-scenes planning for the next wave of content, so expect fresh ideas, deeper insights, and (of course) a healthy dose of rebellious retirement thinking when I return in September.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Why Retiring Into the Unknown is Better Than Retiring Into a Plan

Let me say something that might ruffle a few spreadsheets:

The best retirements aren’t planned. They’re discovered.

I know. Renegade. Someone call the Financial Conduct Authority.

But hear me out…

The Problem With Plans

The entire retirement industry is built on a singular, seductive promise:

“Have a plan, and you’ll feel safe.”

Safe to stop working. Safe to spend. Safe to live.

But here’s the catch: life doesn’t follow your plan.

You don’t wake up on Day One of retirement and execute a perfect, colour-coded lifestyle strategy like a corporate project manager on Red Bull.

You wake up and go: “Now what?”

The plan says “travel more,” but your knees disagree.

The plan says “volunteer,” but you’re not sure you can face sorting another shelf of jigsaw puzzles at the charity shop.

The plan says “spend confidently,” but the fear of running out is louder than ever.

Retiring Into a Plan Feels Safe

But It’s a Trap.

Here’s the truth most people realise too late:

Plans give the illusion of certainty. But retirement isn’t complicated. It’s complex.

And complexity doesn’t respond well to rigid agendas.

Because you’ll change. Your relationships will shift. Your health, your energy, your desires, all in flux. You don’t know who you’ll be in five years’ time… …because you’ve never been retired before.

So why pretend a plan made in your 50s will still fit the person you become at 65?

Humans Don’t Like Uncertainty

Our brains crave control. We’d rather feel wrong but in charge than uncertain but open.

That’s why we obsess over the perfect number. The safe withdrawal rate. The best-case/worst-case scenario.

Because we think planning will protect us from fear.

But the real antidote to fear isn’t control. It’s confidence. And confidence doesn’t come from plans, it comes from resilience. From adaptability. From trusting yourself to figure things out as you go.

Retiring Into the Unknown is an Act of Growth

What if retirement isn’t something to solve?

What if it’s something to explore?

Something to experiment with, test, revise, reimagine?

“Retiring into the unknown” means letting go of the fantasy of the perfectly mapped life… and embracing the reality that your best years might look nothing like you expected, but everything like you need.

It’s messy. It’s surprising. It’s alive.

And it’s human.

So What Do You Do Instead?

You don’t throw out structure completely. But you shift your mindset.

You retire with a compass, not a map.

You build a flexible framework, not a fixed itinerary.

And you stay curious.

Start with questions, not answers:

• What gives me energy?
• What am I ready to leave behind?
• What do I want to try, even if I fail?
• How can I spend time, not just fill it?

You stay light on your feet. You pivot when needed. You make peace with not knowing what comes next.

Because that’s not failure. That’s freedom.

Final Thought

You were never meant to retire into a perfect plan. You were meant to retire into a wider version of yourself.

Into the unknown. Into growth. Into possibility.

Because that’s where the real retirement lives. Not in the plan. But in the becoming.

RETIREMENT RESOURCE

The Retirement Compass Workbook

5 Questions to Help You Navigate the Unknown (Instead of Clinging to a Plan)

​The Retirement Compass.pdf​​​

PODCAST

Lessons Through The Lens of a Real Life Retirement with Andy Murphy

In this episode of the podcast, I’m so fortunate to be able to have a conversation with my client, Andy Murphy, to hear about his experiences and challenges in retirement. Andy shares his career story and how he began to think seriously about retirement. We discuss how important planning and preparation was for Andy, as well as the emotional and psychological adjustments that he has had to make and continues to work through. This episode provides a first-hand perspective on the realities of life after work and offers valuable insights for anyone approaching retirement. ​​​​

SKETCH OF THE WEEK

Mind The (Retirement) Gap

RETIREMENT ARTICLES

What I've read this week

• The Future of Retirement: How Technology Will Make Aging Easier - Fritz Gilbert, The Retirement Manifesto​
• 16 Ways People Find Purpose Around the World - Greater Good Magazine​
• Living Your Best Life Because of the Problems You WANT To Have - Paul Long​