Hi Reader

Before I sign off for a month of sun, slow mornings, and hopefully a few moments where I remember what it feels like not to be thinking about retirement 24/7… I just want to say a massive thank you.

Whether you've read every edition of this newsletter, dipped in and out, listened to the Humans vs Retirement podcast on your morning walk, or picked up a copy of my book and found something in it that made you pause, smile, or nod knowingly, thank you. Genuinely. From the bottom of my heart.

This little ecosystem we’ve built, of ideas, conversations, challenges, and provocations, means the world to me. Writing this newsletter each week is one of my favourite things to do. It’s where I get to share thoughts that matter, challenge the status quo, and remind us all that retirement is so much more than pensions and spreadsheets.

It’s purpose. It’s energy. It’s life, redesigned.

So, as I step away for a few weeks to recharge and plan what’s next, I wanted to leave you with something a little different. A send-off. A nudge. A challenge. And maybe even a reason to shut your laptop and go make a memory.

Because the clock isn’t waiting. And neither should you.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Don’t Wait. The Clock Isn’t.

As I sign off for the summer to rest, recharge, and attempt the noble art of Doing Nothing (ideally somewhere shady with something cold in hand), I didn’t want to just disappear quietly into the sunshine.

Nope... Not my style.

I want to go out with a bang, a metaphorical confetti cannon of a newsletter.

A little call to arms, if you like.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned after hundreds of conversations, emails, planning sessions, and awkward silences, it’s this:

Too many people are waiting.

Waiting for the “right” moment. Waiting for clarity. Waiting for permission.

But here’s the inconvenient truth: The clock isn’t waiting for you.

Retirement isn’t the end of the road. It’s the bloody roundabout.

You don’t “arrive” at retirement. You swirl around in it. You try exits. You loop back. Sometimes you indicate one way and veer off another. Sometimes you just park up for a while and eat a Calippo in the sun. That’s OK.

But please… don’t just sit there with your indicator blinking, waiting for someone to wave you through. No one is coming. The point of retirement is that you get to choose when to go. And where. And how.

So go. Somewhere. Anywhere. Just move.

Your money is stored energy. Spend it on something that moves you.

Too many retirees treat their money like a Fabergé egg, precious, fragile, untouchable. But that’s not what it’s for.

Money is energy.

It’s potential. It’s freedom in disguise. It’s the tool that turns time into memories. It’s not just there to protect you from bad days. It’s there to fuel the good ones.

So stop guarding it like a dragon hoarding treasure. Spend it on connection. On growth. On joy. On a questionable decision you’ll laugh about for years.

Spend it in ways that make your kids say, “Well, fair enough…”

There is no perfect time. Only time.

The stock market won’t align perfectly with your bucket list. The grandkids will keep growing. Your knees might creak a bit more. The weather won’t always cooperate. And the “window” won’t announce itself with a fanfare.

This is the window. This moment. This season. This summer.

Retirement doesn’t come with guarantees. But it does come with choices.

And every day you get to choose: To live a little bolder. To spend a little freer. To laugh a little louder. To finally stop asking, “Is this sensible?” and start asking, “Will I remember this?”

No one gets to the end and says:

“Thank God I never went to Florence.”**

Or “I’m really proud I kept the expensive wine for a better day.” Or “I’m so glad I spent my best years optimising tax wrappers.”

The regrets people carry aren’t about what they did. They’re about what they delayed. Postponed. Put off. Saved “for later.”

But later is a slippery thing. It sneaks off when you’re not looking.

The Summer Challenge

So here’s my challenge to you: Do one bold thing this summer. Just one.

Something future-you would high-five you for. Big or small. Daring or quiet. Public or deeply personal. But something that says:

“I was here. I chose joy. I didn’t wait.”

Snap a photo. Tell me the story. And don’t you dare run it through a spreadsheet first.

Ask yourself:

Will this be a memory or a missed moment?

And then make the call.

Until September…

That’s it from me for now.

No more articles, rants, or Calippo metaphors for a few weeks. Just a quiet exhale, some time with the people I love, and hopefully a few moments of “oh, this… this is living.”

I’ll see you back in September, with more thoughts, more sketches, more provocations, and hopefully… more photos from you. Of a summer well spent.

And if you forget everything I’ve ever written, just remember this:

Don’t wait. The clock isn’t.

Dan x

RETIREMENT RESOURCE

The Summer Challenge Worksheet

This simple worksheet is your invitation to stop waiting and start living. Use it to choose one bold, joy-filled action this summer, because the clock isn’t waiting, and neither should you.

​The Summer Challenge Worksheet (1).pdf​​​​​

PODCAST

Living Between Chapters with Toni Petrillo

Retirement isn’t one big leap, it’s a slow, messy, emotional unravelling of who you were… and a gradual rebuild of who you’re becoming. In this honest and insightful episode, I sit down with retirement coach Toni Petrillo to talk about what really happens after the job ends: the loss of identity, relationship friction, emotional limbo, and why so many people suffer in silence. We explore the messy middle, that strange space between the end of work and the start of something new, and Toni shares tools to navigate it with confidence, intention, and curiosity. This episode is essential listening if retirement doesn’t feel quite right… yet. ​​​​

SKETCH OF THE WEEK

Crafted by the Past... Called by the Future.

RETIREMENT ARTICLES

What I've read this week

• The Pace of Progress is Breaking us - Humans vs Retirement​
• A Surprisingly Powerful Motivator to Plan for Retirement - Michael Finke
• I’m an expert on ageing. Here’s what I know about thriving in later life - The Guardian