Jun 01 • 3 min read
The Retirement Fix | June 1st 2025
|
Hi Reader I've got super exciting news to bring you! My book is edited, my book cover has been designed, and now the finishing touches are being applied. I hope that next week I will be able to offer you, my most valued community a chance to pre order the book and reveal the official launch date. I have had the privilege to give a sneak peek of the book to some of the finance and retirement professions most respected thought leaders and I have to say that the feedback has blown my mind! I can't wait to get this out into the world. But until next week, grab that morning coffee and read through this weeks newsletter. As always, I hope you enjoy... FEATURED ARTICLE The Retirement Echo ChamberWhy your post-work life needs more strangers (and a little more weirdness).There’s a quiet irony about retirement no one tells you: You finally get the time and freedom to expand your world… And instead, you shrink it. Let me explain. Retirement is supposed to be about liberation. No more office politics. No more bad coffee in the boardroom. No more nodding along to Gareth from compliance explaining the new five-tier password security system. (“Your password must include an uppercase, lowercase, special character, emoji, and a reference to a Roman emperor.”) But what often happens is that once we step away from our working lives, we stop bumping into difference. And without friction, we stop growing. Same People, Same Views, Same Dinner ConversationIt usually starts innocently enough:
All logical, right? But slowly and silently, your world becomes more familiar, more comfortable, more predictable, until one day you realise… You haven’t had a genuinely challenging conversation in months. You haven’t heard an idea that made you rethink anything. You’ve developed such a strong emotional attachment to your barista, you think of them as your “wider circle.” Welcome to the Retirement Echo Chamber. It’s not always lonely. But it is a little stale. The Perks of a Slightly Messy LifeWhen you worked, you had diversity baked in. Not just ethnic or age diversity (though hopefully that too), but diversity of:
You were exposed to people who challenged your assumptions, because you had to be. That meeting with the 28-year-old data analyst? That awkward chat with the IT guy about your “password habits”? That customer who believed the moon landing was faked? That was all stimulus. All novelty. All brain food. Now, no one’s scheduling serendipity into your calendar anymore. Which means you have to do it yourself. Retirement Shouldn’t Be a Cul-de-Sac of ConversationYes, you might love your friends. Yes, your WhatsApp groups are thriving. Yes, your dog is a fantastic listener. But if everyone in your life shares your views, your tastes, and your Spotify playlist, then you’re not retired... you’re just culturally hibernating. Let’s call it what it is: Comfortable monotony dressed up as lifestyle design. The risk? Your mind gets soft. Your assumptions harden. And the world outside your bubble feels more confusing than it should. The Fix: Add Some FrictionWant to pop the echo bubble? Try these:
Because Here’s the Real Truth:Retirement isn’t meant to shrink your world, it’s meant to blow it wide open. But that only happens if you curate your inputs deliberately. You have to choose randomness. You have to invite surprise. You have to welcome Gareth from compliance back into your life, metaphorically speaking. Reflect and Write:When was the last time someone genuinely challenged how you think, live, or see the world? Who could you have coffee with this month to make your world a little messier, in the best way possible? RETIREMENT RESOURCE The Spending Plan Worksheet This weeks resource is a worksheet I've put together to help you start to think about how you spend your money in your retirement.
PODCAST Who Will Get My Money When I Die? SKETCH OF THE WEEK When Time Wins... You Know It's Time RETIREMENT ARTICLES What I've read this week
|