Following on from the previous blog on considering early retirement, the focus of this conversation sparker is to look at five key things that should be on our to-do list before we make any decisions about our retirement (or any big life decision!). In his article for Glacier, Dinash Pillay, National Business Development Manager at Glacier, said that there is much for you to consider before you hand in your early retirement notice. We know that […]
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Designing Your “No Rules Retirement”
Our concept of retirement is undergoing a metamorphosis. Demographic, societal, and workplace trends have all converged to offer a stage of life—at mid-life and beyond—that is much more fluid and flexible than we previously thought possible. When planning for retirement, we are discovering that the “old rules” have been thrown out and that “no rules” apply. Instead of “not working,” retirement has come to mean emancipation, the freedom to choose the activities and pursuits we find […]
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Fortify financial peace of mind
There are few things worse than lying in bed at night, tossing and turning over financial stress. Lack of sleep only adds to our stress and hinders our overall mental, physical and emotional health! Our money choices are linked to our life choices, and our life choices are linked to our money choices. This means that we have to find ways to reduce financial stress if we want to actively and intentionally manage our overall stress […]
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How to nurture financially savvy kids
In 1988, financial planner and best-selling author Venita Van Caspel wrote in her bestselling book Financial Dynamics for the 1990s: “Our educational system continues to send forth our young with so little information about financial matters that they are like time bombs about to destroy their own and their families’ economic futures. We equip them to earn good incomes and to live the good life, but we fail miserably as a nation to prepare them to […]
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When the opposite is true
There is a thin veneer over everything. When we are distracted by news streams, overwhelmed by direct messaging and tired from keeping up with the Joneses, it’s easy to create a veneer that allows us to store and process more information without having to delve deeper into what’s actually going on beneath the surface. It’s here that paradoxes are formed, and we can miss out on value when we aren’t able to dig deeper and find […]
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The miracle of Meraki
In every culture and creed, there are traditions and philosophies about how to experience the best that life has in store for us, whilst overcoming trials and tragedies. From mindfulness to healthy eating, from exercise to stress management – we are often reminded that what we put in is what we get out. Somewhere, in all of these pragmatic approaches, we can lose sight of the meaning of what we’re putting in, and become focused on […]
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Sandwich generation
The sandwich generation refers to working-age individuals who are in the precarious position of looking after their growing children and caring for elderly parents. They are effectively “sandwiched” between the responsibilities of caring for their children, who require financial, physical, and emotional support, and caring for their ageing parents, who may be unwell, incapable of performing certain activities, or in need of financial assistance. Increasing lifespans and having children at an older age have contributed to […]
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The nourishment of nature
A breath of fresh air, the sun on our faces, bare feet in the sand. Spending time outside can provide many small pleasures, which all leave us feeling revitalised. Whether it’s sipping ice-cold lemonade in our backyard or hiking up a mountain, spending time in nature has numerous benefits beyond the obvious. There have been many studies outlining the positive mental effects of being immersed in nature. For example, the University of Michigan conducted a study […]
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Things don’t get easier – we become more resilient
Life is uncharted. Maps can only be made from where we’ve been – not where we have yet to go. The only certainty is uncertainty, and we can experience potentially life-altering choices on a daily basis. Each nebulous choice we make brings with it a unique flood of thoughts and emotions. Yet, we generally adapt well, over time, to life-changing situations. This is, in part, thanks to resilience. Psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting […]
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How to do it in the 4IR
“But we didn’t need it, and we turned out fine.” We hear this line more than we should. From tap water to technology, from diets to devices, from gender identification to genetic modification, from schooling to selecting a coach or advisor, our peers and mentors can often throw this line in our face – but we didn’t need it, and we turned out fine. It can leave our sails windless and stall our engines before we’ve […]
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