About Semi Sweet

Semi Sweet is about the years between full-time work and full retirement: working less, living more, and making the time and the money add up.

The idea is simple. For most people on a moderate income, retiring completely at 55 or 60 is out of reach, and many of us would not want to stop overnight anyway. But waiting until State Pension age to get your time back can mean waiting past your healthiest years. The answer, for a lot of us, is a glide: dialling down gradually, whether that means fewer days, shorter days or a lighter role.

What is here now

Free planning tools built on official UK figures: when you can take your pensions, what part-time work really costs, your State Pension, how much you might need, and how many healthy years are likely ahead. Plus plain-English guides.

What is coming

More tools, guides and articles on the money, the feelings and the practical side of working less. New pieces are added regularly.

Our principles

• Guidance, not advice. We explain rules and share experience. We do not tell you what to do with your money, and we are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
• Show our working. Every tool lists its sources, assumptions and the date it was last checked. See how our tools work.
• Private by default. Our calculators run in your browser. What you type into them is not sent to us.