Journal
Thinking about working less
The money matters, but it is rarely the whole story. These pieces look at the fears, the trade-offs and the questions that come up before you cut down.
Retiring as a couple: timing, money and time togetherTwo timelines, two pension pictures, one home. The conversations worth having before you dial down.
Finding purpose in retirement, or when you work lessPurpose doesn't have to be a grand mission. Small ways to find it again, and why dialling down helps.
The emotional stages of retirement, and of dialling downAnticipation, a honeymoon, a dip, then a new normal. What to expect, and how a glide helps.
Retirement regrets: what people wish they’d done differentlyRegrets run both ways: going too soon or too late. What people wish they'd done differently.
Feeling low after retiring or cutting down: you’re not aloneWhy you might feel low after retiring or cutting down, what helps, and where to find support.
Retirement boredom: why it happens and how to avoid itWhy boredom often follows retiring, and simple ways to prevent it or ease it now.
What to do in retirement (or when you start working less)Ideas for filling your extra time, whether you retire fully or start working less.
Work guilt: why wanting to work less can feel wrongWhy wanting to work less can feel wrong, and how to step back with a clear conscience.
National Insurance gaps: what they are and whether filling them is worth itWhat NI gaps are, what a year costs and adds, and when filling one won’t help.
Comparison: why someone else’s retirement is the wrong yardstickFriends, colleagues, feeds: why their retirement is the wrong measure for yours.
Big purchases: before or after you go part-time?Car, boiler, big trip? Questions to help you time big purchases before dialling down.
Too much for help, too little to stop: the squeezed middleEarn too much for help, too little to stop? Why dialling down suits the squeezed middle.
Saved all your life, so why does spending feel so hard?Why careful savers struggle to spend, and gentle ways to turn a pot back into a life.
The bridge years: getting from working less to your State PensionGetting from working less to your State Pension: the usual ingredients, explained.
From provider to what? Who you are when you work lessAlways the provider? How to rethink your role, and who you are, as you dial down.
Write your own job description for the next 10 yearsDesign the next decade like a role: purpose, time shares, boundaries and a template.
Retirement is a myth for most of us. Here’s the alternative.Why the cliff edge doesn’t add up, and what a glide changes.
Scared to retire? The fears nobody talks aboutEight fears that stop people cutting down, and gentler ways to think about each.
Time left versus money leftThe second number retirement planning forgets: your healthy years.
More to come. New articles are added regularly.