The Long Run Up

This is where I’m at in October 2022.

Walking back to the mark allows time to imagine and visualise what the long run up will achieve.

I’m thinking about transitioning away from some work-related stuff, and doing more about succession-planning. In quiet times I review my thoughts and feelings about travel, lifestyle, personal values and superannuation. 

Naturally, I’m a little bit anxious. I’m also pretty hopeful and excited. 🙂

My superannuation fund provides a service to assist/advise with retirement planning. This month we had a ~90 minute appointment with a financial advisor for a thorough review of our current situation. Our primary question was, ’In 2026 will we be able to afford to stop working full time?’. 

Good news: we will. It’s only now that I’m starting to feel confident about this timeline/plan.

The financial advisor provided a comprehensive Statement of Advice. This includes:

• summary of where we’re at and where we want to be at in retirement
• suggestions on which investment strategy best caters for our risk appetite
• a nudge to attend to other important stuff like appointing an EPoA ✅
• a very encouraging chart that shows that expected funds at time of retirement will cover expected spending in retirement (assuming we don’t live too long 😳)

Anyway, I found it very encouraging that we spoke to someone who understands superannuation and money better than we do, and she didn’t laugh at our plan - she just suggested a couple of tweaks. We have confirmation now that the length of the run-up is about right. Now we know that mark that shows the beginning of our run-up to retirement is in the correct place, and we’re pretty-much there. 

This is where I’m at in January 2023. I don’t expect to move to the next stage until there are less than a thousand days to go (keep an eye on the countdown). 

If all goes to plan, there is now less than a thousand days to go until my last day of full time work. A thousand days is less than 2 years and 9 months. It doesn‘t sound or feel like a long time at the moment. 

By intentionally, albeit metaphorically, making the turn and beginning the run it means I am now facing in the direction of my last day at work. No more idle speculation. Now it is the time to transition from imagination to action. 

Going on holiday and planning the next one is a dress rehearsal for the real thing. Refreshing old relationships and making new acquaintances are now given the priority they probably always deserved. I need to be deliberate to replicate the friendly and warm interactions I take for granted at work. Being lonely would not be much fun. Downsizing might be a good idea. Leasing a car would be a bad idea (I think). 

Less than 1000 days. Shit’s getting real. 😬

Thats where I’m at in August 2023.

Placeholder

Placeholder

Placeholder

Placeholder

Placeholder