Looking Forward to Retirement

My wife passed away unexpectedly when she was just turning 59. We were both working full time and no longer had children at home. At the time, we were looking to retire at 62 and 65 respectively and were planning on spending our retirement traveling the world and learning about different cultures.

My wife was an accountant and she had actually been the one who kept our financial affairs in order. She had gotten a plan done by an adviser at NZFP many years earlier. I went to the first couple of meetings and weighed in on a few decisions but for the most part everything just seemed to tick along and if I had a question I’d ask my wife. I must confess, I really didn’t pay very close attention.

One of the first things I did was to call our financial adviser for a meeting. Sitting across from him I felt that he really understood my situation. He really listened to me. He said that my wife had done a stellar job of managing our finances and that I would be more than looked after once I retired. In fact, it turned out that I could go ahead and retire at 62 instead of 65 if I wanted to. I was shocked and excited by this prospect as it was only a few months away.

I thought long and hard about what to do next but then decided to go ahead and retire. Because I was still feeling a little bit fragile, my family and I had a discussion about me continuing to work in some capacity, just to keep me occupied. I went to my boss to discuss this idea and he said he would bring me on as a part time consultant as my knowledge and experience were a real asset to the company.

I am now 70 and have finally fully retired. I have had many adventures around the globe. I’ve done a cooking tour of Italy, and traveled through Southeast Asia with one of my sons, eating all kinds of different foods. I love seeing my grandchildren and most importantly, when I go to be with my wife once again, I know that my family will also be well looked after. It’s a legacy of their mother’s that I am able to extend and that means the world to me.

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