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Enjoying retirement is about much more than financial security
The boutique advice firm Wattle Partners is holding a one-day conference titled Making the most of your Golden Years to address the financial, social and mental issues confronting people moving to or in retirement.
The conference, to be held at Randwick Racecourse on July 25, 2024, will boast an interesting array of speakers addressing how to prepare financially for retirement as well as how to find purpose and fulfillment in life after work.
Wattle principals Jamie Nemtsas (right) and Drew Meredith (centre), who will be joined by Rask founder and chief investment officer Owen Raszkiewicz (left) for a Q-A with the audience, say more than 130,000 Australians retire every year, and for many it’s a decision fraught with trepidation.
“Being financially ready for retirement is important, but it’s not everything. Retirement should also be the time when you can go out and live the life you’ve been preparing for.”
The sessions will draw on the knowledge of retirement and investment experts as well as a fireside chat with Besa Deda, the chief economist at Westpac’s Business Bank, who will be interviewed by James Dunn, an experienced finance journalist and host at The Inside Network.
Dunn will tease out Deda’s thoughts on her role at Westpac, her outlook for investment markets and plans and concerns for the economy and markets into the future.
Seasoned retirement coach Jon Glass of 64 Plus will host the opening session that should be compulsory listening for those just retired. Under the session title of finding your ikigai – a Japanese word that translates into your reason to get out of bed each day – he will explain how many people lose their ikigai on leaving work and how to regain it in retirement.
Glass says: “Everyone, when they retire, leaves work behind and starts afresh. But for many people, walking away from work also means walking away from what gave them a sense of meaning.
“And the loss of this purpose can be a bewildering and unexpected blow: yes, you now have freedom, autonomy and flexibility – but there is, for many people, a hole in their lives.”
He will explain how, in this new phase in your life, you need to find, nurture and listen to your ikigai. “It’s as important to your retirement as money is, and in this session, the audience will go through the necessary steps to find their new ikigai.”
Retirement educator Bec Wilson, founder and principal of Epic Retirement, will tell the conference that financial security is far from anything in retirement.
“Do you have the goals and the financial plan to live well into your 90s? That’s the way most people look at retirement. But those things don’t guarantee a meaningful retirement.
“To bring that about, you’re going to have to start thinking about the mind and body you want to have in your 70s, 80s and 90s – and start working on your health now, physical and mental.”
Wilson argues it’s all about planning for a longer retirement, both financially and functionally. “It’s about improving your quality of life, looking after your health, mobility and well-being, relationships and social engagement.”
Atchison Consultants principal Kev Toohey and analyst Mishan Dahia will explain how to tweak your portfolio for retirement, explaining that while income and defensive assets become increasingly important in retirement, so too does the need to retain growth assets.
How to find that growth will fall to three investment experts – Horizon3 Healthcare CIO Matt McNamara, Platinum Asset Management portfolio manager Leon Rapp and Munro Partners portfolio manager Qiao Ma.
It all adds up to a compelling conference, whether you are approaching or in retirement. To register for Wattle’s Making the most of your Golden Years event, click here.
