One of the things that I have always found myself good at is making sure that I find enough time to do the things I love doing.
I spend my whole working life talking about this with clients, and so its also vital I ‘walk the talk’. Seeing yet another client reducing work to spend more time sailing/golfing/travelling or whatever they are into is always very satisfying.
Its the same with friends who quite often use me as a sounding board – “do you think I should look at this Graeme” and “is that a sensible thing to do?” It comes with the territory of being a financial planner I suppose.
Having turned 50 last year, and seeing 51 looming in March, I sometimes ask myself ” where did that year go then?!” It does seem like 5 minutes not 365 days!
So after promising myself last year to travel to a long fancied European city each March with a friend who shares my love of history/food/wine/running etc, next month we are off to Jerez.
Ahh, I can taste the Tapas already!
Lovely daughter Charlotte, turned 12 going on 21, is now amazingly grown up all of a sudden. She is on holiday this week, and it would be so easy to get on with client work (and writing newsletters!) to find the week gone and we havent had some father/daughter time.
So we are going to see Avator at our local Imax Cinema, and no doubt fit in popcorn and a chocolate ice cream. It is supposed to be an incredible film, so we are looking forward to it already.
Then there is my Dad, who is 79 this year. His poor eyesight means that he had to give up the car two years ago. So he and Mam love to be taken out for lunch, and see Charlotte blossoming. So we will make this happen before the cinema by visting a cracking pub restaurant that they love.
Dad also loves talking about the family tree almost as much as me! I am now pretty good at using the various search engines on the internet, and he invested in broadband recently to make it easier for us when I visit. Way to go Dad!
If you havent got into your family history yet but would like to, then just let me know and I will help if I can. Have ‘a dip’ with the 1911 census (google it) by inputting, say, a grandfather and see where they lived, and with other tools you can get back to the mid 1800s usually quite easily.
I will also reach another landmark come next month. I will become a pensioner! What, at age 51 I hear you ask? Well, yes.
I was very lucky to have a very good pension scheme with the Medical Sickness Society built up in the 1980s and 90s. I was aware that due to recent rule changes, I could take it before April, but would then have to wait to at least age 55 before I had my next chance.
Of course there are actuarial penalties if taken now, however, having looked at all the figures it makes sense. Just like I give advice to clients thinking of taking benefits early, you need to do your due dilligence. Basically, it would take around 17 years for my smaller pension taken now, be ‘overtaken’ by a higher pension at age 55.
So it makes sense. Do I want to do lots of living between now age 68, or wait until my 70s? Hmmm.
Talking of the MSS, it was quite ironic that while writing this an old MSS client from my Kent days has emailed me. He had remained loyal to MSS when I left Kent in 2000, and I accepted this as he is that sort of guy. But he has got to the point now where he has lots of products that have been sold to him, but has no idea if he is on track to achieve his goals in life. He saw the way we work on our website and wants to learn more.
So not only will MSS be paying me money through my pension, they are still sending me clients regularly by remaining a sales organisation! Sweet irony.
So, all in all, I guess that the most important lesson I have learnt in life is – LIVE IN THE NOW.
By the way, I asked my dad what it was like to have a son who is a pensioner. He is still considering his answer.
