November 3, 2025
As human beings, we tend to be creatures of optimism. Significant resources are poured into our development with the hope of positioning us for better opportunities and prospects in the future. Even in our lowest of lows, when one has hit rock bottom, we tend to believe that somehow, we shall rebound, and things will get better, eventually. However, unlike bald eagles, which can (mythically), renew themselves by shedding their brittle beaks, dull talons, and heavy feathers, humans aren’t so blessed in their renewal characteristics. In addition to taxes and death, another (conditional) certainty that humans face is retirement, that is, if death does not intervene first.
The retirement topic has been dealt with from a multitude of disciplines. However, messaging to intended recipients and often complex mathematical models to explain the concepts around retirement and its related preparation tend to get lost in the jargon. This article shall discuss the topic of retirement from a consumer’s perspective, focusing mainly on those elements that are entirely within the realm of their control. As a prelude, it would be prudent to present a few statistics to serve as a basis: