Planning for Retirement: Enjoying the Sweet Life Without the Fear of Running Out
Article Five - 23 May 2025
What a magical shot – there’s no one at this table, but I can imagine myself sitting out of shot on the left, looking over an Italian bay. On the right there, I can picture my Dad, back with us again and telling me some unbelievable story about his adventures when he was young, while we admire the view and enjoy a glass of wine and cicchetti (i.e. snacks or tapas).
In Italian, la dolce vita literally means “the sweet life”, also commonly translated to “the good life”. It captures Italy’s enduring philosophy of savouring beauty, pleasure, and the simple joys of life. It’s also why I’m taking a couple of months off later this year for my grand adventure.
And it also relates to some of our clients at JMI Wealth who invest for different reasons. Their investment capital is almost always the result of realising all the hard work they have put in over the years, with the ultimate aim to enjoy a good quality of life in retirement. After working for up to or more than 40 years, while some may have experienced financial difficulties, others may have amassed a reasonable or even a very substantial sum. But no matter their position, often many people arrive at retirement and have “FORO”, or a fear of running out. They will underspend in their retirement out of fear, and in doing so, deprive themselves of the lifestyle they worked hard to achieve.
It reminds me of a particular client who has a large investment but draws a minimum because they live very carefully in terms of spending. Late last year, I had suggested that they had the means to draw on their investment further to enjoy their twilight years to an even greater extent. And not long ago, I was delighted when they informed me they were taking my advice. Not only were they booking a European river cruise, but they were also doing it in style with a first-class ticket!
Even those with less capital in retirement can have this FORO mindset. They may not have enough to go first-class, but they may still be missing out on la dolce vita. For them, and for those who are still working to build up their capital, talking to a professional investment advisor can help to overcome those fears.
Sue Richards
Investment Advisor
+64 27 339 1167
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Information and Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It does not take into account your investment needs or personal circumstances and so is not intended to be viewed as investment or financial advice. Should you require financial advice you should always speak to your Financial Adviser. This article has been prepared from published information and other sources believed to be reliable, accurate and complete at the time of preparation. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy neither JMI Wealth, nor any person involved in this publication, accept any liability for any errors or omission, nor accepts liability for loss or damage as a result of any reliance on the information presented.