Life gets better with age
The journey to and through retirement offers great opportunity. It’s the start of something we at Standard Life call your Second Life.
How we live our Second Life is as personal to us as how we live now. Some find a new sense of purpose, for others they continue to do what they love, but now it’s at their chosen pace. One thing we know is there is a second life for every person in every situation. Making the most of this opportunity benefits from steady planning, careful consideration and trusted guidance.
Watch the video below to see how some things really do get better with age.
Hear from retirees enjoying their Second Lives with Standard Life
Use the tips and links in our Retirement Planning Countdown
Try the retirement planning calculator to see how much retirement income you'll need
Retirement Chats
First day of retirement
Our End of Career Guidance Counsellor, Brian Mooney, and Second Life Mentor, Sonya Lennon, speak to Ann and Michael about ‘Day One’ of retirement. From defining retirement as ‘enjoying life’ to the new freedom, pace, and opportunities on offer, they share that the key to enjoying this new ‘golden age’ is planning.
A purposeful life
Des and Andy speak to our End of Career Guidance Counsellor, Brian Mooney, and Second Life Mentor, Sonya Lennon, about the new purpose they’ve found in retirement. Remaining active, nurturing friendships that sustain them, and seeking out ‘off-piste’ opportunities are what keeps them challenged and enjoying retirement.
Pivoting
Greg and Bridget tell Brian Mooney, End of Career Guidance Counsellor and Sonya Lennon, Second Life Mentor about their transition into retirement, and how pivoting in totally new directions has recharged and re-energised their lives. The outcomes: a boost in confidence, getting involved in the community and developing new skills.
A change of direction
After 42 years in print production, Dave wanted a career change. A lifelong history enthusiast, he retrained as a Dublin tour guide and now shares his love of history with others. He talks to Brian Mooney about his Second Life and the steps he took to plan for it.
A sense of purpose
After Donal retired early from the Air Corps he found he had a lot of time on his hands. He chose to dedicate part of his Second Life working for his community, and is now actively involved with our charity partner ALONE. He spoke to Brian about finding a new sense of purpose.
Finding your own way
There's no one right route to retirement. Gráinne & Louis have taken two very different approaches – in fact, Louis considers himself only semi-retired. They spoke with Brian about how they live their Second Lives together, and the importance of embracing and enjoying retirement.
Being prepared
Don talks to Brian about the importance of being emotionally ready for retirement. He points out that it's not like flicking a switch, and that you might need to try a number of different ways of living your Second Life before you discover what works for you.
Staying connected
Retired marketing executive Dave chats with Brian about the importance of staying active in retirement, and maintaining a positive connection with other people. They talk about the dramatic change in daily routine, and how to maintain a healthy social calendar that will help you enjoy your Second Life.
Living for the moment
In part two of his chat with Brian, Dave talks about a recent health scare and how that helped to focus his mindset in retirement. By focusing on living in the moment and not worrying too much about what lies ahead, he's making the most of his Second Life.
Countdown to retirement
Your at-a-glance guide to the steps you need to take at ten, five and one year from retirement.
Ten years to go
- Start the conversation. Speak to a financial adviser, family and friends about planning for your Second Life. Use our Second Life Guide or our Second Life Questionnaire to get started.
- Contact your pension providers for statements so that you know the value of pension policies in retirement.
- Are your investments performing as you'd like? You might want to consider, spreading your investments differently. It's also worth reviewing your attitude to risk with our Risk Profiler.
- If you hold more than one pension policy with different providers, it might be worthwhile to combine them. Speak with your financial adviser about the potential benefits.
- If you can, you might want to increase your pension contributions to benefit from tax relief. Have a chat with your financial adviser and, when you're ready, complete our pension top up form.
Always speak to a financial adviser before making any changes to your pension.
Five years or less to go
- Review your plan and make sure it's working for you. There's useful product and planning information in our Second Life Guide and Second Life Questionnaire.
- Register for My Standard Life so you can monitor your pension value online in the run up to retirement. Check that you're on track. Use this calculator from the Pensions Authority to see how much you'll need to live on in retirement, and compare it to your pension forecasts. Speak to your financial adviser if there's a gap.
- Keep boosting those contributions if you can. Remember, you get the benefit of tax relief on your contributions, so contact your financial adviser then complete our pension top up form.
- It's time to think about how you'll take your pension income. Read about your retirement product options here.
- Check that you're saving in the most tax efficient way and take the opportunity to get your other affairs in order by, for example, reviewing your will and the possible impact of inheritance tax.
One year out or less
- Speak to your financial adviser and review all your plans. Do you have everything you need in place?
- Review all the figures. Get statements of your projected retirement fund values from your pension providers and speak to your financial adviser about whether there's anything else you need to do.
- Contact the Department of Social Protection to check your State pension entitlements.
- Remember, you can always refer back to your Second Life Guide to review product and planning information for your retirement needs.
Check our retirement planning calculator
This handy tool helps you think about the Second Life you want to lead, and to begin working out how much retirement income you'll need to achieve it. A few simple clicks will get you started.