18/08/2026
You could have $1 million in super and still not feel ready to retire.
And you could have considerably less and feel completely confident.
Why?
Because retirement planning isnโt simply about reaching a number.
I often meet people in their late 50s or early 60s who have spent years building their superannuation and assets, but havenโt really thought through what they actually want retirement to look like.
And thatโs where I think the conversation needs to start.
How do you want to spend your time?
What will give you purpose?
How much flexibility do you want?
Do you want to help your children financially?
What lifestyle are you actually trying to support?
Once those questions become clearer, the financial decisions become much easier to work through.
Because the number you need for retirement depends on what you need that money to do.
Someone wanting to travel regularly, support their children and maintain a certain lifestyle may need a very different strategy from someone whose priorities are completely different.
And retirement decisions donโt exist in isolation either.
A decision about your mortgage can affect retirement.
A decision about helping your children can affect retirement.
A career change can affect retirement.
How you use your superannuation and other assets can affect the income and flexibility available to you later.
Thatโs why I donโt think thereโs a particular age when retirement planning suddenly needs to begin.
For many people, the conversation becomes increasingly important in their late 30s and 40s, when careers, children, mortgages and competing financial priorities start intersecting.
The earlier you understand how those pieces fit together, the more choices youโll typically have later on.
One simple exercise I often suggest is this:
Imagine itโs your first Tuesday in retirement.
Where are you?
Who are you spending your time with?
What does a satisfying day actually look like?
It sounds simple, but it changes the conversation.
Iโve seen people with modest means retire confidently because they had realistic expectations and a clear plan.
Iโve also seen people with substantial assets remain anxious because they lacked certainty about their future.
Confidence often comes from clarity, not just wealth.
If retirement is starting to become part of your thinking, the first question may not be:
โHow much money do I need?โ
It might be:
โWhat do I actually want my money to allow me to do?โ
At Altruist Advisers, we help people bring those pieces together and understand what their financial resources could mean for the life they want to build.
๐ Learn more about Altruist Advisers:
https://altruist.au/
๐
Book a complimentary 30-minute conversation with Mandar:
https://lnkd.in/gtNmigA5
