Retirement’s hidden challenge: identity
And, in this weekend's newspapers "Retirees, it’s time to ditch the ego and focus on what really matters"
In this edition
Feature: Retirement’s hidden challenge: identity
From Bec’s Desk: Some Spring inspiration and some events
SMH/TheAge: Retirees, it’s time to ditch the ego and focus on what really matters
Prime Time: Navigating 'the retirement you didn't see coming'
Ad - Before we start — a big thanks to our newsletter sponsor this week, Viking
Enjoy free flight offers on 2026-2028 voyages with Viking’s Spring Sale*
Spring is in the air and so are Viking's best flight offers.
RIVER VOYAGES
Sail the Nile, Mekong, Mississippi or Europe’s great rivers in style, with immersive itineraries and enriching experiences. Use the code FFR25 to Fly free up to $5,000 per couple on 2026-2028 river voyages.*
OCEAN & EXPEDITION VOYAGES
Explore the world in comfort with modern ships, no kids, no casinos and all-veranda staterooms. Use the code CFF25 and your companion flies free up to the value of $2,500 per booking on 2026-2028 ocean and expedition voyages.*
**Terms and conditions apply. Promotion ends 1 December 2025.
Retirement’s hidden challenge: identity
In the Epic Retirement Club Facebook group last week, a community member, Patrick shared something that got a lot of people clicking emojis and commenting. He wrote:
“One of the hardest things to believe about retirement is that the biggest challenge isn’t money, it’s identity. For years, our jobs gave us titles, routines, and even purpose. Then one day, the title disappears, the calendar clears, and you’re left facing the question: Who am I without the work? Almost everyone feels this before retirement, but not everyone talks about it. The truth is, building a meaningful retired life takes the same effort and planning as building wealth. And once you figure that out, retirement becomes less about what you left behind and more about what you’re finally free to create.”
Patrick has put into words something that many people feel but rarely express in public: that work is about much more than income. It’s structure and scaffolding. It holds our lives together - giving us routine, identity, and the sense that we matter. When that scaffolding comes down, you have to ask: what will stand in its place? And, if you don’t plan for the structure’s replacement - everything could get shaky.
Why is identity so important?
Money really dominates the headlines around retirement planning: how much you’ll need, how to invest it, when you can afford to stop working - they’re all things you do to prepare yourself for retirement. But Patrick is right - the harder, quieter work is identity.
If we don’t prepare for that shift, retirement can feel like a big loss rather than a newfound sense of freedom. If we do, it becomes a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reinvent ourselves.
How do you start your reinvention?
Building a post-work identity isn’t done as a single leap; it’s a gradual construction project. Frankly, I believe the people who thrive in retirement usually do four things (at least):
Experiment before the date arrives. They try taking time away from work and finding purpose, testing out volunteering, mentoring, creative projects, pursuits or part-time ventures while still working.
Separate their identity from their title. Instead of saying “I was an engineer,” or “I was a teacher,” they start saying “I’m a problem-solver” or “I love making things work.” It’s about holding onto values and skills and a sense of identity in these, not just the job badge. And then finding new ways to use those talents in the world.
Invest in pursuits, not just hobbies. Most people don’t understand the difference. But it’s important. A pursuit is something you continue to invest in growing your skills in. A hobby is just something you do to occupy yourself. Patrick’s thoughts are spot on here - building a life of pursuits means seeking personal growth, mastery of some skills, contribution, and purpose.
Seek proactively. They go looking for things that interest them, stay curious about what’s changing in themselves and in the people around them, and try new things.
When you understand that identity is the central challenge, and central opportunity of retirement, money takes its proper place. It’s the tool that enables you to go looking for what’s next for you, not the purpose itself.
Like Patrick said so well, once you figure this out, retirement stops being about what you left behind. It becomes about what you’re finally free to create.
And that, more than anything, is the real work of retiring well - in my opinion. What do you think?
Happy Fathers’ Day to all the Dads out there. And welcome to Spring too!
The start of Spring has seen me lean into a bit of a health kick - up early in the mornings to commit to exercise, and early to bed to finally keep the sleep promises I’ve been making to myself. No more late-night editing marathons for me (or at least, that’s the pledge). It helps that it’s already t-shirt weather here in Brissy, which makes everything feel lighter and more doable.
If you’re looking for a little inspiration yourself, think about one small shift you could make this season. It doesn’t need to be big or dramatic. It could be an earlier walk, a tweak to your diet, or simply switching off the screens half an hour earlier at night. Small steps have a way of stacking up to big changes, especially when you give yourself permission to begin again with the seasons.
That’s really what Prime Time is all about - recognising that this stage of life isn’t a one-way slide, but a series of resets, choices, and small pivots that keep adding up to a bigger, better picture. You don’t need to reinvent everything overnight. You just need to keep leaning into the changes that give you more energy, more choice, and more freedom to shape the life you want.
Still not got a copy of Prime Time? Get it here. I’m pleased to report it’s still high on the bestseller list and walking out of bookstores keenly.
This week marks week two of the How to Have an Epic Retirement Flagship Course. Week one was a ripper! Our Live Q&A was so incredible active that we received and worked through FIVE PAGES of live questions on the night. It was a hopping conversation. So many hungry-to-learn people, clearly enjoying themselves! I love running this program! There will only be one more this year - you can register your interest. It starts on 6th November - we’ll launch the new brochure and bookings in a few weeks.
And, the Epic Retirement Tick, powered by Chant West has had thousands of people sign up for the report that will drop on 2nd October! I can’t wait! If you are wondering whether your superfund is ready to support your retirement - keep an eye out. Or have a read about this new program here. We’re lifting the bar for funds, and pointing the way to good service and support.
I’ve got a couple of events coming up - Come along and say hi!
I’m headed to Redcliffe Library in South East Queensland on the 13th September at 11am for an author talk and you’re invited. I’m going to be talking about Prime Time: 27 Lessons for the New Midlife - and we’re going to talk through a few of the biggest lessons. Come along to this free event - places are limited - please RSVP here.
I’ll be speaking at the Australian Shareholders Association Queensland Investor Summit to be held on 22-23 September in the Gold Coast If you’re an active investor - this is an interesting conference to consider. More information here.
And I’m coming to Harry Harthog Narellan (Sydney) on the 2nd October for an evening event and book talk about Prime Time: 27 Lessons for the New Midlife, from 5pm-7pm. More information and RSVP here.
And then I’m headed to the Pensions UK Conference in Manchester to speak on stage in front of the whole UK pensions industry - six weeks before Epic Retirement UK the book, launches in stores over there! 😎
To our New Zealand readers, I’m pleased to be able to announce that the soon-to-be-released local new edition of How to Have an Epic Retirement will be an Australia/New Zealand edition and it is going to include detailed coverage of the New Zealand financial systems - making it easier for you to apply the book to your own lives. Not long now before I can share the date for release and all the info about it. It will be in time for Christmas!
And that’s enough for this week! Get out there and love your Sunday!
Many thanks! Bec Wilson
Author, podcast host, columnist, retirement educator, and guest speaker
Extract of of my weekly column in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times, WA Today on Sunday 7 September, 2025.
Retirees, it’s time to ditch the ego and focus on what really matters
There’s a popular perception, fuelled by headlines and grumbles from younger generations, that today’s retirees are sitting pretty. The stereotype is of cashed-up Boomers with homes paid off, fat super balances and too much money for their own good.
The reality is far less glamorous. More than half of Australians over 67 are living primarily on the age pension – a meagre income they’ve had to wait until their late sixties to access just to be able to step back from the workforce.
The “average” retiree today has between $180,000 and $250,000 in super, access to the pension, and yes, nine in 10 own their home outright. That doesn’t make them wealthy. And, to add to it, they need that super to support them until they die, and for many, that will be in their nineties – a long way off.
Run the numbers and you see it clearly. An average single retiree drawing down around 6 per cent or 7 per cent of their super in the first decade of retirement will end up with about $45,000 in income a year, tax free, if they don’t choose to do additional work.
Read on — this article continues in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and WA Today. It is free to read - you may have to sign up, but there’s no paywall on my articles.
Navigating the retirement you didn’t see coming
What if the first step to planning for retirement is unlearning what you thought you knew about it — and starting fresh? What if we planned for this stage of life purpose-first, then thought about the money.
In this week’s episode, I sit down with UK financial planner, retirement coach, and podcaster Dan Haylett, whose new book The Retirement You Didn’t See Coming unpacks the biggest illusions about retirement — and the uncomfortable truths we rarely talk about, but should.
From identity shifts to the “Tuesday blues,” Dan unpacks the raw, real and often surprising emotional curve that retirement brings — and why spreadsheets and numbers only get you so far.
Nobody remembers you from your working days and you aren’t indispensable and someone has taken your identity already. So stop chasing what you did all your life. That phase is over and now you should live for yourself and move on. Stop thinking of how great you are. Live for yourself and live day to day. You don’t need to think of anything other than what you are going to do today. Live life thinking that you aren’t going to live forever. If you can’t do anything on a particular day, you are lost anyway. It’s better to get bored than being stressed. You deserve to do nothing. As Seneca said you lived your life sailing the rough seas. Now is your time to get ready to settle down onshore.
It is multi- dimensional for me. I used my gym membership to build the scaffolding of routine and including taking up a sport which will continue to challenge me for years. I then explored getting back to being an artist and the life long learning that brings and used my work identity to continue to contribute through governance volunteering and some paid. While I have been retired for 5 years I enjoy reading and learning g from you 😊