Where to start looking
I do not know if I want to retire
The numbers might work. That is not what is stopping you.
People describe retirement to you in terms of holidays and you feel nothing.
You are slightly ashamed of not wanting the thing you are supposed to want.
Work delivers more than income
Structure, status, company, a reason to be somewhere, a version of yourself that other people recognise. Retirement removes all of it at once. Naming which of those you would actually miss is more useful than deciding a date.
Reluctance is not always about the work
Sometimes the hesitation is about what would be left, and who would be there. That is a legitimate thing to look at before making an irreversible decision.
It is not binary
The choice is presented as working or not working. Most of the useful answers sit somewhere in between, and they are easier to design before you leave than after.
What this usually connects to
- What your week is currently made of, and which parts would survive.
- Who you see because of work.
A question worth sitting with
- What would you want a good Tuesday to look like?
The session asks what would replace work, which is the part nobody plans.
What replaces workIt is a conversation, not a questionnaire. You can stop at any point, and finishing it does not mean anything has to change.
If the question turns out to be a different one
This is reflection about what money is for. It is not financial, tax or investment advice, and it should not be used in place of a qualified adviser.