Retirement on their own terms

“It’s liberating to be free from both work related and financial pressures to really enjoy our lives.”

Retirement is a significant milestone in anyone’s life, it’s a time to reap the rewards of years of hard work and financial planning. For people who are successful in their chosen profession, this transition can be particularly complex and requires careful consideration during the lead-up to retirement, to help the individual(s) navigate the challenges and optimise their financial situation for the years ahead.

More than a decade ago, Greg and Judith were two such people. A successful doctor in the Eastern Suburbs, and a successful deputy and then school principal, aiming to maximise the remaining years of their working lives, to set themselves up for retirement. At the time, they were operating separate financial strategies and investments held in their super fund and SMSF had been negatively impacted by the recent Global Financial Crisis (GFC).

During our initial meetings, we talked about the kind of life they both wanted to be living after they decided to stop working. We gave them the space to articulate the things that would provide meaning to them when they retired, what lifestyle assets would be required to achieve this and the income they would need each year to support the life they were looking for. 

With a clear picture of what they wanted to achieve, the Zone Financial team were able to map out plan that helped Greg and Judith to mitigate risks like they had previously experienced during the GFC, and importantly, to still identify new opportunities for growth. We built an investment strategy to combine their assets and cash flow surplus and align with their clearly articulated retirement objectives. We used available tax structures to ensure the financial success they enjoyed over their working lives could be used to generate the income they would need in retirement.

Greg retired from his medical practice and Judith finished her deputy principal role in 2019. They live between a property in Sydney and another away from the hustle and bustle of the city, where they can enjoy the native flora and fauna and take in the fresh country air.  They’ve built a life after work that combines leisure, well-being, community and nurturing family bonds.

“It’s liberating to be free from both work related and financial pressures to really enjoy our lives.”

Retirement is a significant milestone in anyone’s life, it’s a time to reap the rewards of years of hard work and financial planning. For people who are successful in their chosen profession, this transition can be particularly complex and requires careful consideration during the lead-up to retirement, to help the individual(s) navigate the challenges and optimise their financial situation for the years ahead.

More than a decade ago, Greg and Judith were two such people. A successful doctor in the Eastern Suburbs, and a successful deputy and then school principal, aiming to maximise the remaining years of their working lives, to set themselves up for retirement. At the time, they were operating separate financial strategies and investments held in their super fund and SMSF had been negatively impacted by the recent Global Financial Crisis (GFC).

During our initial meetings, we talked about the kind of life they both wanted to be living after they decided to stop working. We gave them the space to articulate the things that would provide meaning to them when they retired, what lifestyle assets would be required to achieve this and the income they would need each year to support the life they were looking for. 

With a clear picture of what they wanted to achieve, the Zone Financial team were able to map out plan that helped Greg and Judith to mitigate risks like they had previously experienced during the GFC, and importantly, to still identify new opportunities for growth. We built an investment strategy to combine their assets and cash flow surplus and align with their clearly articulated retirement objectives. We used available tax structures to ensure the financial success they enjoyed over their working lives could be used to generate the income they would need in retirement.

Greg retired from his medical practice and Judith finished her deputy principal role in 2019. They live between a property in Sydney and another away from the hustle and bustle of the city, where they can enjoy the native flora and fauna and take in the fresh country air.  They’ve built a life after work that combines leisure, well-being, community and nurturing family bonds.