Design your “Prime Time”

During the course of 2026 already we've had a number of great client meetings with both new clients and existing clients, at a stage of life where they're starting to contemplate what their retirement years might look like.

I wanted to describe a little bit about what's been coming up for people there and how we've been dealing with that.

A lot of people not really wanting to retire as such, but certainly looking ahead. Sometime there is a bit of trepidation about the money, and also a little bit of trepidation about what they're actually going to do with their time if they are working less. 

For many,  children are possibly through secondary school (or nearly so) and life has started to open up for these clients as their parenting obligations reduce.  It is natural for many people to ask, "what does my life look like now that my obligations are starting to change a little bit?"

I guess where the fear kicks in sometimes is that they are not exactly sure what they're looking for, but they know they're looking for a change.

"Prime Time" is a fantastic book I've been reading recently, written by Bec Wilson.  Bec discusses this phase of life where you're starting to enjoy life more. You don't want to retire yet, it's not retirement, but it's this phase where you're starting to enhance your lifestyle, do things differently.

For many it is, "I don't want to work as much as I have been working", or "I want to do something different because I'm not happy with my work".

In this "Prime Time" of your life, there is a need for a set up phase in order to make such a big change.   

This is very exciting for people but as I have mentioned, there can be a fear there, and also a bit of a void there if they haven't thought about what they want to do.

Financials are obviously part of this 'set up phase", but they are not everything.

When we work with our clients, quite often, just being that extra person in the room, means that I can ask questions that help people unearth their feelings on this topic.

Helping couples actually have those conversations that they may not have had together. For single people, sometimes they haven't got that person to really bounce those ideas off. So having that person in the room such as an advisor is hugely valuable  for those discussions.

Really trying to dig into what is going to make you happy and if money was no object, what are your dreams?

What would you love to do?  Is it possible?

That's the beauty of what we do is we really can test those possibilities.

So once we can talk about possibilities, and even if it's not something that's definitely a certain need or desire, at least we can just say, well why don't we run some financial numbers to see if that dream of yours is possible.

If it is, that can sometimes really open up even more dreams, aspirations and thoughts for people.

The reflection for me out of these meetings with our clients is that in todays world, planning for your "Prime Time" years has never been more vital.

It is a changing world and it's a moving landscape. Economic shifts and Artificial Intelligence are starting to impact people's roles. More and more people are going to either want to change or they might be forced to have a change.

Doing that on your terms, in a proactive way and just testing possibilities a much healthier approach and the outcomes are better.

A lot of people might think that financial advice is only about crunching numbers. At times it is. But we can see that people love and enjoy testing the possibilities, doing that together in a safe environment, with interactive tools is so valuable.

People are able to be daring in their plans because if the system, says "I don't have money to do that", we can go back to the drawing board and refine those plans.

Designing the life you want and you seeing that it is financial possible, really frees people up to move into these upcoming phases of life with so much more clarity and confidence.

Make it happen!

Tim Henry - 19 February 2026