What does retirement look like?

Four panelists at the recent FSC conference give their view on what retirement looks like for each of them personally.

Wednesday, September 28th 2022, 5:26AM

by Jenni McManus

Here's how they described their retirement.

Jane Wrightson - Retirement Commissioner

“It will be comfortable but not luxurious. I’m comfortable because I’ve had the privilege of tertiary education and I will have worked for 40 years by the time I cease paid work.

“I will be somewhat less well-off than some of my male peers though I’ve been relatively well-paid through my life, and I generally won’t have too many complaints.

“I’m a young boomer and I think my generation will be the last that will have this level of comfort.”

Susan St John - University of Auckland Associate Professor of Economics
“I’ve been retired for 12 years, and I’ve been working ever since. But I do share Jane’s trepidation in looking into the future and what it holds in the retirement area.

“My 12 years of so-called retirement have in part been supported by paid work. I’m fortunate to have a part-government pension which protects from inflation and longevity risk. When I look at the prospects of many people entering retirement now, I really fear for what we’re facing.”

Rhiannon McKinnon - Chief executive, KiwiWealth
“What’s quite extraordinary is how little I think about my retirement, given my role. I don’t like to cast my mind forward that far.

“I look at my KiwiSaver balance and think it’s a lot lower than I would like it to be and I’m constantly trying to play catch-up with my husband and always losing. I hope that by the time I’m retired we’ve paid off our mortgage and we’ve got enough to live a relatively simple life.

Nigel Jackson - Head of Investments, Westpac
“I’ve been really fortunate in that I’ve been a member of employer-based superannuation schemes, including KiwiSaver, and was also lucky to get into the housing market at a time when the challenges of first-home ownership were a lot lower than they are now.

“I don’t have an absolute detailed plan that I’m ticking off every day but I’m expecting we’ll be reasonably comfortable but obviously on a lower income.”

Tags: retirement Retirement Commissioner