From the archive: there's no new column from Noel this week, so we're revisiting a recent piece that deserves a wider audience.
If retirement is on your horizon, it's tempting to treat it as one big maths problem: how much super is enough? In this column, Noel Whittaker argues the sums are only half the story. The decisions that shape a good retirement are just as much about where you'll live, who you'll see each week, and how long you keep working — and they deserve the same careful thought as your investment strategy.
On the money side, his message is encouraging for anyone feeling behind. The final working years do the heaviest lifting: he gives the example of a 60-year-old on $100,000 a year with $500,000 in super, who could grow that to around $800,000 by working five more years and making tax-deductible contributions along the way. Those contributions, he notes, generally do more for you than putting the same dollars into the mortgage. And the longer you can delay drawing on super, the more it compounds for the years you'll really need it.
On the life side, he's just as practical. Dreaming of a sea change? Rent in the new area first — ideally for twelve months — before you sell up and burn your bridges. Weighing up a retirement village? Don't judge it on price alone: the built-in social network is linked to better health, more exercise and a stronger sense of purpose. For readers in their 40s and 50s, the message is to start thinking about the whole picture now, while every option is still open.
"A happy and healthy retirement depends on a good diet, regular exercise, a sense of purpose, and a strong social network."
Read the full article: Navigating the next stage of life in retirement — Noel Whittaker, Firstlinks, 11 March 2026.
Planning the next stage yourself? Noel's Retirement Made Simple (6th Edition) covers the money and the life side of retiring well — buy direct from the author for $19.95, delivered instantly as PDF and EPUB.