How do you want to live in retirement? When do you want to retire? Do you want to live with financial independence and not worry about your daily expenses? Or do you want an elevated lifestyle, living abroad for several months and paying less tax? Whatever your expectations for retirement, a pension with meaningful contributions can help you achieve your desires. YES, you can retire early. YES, you can have a stress-free retirement, but these must be carefully planned.

In most cases, no. However, if you have an investment portfolio of properties, this might be sufficient. Be cautious, as you are exposed to only one asset class, which can be risky. If there is a property crash and you are unable to rent your properties due to factors such as high unemployment or cost of living crises, your retirement income could be seriously affected. Relying on just one or even two properties for your retirement income is a very risky strategy. The costs of maintenance, insurance, and taxes can seriously erode the income you receive. We’ve seen many customers ‘working’ for their retirement by managing their properties full-time, and for us, that does not represent a fulfilling retirement.

Yes, you can retire early. There’s absolutely nothing stopping you. However, this is a planned event that requires time to prepare. We need to set the expectation that age 50 is quite young. You may retire from the specific job you currently have, but that does not mean you won't ever work again. You might have a new dream job to pursue, or you may want to sell your assets in Ireland and move abroad. Retiring from a job too soon can also be a disaster unless you have something meaningful to transition to. It’s essential to plan this event and know your next steps. A complete plan is crucial in this situation.