“I wouldn’t have retired when I did if it hadn’t been for Graeme”

One conversation changed everything – and gave Eddie the freedom to stop working at 56

I retired at the end of 2017, when I was 56. Looking back, I’m quite certain I wouldn’t have done it when I did without Graeme.

He said something very simple: if you’re continuing to work for financial reasons, you don’t need to – you already have enough. If you’re working because you enjoy it, that’s different. But financially, the option to stop was there.

That made me stop and think.

I enjoyed the work and the projects, but ultimately most of us work because we need the income. Once I realised that financial pressure had gone, stepping away felt like a much more realistic option.

How we got there

“Graeme said something very simple: if you’re working for financial reasons, you don’t need to. Once I heard that, everything changed.”

Graeme and I go back decades. He first helped me when I had two young children, not much money and not a great deal going on financially – just a couple of savings policies to get things started. Over the years the relationship grew as my circumstances changed.

The big shift came when I moved from a salaried role into IT contracting. Suddenly I was no longer paying into a company pension scheme, and the question became what the best long-term plan should be. Should I keep contributing to the pension? Should I structure things differently? Graeme helped guide me through those decisions.

One of the biggest decisions we made was what to do with my company pension. My instinct was to leave it exactly as it was. There’s a sense of security that comes with a guaranteed income for life, and walking away from that felt like a big step. Graeme talked me through the alternatives very carefully. He explained how reinvesting the funds could give us more flexibility and potentially better outcomes in the long run.

One point really stood out to me. If I stayed in the company scheme and died shortly after retiring, my wife would only receive a reduced income. If we structured things differently, we could provide much stronger protection for her.

Seeing the numbers laid out clearly made the decision easier. Graeme was patient throughout the process and made sure we understood the options properly before moving forward.

Building a new life

Retiring isn’t as simple as just walking away. When you’ve spent decades working, it becomes a big part of your identity. At first it feels strange to suddenly have so much time. My wife and I decided to make the most of it and did a lot of travelling in the first year.

I also started playing tennis. I had always played badminton to league standard, but that becomes harder as you get older. Tennis turned out to be a great alternative, and I gradually became more involved with the local tennis club.

Eventually I became the club’s treasurer, which keeps me mentally engaged and gives me a new kind of challenge. It’s a very different kind of purpose to the one I had in my working life, but it’s genuinely fulfilling.

Reassurance when markets move

One thing I really value about working with Graeme is how proactive he is.

Markets don’t move in a straight line, and when they dip it’s natural to feel uneasy – especially when you’re relying on your investments for the long term.

In those moments Graeme is always calm and consistent. His message is simple: don’t panic, stick to the plan and think long term.

Every time we meet to review things, I come away feeling reassured. The decisions we make are backed by real projections and careful planning, which gives you confidence that things will continue to work.

Looking after the whole family

Over the years Graeme has also helped my family. I have two sons, and he has supported some of them with things like setting up pensions and thinking about their own financial planning. It feels like he’s looking after all of us, not just me and my wife.

Another thing I appreciate is that he has deliberately kept the business personal. He could easily have grown it much larger, but instead he has stayed closely involved with his clients.

That relationship matters.

Over the twenty or thirty years I’ve known Graeme, he’s always been knowledgeable, approachable and incredibly reassuring. Whether markets are calm or uncertain, he remains focused on the long-term plan. And every time we meet, I come away feeling confident that we can continue to live the life we want.