The retirement dilemma no calculator in the world can solve

October 24, 2026 — 5:00am

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This week I’ve been standing in rooms with hundreds of Australians talking about retirement. And afterwards, I’ve lingered to chat with people about what they’re hearing and feeling, what surprises them and what they’re still trying to work out.

Yesterday, a woman came up to me and said “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you say about time – and how it becomes the most important currency once you’re in retirement. And I’m feeling that. It’s making me want to hurry up and get to retirement – and coax my husband to get there too.”

Another woman on the same day commented on one of my Facebook posts, “It’s terrifying, as a single woman, there’s no room for errors.”

Two women thinking about the same stage of life, but looking at it through very different lenses. One is worried about running out of time. The other is worried about running out of money. And I think these two fears tell us an enormous amount about the challenge of planning for retirement right now.

We’re in a cost of living crisis. Everything is more expensive, and for many Australians approaching retirement, the financial goalposts seem to keep moving away from them.

Just when they thought they might be getting close to having enough, the costs of groceries, insurance, electricity and travel – and just about everything else – have climbed. And economists are saying inflation might stay higher for longer.

We need to get better at helping........

© The Age