I remember sitting across from a client some years ago. He was in his early seventies — well-dressed, sharp-minded, and financially comfortable by almost any measure. His retirement portfolio was structured. His estate plan was in order. His monthly income was more than enough.

He should have been content.

But he wasn't.

His wife had passed away three years earlier. His children lived overseas. His health had declined to the point where travel was difficult. He had built exactly the financial life he planned for — and yet the life he imagined enjoying had quietly disappeared around him.

What More Than 25 Years in Financial Planning Has Taught Me

Over more than two and a half decades in this profession, I have sat with hundreds of South African families at their kitchen tables, in their boardrooms, and sometimes in hospital waiting rooms. I have helped people plan for retirement, structure their estates, choose their investments, and protect their families.

I have watched some people reach retirement with everything they planned for — and feel deeply fulfilled. I have watched others arrive at the same destination with similar financial resources, and feel strangely hollow.

For a long time I assumed the difference was financial. Perhaps they hadn't saved enough. Perhaps their income was insufficient. Perhaps they needed a better product structure or a more efficient tax strategy.

But over time I came to understand something that changed the way I think about my work entirely.

The Core Insight

The difference between people who thrive in retirement and those who don't is rarely the size of their portfolio. It is almost always the quality of their health, the depth of their relationships, and the sense of purpose they carry with them.

The Three Pillars of a Meaningful Life

On 2 June 2026, I sat down and committed to words something I had been thinking about for years. After reflecting on a career spent inside the lives of South African families, I arrived at a framework I believe captures what a truly successful retirement looks like.

A meaningful life — and a meaningful retirement — rests on three pillars. Not one. Not two. All three.

Why This Changes Everything

If you accept that a meaningful life requires all three pillars — not just wealth — then the way you think about financial planning must change.

It means a retirement plan that only addresses income is incomplete. It means building wealth without also building health is a risk that never appears on any risk profile form. It means transferring assets without transferring values is a missed opportunity that no product can fix.

Most financial plans are designed to reach retirement. Very few are designed to thrive through it. The difference between those two outcomes is not a smarter investment product. It is a more complete understanding of what retirement is actually for.

Why Health Becomes More Valuable as You Get Older

We live in a country where the national conversation about retirement is almost entirely focused on money. How much you need. What your drawdown rate should be. Whether a living annuity or a guaranteed annuity is the better choice. These are important questions.

But I have never had a client tell me their greatest regret in retirement was choosing the wrong annuity type. I have had clients tell me they wished they had looked after themselves better. I have had clients tell me they wished they had spent more time with people they loved. I have had clients tell me they wished they had left something of themselves behind — not just money, but meaning.

The moment you begin to experience chronic illness or physical decline, the value of your financial freedom begins to shrink — not because the money disappears, but because your ability to use it does.

The Retirement Income Problem

South Africans are living longer. The average 65-year-old today may live to 85, 90, or beyond. That means a retirement of 20 to 30 years — funded by a capital base that was often designed for a shorter horizon.

The retirement income problem is not only financial. It is also a health problem. The longer you live, the more your health determines how well that income is actually spent. Speak to an AS Brokers adviser to review whether your current plan is designed to survive — not just to start.

Common Questions

Why I Created These Three Communities

The three communities I have built — the 104-Week Challenge, the Retirement Income Survival Group, and Legacy Conversations — are not separate products. They are three expressions of the same belief: that a truly successful retirement requires health, wealth, and meaningful relationships working together.

I created these communities because I wanted a place where South Africans could work on all three — not just the financial piece — in the company of people who are on the same journey.

If you are approaching retirement, already in retirement, or simply beginning to think seriously about what the next chapter of your life should look like — I invite you to join one or all three. The best time to start was twenty years ago. The second best time is today.

A Checklist Worth Considering

• Review whether your retirement income plan is designed to survive 25–30 years, not just begin.
• Assess whether your health habits are aligned with the retirement lifestyle you are planning for.
• Have the family conversations about values, intentions, and legacy before circumstances force them.
• Consider whether your estate plan transfers assets only, or also the wisdom behind them.
• Speak to an AS Brokers adviser before making any major changes to your financial structure.

Free Communities

Join One Of Our Free Communities

Join a community of South Africans focused on building healthier lives, stronger financial futures and meaningful legacies.

Disclosure: Albert Schuurman is an authorised independent financial adviser and may earn remuneration from products or services discussed on this website. Information presented may be sourced from product providers, brochures, fact sheets, official websites, publicly available information, and industry publications. Product features, rewards, benefits, fees, returns, programme rules, and terms may change over time. Information is believed to be accurate at the date of publication but should be verified directly with the relevant product provider, insurer, investment manager, administrator, or service provider before any decision is made.

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