The decision when to retire is a significant personal decision. These days when we retire we hopefully have some 25-30 years of active life ahead of us. It's a huge opportunity.
However the change from a work situation, to one where there is no structure and nobody telling us what to do, is one of the biggest changes of our lives. Whatever length of time we spent working and travelling to work each day, and whatever aspirations we have for retirement, filling 40-50 hours each week on top of previous leisure time, for the next 25 years, is a major challenge!

The purpose of the workshop is to encourage delegates to think seriously about all aspects of their retirement, or partial retirement, in a structured way and to increase their chances of enjoying and making the most of this potentially fulfilling phase of their life and avoiding some of the common pitfalls. If they haven't already decided exactly when to retire, the workshops will help them weigh up the possibilities and decide what is right for them.
In addition the objectives of day 2 of the workshop are:

• To enable delegates to make balanced financial decisions
• To help delegates to prioritise their financial needs
• To help delegates to review their current financial arrangements and to understand the risks to their finances
• To help delegates understand the options they have for their pension pots and other investments, in a world of Pension Freedom
• To explore the options around their property, e.g. equity release.
• To explore the financial considerations of what delegates would like to leave behind as a legacy
• To help delegates construct a 'To do' list specific to their finances
• To enable delegates to have informed discussions and get what they need should they make use of a financial adviser
• To explain typical services available to help them using Jelf as an example

At the end of the workshop, you will have considered the significant change you will undergo when you retire and the following aspects of planning and managing your retirement:

• Which elements of your current life are important to you and how this impacts on your choices in retirement
• Your hopes and concerns for retirement and how these may be addressed
• The financial aspects of retirement, including 'pension freedom' options, lump sums, your budget and how you can make the most of living on a fixed income
• Your preferences and the things you think are important in both work and leisure
• The nature of work in retirement, whether you wish to carry on with work in any form and the options open to you
• The hobbies and pastimes you may wish to develop or take up
• The benefits and opportunities available to you in adult continuing education
• The importance of health and fitness in retirement and how you can improve your chances of staying fit and healthy
• The alternative types of holidays and travel now available and that you may wish to take advantage of
• The nature of your personal relationships in retirement and how to manage these
• The advantages and pitfalls in moving house in retirement

As a result you will have the basis for deciding when to retire, identified key elements of your retirement plan and have a framework for developing it further to ensure it meets 5 essentials of retirement.

• Staying Physically Fit
• Staying Mentally Fit
• Staying Financially Fit
• Maintaining or Increasing Social Contacts
• Enjoying retirement

In addition on the financial aspects you will have considered, as a minimum:

• How best to approach making logical financial decisions and removing emotion from this process,
• A staged approach to prioritising what you want to achieve,
• Your existing choices and preferences, as well as the risks associated,
• Taxation implications at a more detailed level,
• The variety of options, simple and complex, in a world of Pension Freedom
• The decisions, myths and common mistakes linked to investment,
• Options around property including a detailed look at equity release,
• The financial impacts of ill-health and long term care, and
• What you might want to leave behind including a detailed look at Inheritance Tax and the use of trusts.

The extra day of finance is an educational event conducted by a finance professional from Jelf, specialising in employee benefits, rather than a Financial Adviser; and there will be no attempt to sell financial services to delegates, although delegates may request follow up contacts and support if they so wish.

Modules are supported with handouts and comprehensive lists of relevant organisations and further information sources for the various topics.