The human side of retirement planning in an online South Africa
In an increasingly digital South Africa, retirement planning has become more accessible but less personal. Discover why meaningful human conversations about your future might be the missing piece in your retirement strategy, and how reframing retirement as a beginning rather than an end can transform your approach to financial planning.
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As South Africa becomes increasingly digitised, the way we communicate and plan for the future has fundamentally shifted. According to the 2025 DataReportal, 50.8 million South Africans are now online, representing 78.9% of the population. While this signals remarkable progress, it also reveals a quiet trade-off: convenience often comes at the expense of depth and connection.
In-person meetings have become video calls. Conversations have turned into messages. And many of the moments that once brought people together now happen in isolation, even when shared online. This shift has crept into how we think about retirement. Topics like financial freedom, legacy, and life after work are often left undiscussed, not because they are unimportant, but because they carry emotional weight. Retirement is not just a financial milestone; it is a psychological reawakening. A new beginning.
Retirement is not a retreat, it's a reinvention
The myth that the best parts of life happen before retirement is outdated. Retirement is not a wind-down; it is a launchpad. It is the moment when time becomes the most valuable asset and its earned through decades of discipline, contribution, and resilience. To fully embrace this stage, we must shift how we approach financial planning and how we talk about it.
Too often, planning is reduced to forms and checklists. But algorithms can't grasp fear. Brochures don't listen. And no online form can ask what kind of legacy someone hopes to leave behind and feel the emotional weight in their response.
Planning starts with conversation, not calculation
Across South Africa, people are seeking more than financial advice. They want to be heard. They want space to articulate what truly matters, whether that's security for their family, the freedom to travel, or the chance to pursue long-deferred passions.
A strategic window for life earners
The time we get back in retirement is not just a reward for hard work. It is a strategic window gifted to life earners, those who have built careers, families, and communities. This period is earned through consistency, grit, and vision, and should be approached with the same intentionality as the years that came before. According to the July 2025 Moonstone Information Refinery report, 60% of South Africans under 60 have a retirement plan. But planning is not just about having a plan; it's about understanding what that plan means for your life.
The future doesn't have to be navigated alone
When people are encouraged to reflect openly, without jargon or judgement, they begin to reimagine what is possible. Retirement becomes less about what is being left behind and more about what lies ahead.
Whether you are planning your retirement, protecting your estate, or exploring a life beyond work, the first step is simple: start the conversation, because the most powerful form of financial planning is not found in numbers. It is found in understanding, connection, and human-to-human dialogue that inspires action. Retirement is not the end. It is the beginning of a life lived with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
* Klee is the financial planning executive at Nedbank.
PERSONAL FINANCE