Summary

In this episode of the Humans vs Retirement podcast, I have a great conversation with Dr Thomas Mathar, Head of the Centre for Behavioural Research for Aegon UK, about the emotional and behavioural challenges retirees face. Tom shares his expertise and research into the specifics around connecting and empathising with your future self and how we must challenge the narrative that retirement is the natural last phase of life. Dan & Tom discuss the importance of research in understanding these challenges and strategies to help individuals live a happy, healthy & wealthy retirement.

What You’ll Learn

The listener will learn about:

• The emotional and behavioural challenges of retirement.

• How to make confident and informed decisions about retirement planning.

• The importance of connecting with and empathising with one's future self.

• Having a strong and meaningful connection to the future.

• Spending money on things that bring joy and purpose.

• The societal expectation of retirement as the natural last phase of life.

• Encouraging a more open and adaptable approach to aging.

• The importance of self-knowledge and having a flexible mindset and playbook to adapt to unforeseen risks in retirement planning.

Useful Resources

• Paul Dolan’s book Happiness By Design

• Lynda Gratton & Andrew Scott’s book The 100 Year Life

• The study in rural Ethiopia 

• Subscribe to the Humans vs Retirement podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

• Download for free my 7 Step RetirementGPS Toolkit

• Subscribe to my fortnightly newsletter Stay The Course

Connect With Tom

• LinkedIn

Connect With Me

• TFP Financial Planning

• Humans vs Retirement website

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

• Book in a chat if you want a conversation about your retirement.

• Email at dan@tfp-fp.com

About My Guest

Tom heads up the Centre for Behavioural Research, at Aegon UK, a small team of behavioural scientists and psychologists who work in the space where Behavioural Finance and Financial Wellbeing meet.

He has a PhD in Social Anthropology from Berlin and later completed further training in Behavioural Economics at LSE.

He lives in Edinburgh with my wife and 6-year-old twins (who’re non identical twins and hence useless for experimental purposes).