Retirement isn’t a cliff’s edge

It’s an evolving invitation to prepare, test and ensure each path we take aligns with our current definition of a life well-lived

WHAT is retirement?

As a young adult, I absorbed the standard narrative without much scrutiny.

It is a government-driven milestone where, at a set age (often tied to pensions, the Central Provident Fund withdrawals or mandatory employer cutoffs), you exit the formal workforce and begin “enjoying” life on the savings accumulated during your career.

Retirement was presented as a clean, metaphorical hockey-stick moment. Everything changes abruptly on that date. Work stops; leisure (or perhaps idleness) begins. The reward for decades of diligence arrives in a sudden, golden package.

Reality, however, tells a far more varied and compelling story.

My father, a dedicated medical physician, “retired” at least three times over the course of his career.

Each time, he stepped back from the demands of full-time practice – long hours in the hospital, endless on-call shifts – only to find new ways to return to it: taking on consulting roles, teaching medical students or selectively accepting complex cases that reignited his intellectual curiosity and sense of purpose.

He never fully disengaged. Instead, he recalibrated his involvement to match his evolving energy and interests.

I’ve seen similar and divergent patterns among colleagues and acquaintances.

Some retire as early as financially possible, embracing freedom in their 40s through aggressive saving and the principles of the “Fire” (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, building nest eggs that allow them to walk away from corporate life while they are still young and healthy.

Others work with deep purpose until their final days, viewing their vocation as an integral part of identity rather than a burden to escape.

These examples reveal retirement not as a singular, irreversible endpoint, but as a series of fluid transitions – one that often involves circling back, experimenting with new roles and redefining one’s contribution multiple times.

This is precisely why the traditional term “retirement” feels increasingly outdated and restrictive. It implies a hard stop, a binary switch from productive work to passive consumption.

Redirecting energy

In truth, moving beyond a primary career (whether at 45, 65 or never) requires deliberate preparation: reprioritising core values, reshaping daily rhythms and intentionally crafting a lifestyle that continues to inspire and challenge.

It’s less about ceasing all activity and more about redirecting energy: slowing down in high-stress areas to make room for family, travel or hobbies; accelerating into passion projects or entrepreneurial ventures; or switching lanes entirely into philanthropy, mentoring or creative pursuits.

I’m especially fortunate that my passion aligned with my career early in life. This harmony has allowed me to chase fulfilment and happiness in the present, without the constant temptation to postpone joy for some distant “golden years”.

That mindset resonates deeply with the provocative ideas in Bill Perkins’ Die with Zero. He reframes money not as an end in itself, but as finite life energy, a resource to be deployed thoughtfully to maximise positive experiences across one’s entire lifespan.

Rather than hoarding wealth for an uncertain future (or leaving behind an oversized inheritance), he advocates investing in experiences early, when health, energy and time allow for the greatest impact.

These experiences yield what Perkins calls “memory dividends”: The initial enjoyment compounds as you relive joyful moments through stories, photos and shared recollections, paying emotional returns for decades.

Perkins also introduces concepts such as “time-bucketing”, which is planning adventures by decade of life, recognising that certain activities, such as backpacking through rugged terrain, are best done in your 30s or 40s rather than deferred.

He also talks about aiming for “peak worth”, which is the point where you’ve saved enough to cover future needs but can shift focus to spending on fulfilment.

The ultimate goal? To die with roughly zero, having spent thoughtfully on living fully, supporting loved ones when they can most benefit (with a “warm hand” rather than a cold bequest) and contributing to causes while alive.

Life as a series of meaningful shifts

Why defer what truly matters until “retirement”? We all handle necessities.

We do what we must to meet obligations, build security and care for others, but we must also honour our deeper needs: joy, meaningful connection, personal growth, adventure and legacy-building in the here and now.

For me, that means integrating purpose and passion into today: pursuing projects that excite me, nurturing relationships that energise me and viewing life as an ongoing series of meaningful shifts instead of a deferred payoff.

The old script (grind now, enjoy later) assumes we’ll have the health, mobility and desire to cash in those savings exactly when the calendar says we can. But, life is unpredictable; energy wanes, opportunities pass and memories not made cannot be retroactively created.

Retirement, then, isn’t a cliff edge or a clean break.

It’s an evolving invitation: to prepare mentally and financially for inevitable change, to test new rhythms through “pretirement” experiments (scaled-back work, sabbaticals and side pursuits) and to ensure each lane we enter aligns with our current definition of a well-lived life.

By questioning the rigid old narrative, we unlock possibilities, not only for those already transitioning, but for everyone, at any stage.

Whether you’re in your 30s building towards an early pivot, in your 50s recalibrating after a career peak, or simply refusing to wait for permission to live fully, the real reward lies in treating every phase as an opportunity to redirect, reinvest and re-tire, equipped with fresh energy for the road ahead.

source: The Business Times https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion-features/retirement-isnt-cliffs-edge