For retirement and the journey to it

Real life isn’t simple. And it’s never a straight line.

What is real life really like these days? One thing is for certain, real life doesn’t look the same for everyone. Real life is far more unpredictable and far more interesting.

It could be that you have to step away from work to care for someone who needs you. It could be that you’re still living with grown-up children and grandchildren. It could be that you land your dream job, 400 miles away. Or that your ‘forever relationship’ turns out to be not so ‘forever’ as you thought.

Real life is beautiful, unexpected, challenging, joyful, stressful — and everything in between. It’s complicated. It’s emotional. It’s real.

And retirement is no different – the path one person follows in later life will look completely different to the next person.

And, if you’re feeling like retirement is harder to plan for than it used to be, you’re not the only one. In fact, 47% of UK adults think their retirement finances are mainly influenced by factors outside of their control*. And when life throws a curveball, it can be hard to know what to do next.

But whatever journey your life follows and wherever you are right now, Standard Life is here for the life you live — the highs, the lows, and all the moments that shape your story. We help you see what’s possible. We help you make the most of every chapter.

For the twists and turns on the journey to retirement

Big life moments like a divorce, buying a new home, or stepping into a caring role can change everything overnight. And the same is true for your career: you might switch jobs, pause work, go self-employed, or step back because life needs you somewhere else.

These changes can reshape your priorities, your day-to-day finances, and how much you’re able to save. They can also shift what retirement looks like and when it might happen.

Working out how you want to spend your retirement can help you see what you need to do today to be able to live retired life your way.

Caring responsibilities can have a big influence on these decisions. And with about 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK**, it’s no surprise that many people find their career and long-term plans shaped by the support they give.

The good news? Small, steady steps can make everything feel more manageable. The links below can help you understand your options, make sense of the numbers, and take the next step toward the future you want — at your own pace.

• Visit our retirement hub for support
• See if combining pensions could be right for you
• Try our pension calculator

A pension is an investment. Its value can go down as well as up and could be worth less than what was paid in.

 

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When retirement doesn’t always mean retiring

Retirement isn’t always a hard stop, it can be more of a shift. It might mean easing back your hours, trying something new, or balancing a bit of work with the things that matter most to you. But even with the best plans, life can still rewrite the script. Family needs, changes in health, or an empty nest becoming full again can all reshape what ‘retired life’ really looks like.

When there are more moving parts, getting the right support can make a real difference. Yet around four in ten people in the UK (41%) do not access financial advice when taking money from their Defined Contribution pension***. If you’d like a clearer view of your options, we can help. That means you can spend less time worrying about the details and more time rediscovering what you enjoy. The links below can be a great place to start.

• Get some retirement advice 
• Explore options for retirement with our tool 
• Free retirement webinars with our experts 

 

Imagine retirement with our new tool

We want to help you imagine the later life you want. Why? Because if you can picture your life in retirement, how you’ll spend your time and who you’ll spend it with - it makes it easier to plan your retired life, your way.   

This tool is designed to get you thinking about your life in retirement, whatever that might look like for you. We'll guide you through questions that help you visualise your retirement and explore what your future will feel like.  

Take the quiz, share it with someone you'll spend time with in retirement, get the conversation and the planning started. Your answers might surprise you, and of course they can change over time, so you can always come back and take it again.