Who, me? Nah, retirement is such a long way away. Unless I win the lottery, quadruple my savings and make the right bets in the stock market – all at the same time.

But I do know of a few people who have just entered into retirement. Some are happy, some are sad. Perhaps it’s just a matter of how you envisaged your retirement to be. Then again, perhaps it all comes down to how much money you have stashed away for your retirement.

Money doesn’t buy you happiness, said the pauper. Yes, agreed the filthy rich retiree, but it does help you find happiness in better places. I’d certainly agree with the latter.

Planning is the key, as they say. It always is. Forget all that about failure to plan is to plan to fail. Nobody in their right minds would plan to fail. Some are just better at planning than others.

Problem with that is, no matter how much planning you do it all comes down to luck and circumstances. You can plan all you want, but without a bit of luck where would you be? Circumstances are partly what you make it to be, but then again how much of that can you really control?

Which makes you come to one simple conclusion, since most of what is planned doesn’t materialise, make many many many plans and just pray that at least one works out.

So, start planning now. Set up a retirement fund. Put in some investments. Keep your expectations low. You will be fine … assuming you live long enough to retire to begin with.

But what do I know?

As for an acquaintance that I just met on the office doorstep, he seems quite content with his retirement. Finally time for myself, he says. Then again, I did see him drive up in a brand new Mercedes … if I had that, I’d be content too!