The Retirement Newsletter: Four Years of the Retirement Newsletter

Issue Number: 212 (65) — It doesn’t seem possible — time to reflect

Image by an AI — this is what you get if you ask an AI to draw a birthday cake with four fork handle candles (see below for an explanation)*

Welcome

Welcome to Issue 212 (61) — Four Years of the Retirement Newsletter.

It doesn’t seem possible, but it is. I started this newsletter four years ago. Unreal. The time has flown.

Over the last four years, I have written extensively (some would say too excessively) about planning for retirement and being retired. It has been an enjoyable and rewarding journey for me. I have learnt a lot along the way from the newsletters of my readers, as well as from the research I have done for the newsletters (and yes, I do conduct research!).

Now, in case you haven’t noticed, this is issue 212 and not 208 (four times fifty-two is 208), there are 1,461 days in four years, which is equivalent to 208 weeks. So, the ‘birthday’ issue should have been issue 208. It appears that somewhere in the last four years I have made an error in the issue numbers, as I posted the first Retirement Newsletter on June 23, 2021. Hence, I will go with the posting date, rather than the issue count (if that is okay) for the birthday.

So, what have I learnt in the past four years? What have I been writing about? Why did I start?

The start

Why did I start?

Well, it all started because of COVID-19.

I was sitting at home, well, we were all sitting at our various homes, thanks to the lockdowns. I had started journaling for my sanity, as I thought it might be fun or interesting to record how things were going. I even considered turning the journal into a blog.

Anyway, I was sitting there writing in my journal, and that prompted me to start thinking about my retirement, which was at least three to four years away at the time.

As I read and thought about retirement, I considered keeping a journal about the process. After chatting with friends about their retirement plans during one of our long evening Zoom Parties (remember those?), I decided to write things up as a blog, and then thought, why not do a newsletter?

At the time, I had no plans for the newsletter’s future, and my thinking was that it would last a few months, possibly a year, and then I would run out of topics to cover.

Being One: Beginnings and Big Questions

It all started in June 2021 with a modest goal: to track the countdown to my retirement and share my reflections along the way. By the newsletter’s first birthday in June 2022, I had written 55 editions, totalling over 60,000 words. And I had 31 subscribers. Not a typo, no missing zeros, I had 31.

What were the themes of the newsletters? Well, money, identity, plans — and a recurring question: Have I made enough money to retire? The answer at the time was a firm no, and I shared my thoughts and fears with my 31 subscribers.

I wasn’t writing the newsletter for profit, but for a purpose. My goal was to help myself think about retirement and assist others on their journey to retirement.

In the first year, I covered a broad range of topics, from “the great academic lie” to ageism and the simple joys of nature. And this set the tone for future issues.

Reaching Two: Crunching Numbers and Side Hustle Dreams

By June 2023, the newsletter had reached its 104th issue. Retirement was still 30 weeks away (it turned out to be more than 30 weeks), but key ideas and themes were beginning to take shape. Unsurprisingly, money dominated, with discussions on:

• Retirement budgets for essential, moderate, and luxury lifestyles.

• Navigating pensions, taxes, and ISAs.

• And the reality that retirement, without a supplemental income, might not be as rosy as I hoped.

Side hustles emerged as a potential solution, from YouTube and online courses to travel writing and paid newsletters. I explored fourteen different ideas, some fanciful, others feasible. The takeaway? A fulfilling retirement might require a creative mix of passion and practicality.

Being Three: Retirement Arrives — and the Journey Continues

The third birthday was celebrated in issue 164 in June 2024.

By this stage, I was 17 weeks into full retirement. Time had flown, and so had the newsletters. The numbering system was changed (finally) to reflect both the total issue count and my weeks of retirement.

I couldn’t believe that I was retired or that the newsletter had been running for three years — so much for it lasting a few months, maybe a year.

With retirement now a lived experience, the focus of the newsletter shifted to new topics:

• Decluttering and simplifying life.

• Mental health and seasonal rhythms.

• The unexpected challenges of no longer working.

• And, of course, more on side hustles, and I shared stories of my attempts to get several side hustles up and running. I also introduced a paid video newsletter called the Retirement Side Hustle.

As I was now retired and busy decluttering, I also started sharing stories of some of my travels over the years to countries like Vietnam and Cambodia.

Being four — the journey continues

Over the past year, I think the newsletter has continued to evolve and change.

Some key themes have been:

• Decluttering — physical and mental

• How retirement can feel like an emotional rollercoaster

• Planning, progress, and purpose in retirement

• Health and well-being — physical and mental

• Identity and reinvention — who are we, and what do we want to become

Some old favourites remain, such as managing money and side hustles.

I do feel that the newsletter has moved away from the process of retiring to the realities of being retired. I hope you agree.

What I do know is that I enjoy sitting down every week to write the newsletter. I find the process strangely therapeutic.

Now that we are four — what lies ahead?

The newsletter continues to grow — I think.

The number of subscribers continues to increase; I now have 254.

The Retirement Newsletter Subscribers — Numbers

I get some comments and feedback from readers, which I appreciate.

And when I was looking at the stats, I was surprised to see that 48% of my subscribers come from the USA:

The Retirement Newsletter Subscribers — Location

The newsletter generates no revenue, but it was never intended to do so.

And, as for content in the coming year, I think it will be more of the same. That is, I will be looking at health, wealth, and happiness. After all, what more do we want?

Next week

Next week, in issue 213 (65), I will explore how we can get fired when we are retired — it’s easier than you think.

Thanks

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. Please don't hesitate to share it with your friends or on social media using the buttons below.

If you want to say 'thanks' for the newsletter, why not buy me a cup of tea?

Until next time,

Nick

PS: If you would like to contribute something to the newsletter — a story, advice, or anything else — please get in touch.

* As I said in issue 211 (64) last week — “Next week in issue 212 (65), I buy a cake, stick four candles (or should that be fork ’andles — you will need to know UK comedy to get that — see Greatest Comedy Moment — The Two Ronnies — Fork Handles) in it and celebrate four years of the Retirement Newsletter. It doesn’t seem possible.”