The fear of never having enough to retire

Plus, in today's papers "A call to action for mid-lifers: Rethink retirement"

In this week’s edition:

• Feature: The fear of never having enough to retire

• Newspapers: “A call to action for mid-lifers: Rethink retirement”

• Podcast: Getting AHEAD of Perimenopause

• From Bec’s Desk: We did it! #1 Aussie self help book!

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😎 Prime Time is the #1 bestselling Australian self help title this week across all bookstores. And #4 on the non fiction bestseller list overall 😎

More on this below. in ‘From Bec’s Desk’!

The fear of never having enough to retire

Doesn’t matter if you’ve got $100,000 or $3 million in super, almost everyone I talk to thinks they’ll never get to ‘enough’. They feel like there’s always a bit more saving to do. Always a bigger number in mind. But at some point, we need to recognise when that fear tips into the irrational.

It’s hardwired. Humans have been worrying about running out since we were stashing food for winter in caves. Back then it was dried meat and grains. Now it’s retirement savings. Same brain, different fears.

Psychologists call the first concern loss aversion and point out that we feel the pain of losing something about twice as strongly as the pleasure of gaining it. So when you imagine running out of money, your brain reacts like it’s already happening, and it pushes you to keep chasing “just a bit more” for safety.

Think about it like this - when you gain $50,000 in your super account it feels good. But, when you imagine losing $50,000 from it, it feels much worse. So much worse that your brain over-weights the risk and pushes you to keep stockpiling “just in case.”

It’s one of the big reasons why even very financially secure people still fear running out of money — it’s not purely rational; it’s hardwired into our caveman brains.

Then there’s another psychological issue called future uncertainty bias. Your brain hates not knowing what’s ahead, so it overestimates the risks and stimulates your fears. Even if the numbers show you’re fine, the what-ifs - market crashes, health issues, longer life than expected - make you feel like you need an even bigger safety net.

Add in today’s noise like market headlines, rising living costs, not knowing how long you’ll live or what family curveballs might come, and no wonder your head says keep going, you’re not there yet.

And, not surprisingly, even when you hit the number you thought was enough, your brain will quietly slide the goalposts forward into the future. That’s why the feeling never really disappears.

So how do you stop it running the show?

1. Get clear on your numbers
Write your staged Prime Time (or Epic Retirement) budget. Know what you spend now, what you might spend later, and where the money’s coming from. And remember. you’ve got more levers than you think: super, investments, downsizing, part-time work, delaying the big spends until later and if all else fails - the age pension will be there in Australia to catch you.

2. Give yourself breathing room
Build in a buffer. It doesn’t have to be huge, just enough that you can handle a surprise without it throwing your plan.

3. Focus on the life, not the number
The real win isn’t hitting some magic balance. It’s knowing what you want life to look like and having more than one way to fund it. Remember the point I make in the front of both my books - we’re chasing a number that will give us ‘choice’. Not the perfect or the biggest number we can have. You’ve no doubt heard the old adage — no point being the richest chump in the graveyard.

That fear? It might always be there in the background and you might have to learn to live with it. But with a plan, you can turn it into background noise - instead of the thing keeping you up at night.

Do you feel the fear?

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OUR NEXT COURSE KICKS OFF IN LESS THAN 3 WEEKS

The next edition of the How to Have an Epic Retirement Flagship Course kicks off on the 28th August. And while earlybird 25% off is now closed, we can offer a 15% discount for our Epic Retirement newsletter subscribers using the coupon code: EPICSPRING15 (or click here to purchase with the coupon code now.)

This is going to be our LARGEST COHORT EVER! That makes it even more fun to be honest! More community conversation and people to ask questions!

My 6-week How to Have an Epic Retirement Flagship Course has helped thousands of Aussies set themselves up for a retirement that’s smart, secure, and actually fun - with real strategies for money, time, health, happiness, travel, and how to age well in your own home.

👉 Check it out here and download the new brochure for Spring 2025

Let’s make your retirement epic.

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A week for the memories.

If you missed the Prime Time newsletter on Thursday of this week, then I have some big news! We did it! Prime Time: 27 Lessons for the New Midlife was the #1 bestselling Aussie self help book in its first week, across all booksellers.

We’re also #4 in on the overall list of non-fiction bestsellers in the country(alongside Australia’s favourite recipe books by Nagi and Let Them by Mel Robbins - what a thrill). And we’re proudly in the top 20 bestselling books overall in the entire country this week. This is all according to this week’s official BOOKSCAN data that was out Thursday - the real insight into what people are actually buying in bookstores around the country.

Thanks to everyone for getting in and buying a copy, and spreading the word. I can’t quite believe I get to say that out loud. It’s wild - and it means so much to me.

To say thanks — and to egg you on to share your pics (because we love seeing them!) — we’ve made some fun mugs for a little competition. Entering is super easy, and you could win one.

COMPETITION - WIN A LIMITED EDITION PRIME TIME COFFEE MUG

We’re giving away ten limited edition quirky Prime Time coffee mugs - they’re funny (a little bit rude) and fabulous—we’re just putting the finishing touches on the designs now).

To enter, all you need to do is:

📸 Post a fun photo with your Prime Time book on social media - get creative!
📖 Or share your favourite quote or moment from the book
📍 Post it on your wall and/or in the Facebook group
🏷️ Use the hashtag #PRIMETIME and tag me: @becwilsonepic on Facebook or @epicretirement on Instagram

That’s it! You’ll be in the running to win, and we’ll select the winners at the end of the first month after launch.

I’ve spent the week running from wonderful radio show to wonderful radio show. (Thank you to all our radio listeners and hosts - I love talkback). The week started with Bill McDonald’s Morning Show on 4BC. Then a chat with Nic Healey on Victoria Statewide Drive. Next it was Sydney for Brekkie with Craig Reucassel; Canberra Drive with Georgia Stynes; and on Saturday was on Tom Mackenzie-Forbes ABC Brekkie in the Gold Coast; and then 6PR in Perth’s Saturday night program with Fred Mafrica. That’s a lot of talking about the Prime Time of our life. Each time there was heaps of callers - and lots of texts!

And if you haven’t grabbed your copy of the book yet, you can get it here:
👉 https://amzn.to/3UE62bk

Or see all the stockists here.

Hey and check out these terrific reviews starting to pour in (and please consider leaving one on Amazon if you bought your book there; or on Goodreads if you bought it elsewhere.)

Again - thank you! thank you! thank you! I love my job - which is really just making things for you to learn from. And it’s even more fun when you use what I make prolifically and tell your friends about them!

Now - while I have your attention - make sure you listen to this week’s podcast with Shelley Horton. It’s a ripper. She’s got so much talent that lady - she’s great to chat with. And don’t forget that you can still register for the course that kicks off on the 28th August. There’s a coupon code above for our readers.

Now go, enjoy your Sunday.
Bec x

Cheers, Bec Wilson

Author, podcast host, columnist, retirement educator, and guest speaker

A call to action for midlifers: rethink retirement

Extract of article published in print in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times, WA Today on Sunday 9th August 2025.

Most people don’t realise that Australia doesn’t have a retirement age. Depending on their financial situation, some consider retirement a possibility from the age of 60, when they can stop full-time work and access their superannuation, tax-free.

For those who will rely on government support, 67 is considered the “retirement age”, when they become eligible for the age pension. For some, retirement at 55 is a goal – and it’s entirely possible.

We assume we know what retirement means, thanks to more than 100 years of the concept being deeply entrenched in society. We’ve grown up with the idea it happens at a fixed age – when we can get a pension.

(READ ON… my articles are never paywalled for Aussies in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald. )

Getting AHEAD of Perimenopause

Perimenopause can creep in quietly, with brain fog, anxiety, insomnia or sudden mood swings, or it can hit like a freight train. If you’re in your 40s or 50s and starting to feel “off,” there’s a good chance your hormones are behind it, and it’s not just about hot flushes or missed periods.

This week on Prime Time, I’m joined by journalist, TV presenter and all-round powerhouse Shelly Horton, a familiar face on Aussie screens and now the author of I'm Your Peri Godmother: A happily-ever-after guide to kicking perimenopause in the ovaries, the first Aussie guide to perimenopause that’s raw, evidence-based and unashamedly funny.

Shelly shares how she went from media high-flyer to hormonal hot mess in the ICU, and how she clawed her way back with good doctors, better information, and plenty of honesty. We unpack what perimenopause actually is, how to manage and prevent the tougher symptoms, and why this conversation matters just as much for the men who live, work and love alongside women going through it.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE PODCAST HERE:

• LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

• LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

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