We had a catch up meeting with our financial adviser this week. In preparation we had to fill in risk questionnaires to see if our view of financial risk had changed, and so whether our pension savings were invested appropriately. The result was that I am on the 51st percentile, or to put it another way, boringly average.
I was disappointed with this result. Not because I am disappointed with how risk averse I am. I would not to want to be gambling with my money at a stage when I am retired and no new money is coming in. Nor because I am disappointed with how much I like to take risk. I worked in financial services for most of my career and understand that an element of risk comes with the returns that I think we should be getting from our savings.
But I am disappointed that it is bang in the middle because doesn’t that just make me very boring? I think now that I am retired that is my biggest dread. That I have become a boring old man. As an old work colleague once told me about retirement – my biggest adventure each day would be deciding whether to buy white or brown rolls for my lunch. I don’t think I am quite there yet. For me, my narrowboat life and long vacations are fascinating and I learn new things every day.
But I can see for others that my life must seem really unimportant and boring.
I think I will go and buy a lottery ticket.
Pete's Blog 
Having recently retired, like you, my best advice to people is to retire to something not away from something – work in this case. And, like you, our narrowboat is what we’ve retired to.
i do have to admit though that the crystal ball is a bit murky say 10 years down the road but we’ll cross, or lift, that bridge when we get to it.
Lovely to hear from you. We were in Tixall Wide this week, where we saw your boat in the autumn, along with narrowboat Uisge Beatha, which is still in Great Haywood this week
Uisce Beatha is pronounced Ishka Bee ah and Uisce Beo is Ishka Bee oh. The first is water of life and ours is living water. Uisce is where the word whiskey originated.
We’re on the Llangollen at the moment and trying to decide where to go this summer but will stay up north in any event.
Hi Pete,
You may not remember me as I left Bailey’s after O levels. Helen Snape told me about your blog and I just wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed reading your posts recently. I retired from part time general practice last year. If your boat ever makes it to East Anglia, do get in touch,
Best wishes,
Alison Hume
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Thanks Alison 🙂