Have you ever wondered if you could walk away from work earlier than expected? What if you didn’t need to wait until your late 60s or 70s to finally enjoy life on your own terms?

For many professionals, retirement feels like a finish line that keeps moving. You save, you invest, and you keep going because no one has given you a clear signal that you're ready. But what if that signal came from somewhere unexpected? That’s what happened to Ian.

The wake-up call that changed everything

Ian was 54 when a close friend, Phil, died suddenly. They had worked together for years, shared plans for retirement, and looked forward to finally travelling together with their wives when the time came. But life had other plans, Phil never got to see his retirement. That loss shook Ian deeply, and it made him realise he had been working on autopilot, assuming retirement was still years away. But now, he wasn’t so sure- what if he could retire earlier? What if he didn’t have to wait?

Could you retire today?

If you really wanted to, you might be able to retire today. That’s not to say you should, but it raises an important question: when will you know you're ready?

The answer lies in building a proper financial plan.

At Nova Wealth, we help people like Ian understand their retirement readiness by mapping out a realistic, flexible strategy. With the right data, we can show you what retirement looks like- whether it's now, in five years, or even sooner than you expected.

Ian and Lucy’s Financial Picture

Ian and his wife Lucy had done most things right. They had decent pensions, some savings, and no extravagant lifestyle habits. But like many people, they didn’t know how it all added up.

Together, they and their Nova Wealth advisor reviewed:

• Current income and spending
• Pension values and potential income
• Other savings and investments
• Expected costs in retirement

They also looked at their goals: spending more time with family, travelling abroad, and enjoying the outdoors. Crucially, they didn’t want to feel financially restricted in later life.

The big question: could they afford to stop working now?

Testing their retirement through multiple lenses

At Nova Wealth, we ran Ian and Lucy’s plan through three different types of analysis:

1. Straight-line assumptions. This method assumes a steady return each year on their investments. On paper, things looked fine.
2. Historical scenarios. Next, we tested their plan against real market conditions from the past 100 years. The result? They still had a solid outcome, even during rough patches like the 1970s and early 2000s.
3. Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, we ran their plan through hundreds of simulations with varying outcomes. This gave us a probability-based success rate for their retirement. Ian and Lucy scored around 88 percent, which meant their plan worked in 88 out of 100 possible futures.

The human side of retirement planning

One issue stood out, if Ian retired immediately, their cash would dip in the early years. The long-term plan still worked, but they would feel pressure early on, especially if markets were down.

We considered a few options:

• Ian could take on some part-time work in the early years
• They could plan to downsize their home around age 75
• Or, they could work one more year to build a larger cash buffer

They chose a hybrid. Ian stepped back from full-time work and picked up a few contract roles, giving him freedom while still bringing in income, while Lucy took a bit more from her pension in the early years. They also agreed to downsize later in life to free up capital.

Suddenly, the plan wasn’t just viable- it was exciting.

Could this be you?

Many people we work with are in a similar position to Ian and Lucy. They’ve saved steadily, lived within their means, and are looking for clarity. Sometimes, the numbers show they could retire earlier than expected, or at least reshape their working lives to find more freedom now. Retirement isn’t just about age. It’s about choice.

If you’re wondering how close you are to that choice, book a free consultation with Nova Wealth. We’ll help you find out.

To help protect client confidentiality some details, such as name and some financial details, have been changed.

Capital at risk. Prevailing tax rates and reliefs are dependent on your individual circumstances and are subject to change. We do not provide tax advice. Any examples used in this article are for illustrative purposes only and you may get less back than the figures shown. This article does not constitute personal advice. We do not take any responsibility for third party websites and content we may link to from this article.

Issued on behalf of Nova. Nova is a trading name of Nova Wealth Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 778951) and is a limited company registered in England & Wales (10739796).