Helping advisers guide clients working beyond retirement age

The idea of a fixed retirement age is changing. Increasingly, people are choosing—or needing—to work well into their later years. For some, this decision is financial. For others, it is about lifestyle, identity, or even health, with work providing structure and purpose. Whatever the reason, the traditional model of stopping work at around 65 is being replaced by a more flexible reality.

For advisers, this shift brings both challenges and opportunities. Retirement planning used to assume a clear transition from accumulation to decumulation. Now, many clients expect to contribute to pensions for longer, access benefits gradually, or combine part-time work with partial drawdown. This creates new dynamics in areas such as contribution strategies, tax efficiency, and cashflow modelling.

The international dimension adds further complexity. Mobile professionals who have worked in several jurisdictions often face overlapping rules, and expats may be drawing income in one country while continuing to work in another. Pension structures need to accommodate these realities, not only from a compliance perspective but also in terms of practical flexibility.

Advisers are responding by broadening their conversations with clients. Instead of focusing solely on when retirement will begin, they are discussing how it might evolve. Some clients aim to phase out of full-time employment, reducing hours gradually. Others want the option to draw a portion of their pension while still working. These preferences highlight the growing importance of pensions that can adapt to later-life transitions.

Industry solutions vary. International centres such as Malta, Gibraltar, and the Isle of Man continue to play a role, offering regulated frameworks that can support portability and flexible access. For clients with cross-border lives, choosing the right jurisdiction can make a tangible difference in aligning extended careers with long-term goals.

For advisers, guiding clients who work beyond the standard retirement age is not just about numbers—it is about recognising broader life patterns. Retirement is no longer a single event but a series of stages, and pension planning has to reflect that. Advisers who can explain these shifts clearly, and help clients consider the implications, will stand out as trusted partners in an increasingly fluid retirement landscape.

As longevity rises and working lives stretch, the adviser’s role becomes even more central: not just in helping clients accumulate wealth, but in making sure their pension structures can support a more flexible and international future.

We support advisers in meeting the needs of clients whose careers and retirements no longer fit traditional patterns.  Our flexible pension schemes and experience in cross-border pensions and commitment to transparent governance allows advisers to focus on guiding clients with confidence, wherever their later-life journey takes them.