If you are 50, retirement is no longer a distant idea, it’s a real milestone just a decade or so away. That might seem daunting at first, but the good news is you may also be entering the best 15years of your life. Why not use this time to create the freedom and flexibility you’ve been working toward?

Retirement reimagined

Across Aotearoa New Zealand, more people are reimagining retirement as an active, purposeful, and fulfilling stage of life. Whether you picture yourself road-tripping in a campervan, working part-time in a role you love, or enjoying slow mornings with the grandkids, your choices now will help shape what’s possible later.

Our new website can help you plan with confidence. Use our interactive tools to estimate what you’ll need, understand your investment profile, and see how your KiwiSaver savings could grow. We’re here to help you turn dreams into plans.

Your Retirement Story: How Will It Unfold?

John and Mere, both 51, recently sat down with our Retirement Calculator to see how their future was shaping up. Their goal was to save enough to be able to visit family in the islands every few years and generally enjoy life.

They learnt that their retirement goal of having $1,150 per week (after tax) was achievable. NZ Super would give them just under $830 per week (after tax), with an extra $320 per week needing to come from their Christian KiwiSaver Scheme to get to the goal amount.

By using the KiwiSaver (Savings) Calculator, they learned their KiwiSaver savings target was to have $300,000 by age 65.

Both John and Mere were in the Growth Fund and had a current balance of $50,000 each ($100,000 combined). With 14 years to save and salaries of $50,000 per year before tax (each), they decided to increase their KiwiSaver contributions to 4% per year, with their employer contributing at 3%. The KiwiSaver (Savings) Calculator confirmed that they should hit their targets.

John and Mere knew that NZ Super would provide a helpful foundation, but for them, it wouldn’t be enough to cover the lifestyle they wanted.

That’s where their savings, investments, and KiwiSaver came in.

A friend had told them that the average KiwiSaver balance for someone retiring today is around $42,000 for men and $34,000 for women. They felt good about saving for a bit extra. They had an opportunity now, for the next 14 years, to make the most of their salaries and this is why they had chosen to increase their contribution rate to 4% per year. In dollar terms, on their current salaries, this meant a combined total of around $20 a week less in the hand now, which was doable.

Their friend Helen (age 51) gave the KiwiSaver (Savings) Calculator a go too. She was looking forward to a simpler pace – gardening, volunteering, and spending time with family in Hawke’s Bay. Her budget was closer to $40,000 per year, but she still needed to plan for unexpected healthcare costs and home maintenance.

Helen had a bigger salary on $65,000 per year (after tax) and a KiwiSaver balance of around $55,000. To achieve her savings target of $210,000, she decided to increase her contribution rate to 6%. This meant having around $37 per week less in the hand now, but she wanted the surety she would be ok when she retired, and felt good about this decision.

John and Mere, and Helen, knew that the right retirement plan was personal. That’s why they wanted to know how to prepare.

Do you know what your target numbers are? It is easy to take the first step: Use our Retirement Calculator to estimate how much you might need to have in your KiwiSaver account by the time you retire, for the lifestyle you’re picturing.

From vision to numbers

Once you’ve set your sights on the kind of retirement you want, it’s time to see how you’re tracking. That means looking at what you already have and what you can add between now and your retirement date.

John, Mere and Helen used the KiwiSaver Calculator to explore “what if” scenarios — like how much their savings could grow if they increased contributions from 3% to 4% or 6%, or what difference an earlier or later retirement date could make.

They found that even small changes now could make a big difference over time. For Mere and John, it meant only putting in an extra $20 a week (total), and the difference was nearly $9,500. That could be an extra $50 per month during retirement, until age 95 or it could cover their rates bill for a few years.

For Helen, putting in an extra $37 per week could translate into an extra $37,000 in her KiwiSaver at retirement. That was a choice worth taking.

Knowing your investment approach

John, Mere and Helen had all chosen a growth fund, because they knew they had a longer time horizon before they needed the money. They were comfortable taking on a bit more risk, for the extra growth over time.

You can use our Risk Profile Quiz to help you find an investment approach that fits your goals and personality. Our Risk Profile Quiz can help you make informed choices that give your savings the best chance to grow over time.

Your retirement is your responsibility

John, Mere and Helen knew they couldn’t just leave it to chance and hope for the best. But they also knew they didn’t want to compromise on the plans they had built so far. They had worked hard to get to where they were today and weren’t prepared to risk losing the choices they enjoyed, because it was easier to ‘wait and see’.

You can start your retirement planning now.  It isn’t about having every answer today, but about building flexibility and confidence for tomorrow. Our new tools make it easier to see the bigger picture and to act. Whether you’re just starting your KiwiSaver journey or you’re only a few years from retirement, it’s never too late to make progress.

Ready to take the next step?

• Estimate your retirement lifestyle costs with the Retirement Calculator.
• See how much your KiwiSaver could grow with the KiwiSaver Calculator.
• Understand your investment approach with the Risk Profile Quiz

Your retirement is in your hands, and every step you take now is an investment in the life you want to live later.

The New Zealand Anglican Church Pension Board trading as Anglican Financial Care is the manager and issuer of Christian KiwiSaver Scheme, The Retire Fund and The New Zealand Anglican Church Pension Fund. Product Disclosure Statements and Fund Updates are available here: https://angfincare.nz/news-and-knowhow/forms-and-documents/