About Richard Cakans-Author

Retirement planning is personal — because your life is personal

Hello, I’m Richard Cakans.

I’m the author of Retirement: It’s Personal — a practical guide to making the retirement decision by aligning three things that must work together: money, emotions and lifestyle.

For more than 20 years I’ve helped people navigate the moment when retirement moves from a distant idea to a real decision. And I’ve seen the same pattern repeatedly: even when the numbers look “good”, the decision can still feel heavy.

That’s because retirement isn’t just a financial calculation. It’s a life transition.

Yes — the numbers matter.
But so do the fears, the “what ifs”, the relationship dynamics, and the simple question: what will my days actually look like?

When I’m not working, I enjoy time with family, football, cars and holidays.

Why I wrote Retirement: It’s Personal

Over the years, I’ve noticed something consistent:

People don’t just want to know if they can retire.
They want to know how to retire well.

That includes:

Feeling confident you’re not making a mistake
Understanding the trade-offs (and not regretting them later)
Knowing what your plan is for — not just what it costs
Having a framework that makes retirement feel clear and manageable

This book is built around a simple idea: when money, emotions and lifestyle are aligned, retirement feels calmer. When they’re out of sync, even a strong financial position can feel uncertain.

Who this book is for

This book is for you if any of these sound familiar:

You’re approaching retirement and thinking: “I think I’m okay… but I’m not sure.”
You want to retire, but you don’t want to worry every time the market moves
You and your partner are not fully aligned on what retirement should look like
You’re concerned about longevity, health, or running out of money
You’re recently retired and want reassurance that your plan is sustainable
You want a simple way to make decisions without getting overwhelmed

It’s designed to be practical, down-to-earth, and clear — without jargon, and without pretending retirement is the same for everyone.

My approach

My role as an adviser has always been to help people move from uncertainty to clarity.

In real terms, that usually means:

simplifying the moving parts,
mapping decisions in the right order,
and giving you a plan that feels realistic for your life (not an idealised version of retirement).

I’m also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (FCSI), That matters because good decisions are easier when things are explained clearly and calmly.

A quick note about the website

This website supports the book and shares resources to help you think through retirement in a structured way.

Over time you’ll find:

Articles in plain English
Worksheets and planning prompts
Tools to help you think through both the money and lifestyle side of retirement

If you’d like updates as the book launches (and when new resources go live), you can join the email list below.

Note: The content on this site is for information and education only, and isn’t personal financial advice.