Rod Stewart – providing ideas and tips for your retirement

What age is Rod Stewart?

I wasn’t sure either so I did the Google thing – gee whiz, I’d never have believed that.

Me and Mrs O headed along to see Rodney playing at the SECC in Glasgow a wee while back – a chance to check that he can still kick a football like a twenty year old – but also an opportunity to see that his dance moves are getting more like Tom Jones’ by the day. But at least he could dance once – which is more than I have ever been able to do.

And he can still sing – though not with the rasp that he used to (I think he got nodules removed from his throat many years back and that seemed to create his current smooth tones – he was on Parky one night talking about it). But he can still sing, and very well at that (even if he does sing far too many of the pop hits rather than his earlier R&B stuff).

I have to assume that he is going a bit deaf though – I said, I have to assume that he is going a bit deaf.  Not because he was inclined to say pardon when the crowd were singing or because he needed to ask the drummer to count him in with his hand. I reckon he is going a bit Mutt and Jeff because if he isn’t then surely he would have told the crowd to shut up and listen at various points in the set.

I couldn’t believe the din that came from the audience as he went through the set. I genuinely sat slack jawed during Rainy Night in Georgia as, with only minimum accompaniment from the band, he was largely drowned out by the crowd having a good natter about – well to be honest I can’t imagine what they were all nattering about. The folks behind me seemed intent on talking and laughing about the queue for the loo/bar/concessions rather than listening to Rod.

As a kid I remember risking death from an irate mother or elder relation if I dared to talk when someone was singing at Hogmanay or a Wedding reception – so when did it become ok to have a right good blether with your mates when you’ve spent about 70 quid on tickets on someone who you presumably wanted to hear as well as see. I don’t get it.

As for Rod, assuming that his hearing is much the same as his libido (child 58 is on the way I hear), I can only presume that he just chose to ignore the noise and continue to count the money into the bank account. What a great advert for abolishing the retirement age – I guess Dave and Nick must have had Rod in mind when they announced that recently. Rod needn’t bother retiring – he can just keep on singing at various venues around the UK. He won’t even need to sing in tune – most of the crowd won’t be listening and when he needs a “helping hand in his rock and roll band” we can all join in the chorus.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all do the same as Rod? So here is some retirement and pension advice – make sure your job involves doing something that no-one will pay attention to and you’ll be able to keep doing it long after you are any good at it. In fact even if you are good at it (like Rod) they’ll still ignore you. Working past the normal retirement age might be easier than we think.

How old is Rod Stewart? date of birth: 10th January 1945.

How bored by your pension are you?

When was the last time you reviewed your pension?

Zzzzzzzzzz.

Not the most exciting topic is it?

I’m sure your far from dying to know but I “reviewed my pension” the other night. Well when I say “reviewed” what I actually did was file away a pile of statements that have been lying around in a tidy pile for several months. In a moment of rare interest I added up the values on the back of an envelope – and was pleased to see that the total was higher than my worst fears (and the previous year).

So the good news is that me and Mrs O when we hit retirement age (whatever that will be when we get to it) will be heading off on our round the world cruise dining on smoked salmon and sipping fine wines while waving to Whales. Hmm maybe not – probably more like heading off with the owl and the pussycat in a pea green boat with us supplying the five pound note to wrap up the honey.

Nonetheless my infrequent “pension review” activity did make me feel rather smug a day or so later when I read an article from Barings reporting that half of us (that’s the UK population) have no clue about our pension level, pension performance or where our pension is invested (Barings pension report here). So I’m in the knowledgeable half of the UK population – smug smile. As I nudge toward 50 my pension becomes more and more of interest (as do the lottery numbers).

It’s strange that we (and I include me and Mrs O) seem reluctant to review pension arrangements given that most of us are no doubt looking forward to retiring abroad, reconstructing Waverly Train Station in our lofts or catching a record Salmon in the Silvery Tay. Recognising the importance and inertia surrounding pensions we (the business – not me and Mrs O) set up a Pension and Retirement website a year or so back to offer introductions to advisors – it’s building nicely with a growing band of advisors. So if, like me and Mrs O, your pension arrangements have been lying in the corner needing filed for longer than you can remember you might want to run past the site to make your conscience feel a bit more at ease. (www.nowretirement.com)

You can wake up now.

Sell to rent

The FSA are having a close look at the Sale to Rent or Sell to Rent market following the recent property downturn. It’s an unregulated area and now lets set to become regulated – sooner or later. The notion of buying someones house and then letting them rent it back is a fair enough idea – particularly if the homeowner wants to release cash or is about to be forced out by the bank. But…. the trouble is of course that should the buyer run into financial problems then all bets are off and the seller can find themselves homeless.

It is clearly an area that needs sorted out – people who have fallen foul of market conditions or over leveraged buyers will have wondered why it wasn’t already regulated.

The FSA stepped in a few years ago to sort out home reversion and equity release schemes – we talk about these on our financial news sites – www.nowretirement.com being one. It’s a pity (but hindsight is a great thing) that thr FSA didn’t go a wee bit further. But on the negative side the more regulation that comes in the harder it is for decent folks to get on with doing a decent job. The term equity release has been misused a lot and seems to mean many different things depending on who is presenting.

Hopefully the other decent financial products that are lumped in with the generic term “equity release” wont get caught in the cross fire.

Equity Release on the Up

Apparently the Scots are taking to equity release quicker than the rest of the UK. Fair enough – you canni take it with you – there’s nae pockets in a shroud – many a mickle maks a muckle and other quaint scots phrases. 

Equity release for pensioners will become an essential fact of life sooner than we think. Its used for a variety of purposes from making ends meet to buying a place in the sun to ease the lumbago (do people still get lumbago – or did that only exist in the sixties).

So http://www.nowretirement.com is all about that sort of stuff ie getting money from your “hoose” as we say in Scotchland. And once you get the money go do something interesting with it – how about….. http://www.specialproperties4u.com a place in the sun (not in the sun obviously that would be too hot).