The Humans vs Retirement Podcast
By Dan Haylett
Categories: Education, Self-Improvement, Business, Investing
Humans vs Retirement is the podcast that proves retirement isn't just about money, it's about life. Hosted by me Dan Haylett, I dive into the real, human side of retirement: the emotions, the mindset shifts, and the messy, wonderful journey of reinventing yourself for the next chapter. Through honest conversations with experts and inspiring stories from retirees themselves, you'll get the tools, ideas, and encouragement you need to retire to something, not just from something. If you want to make your second half even better than your first, hit subscribe and join the Humans vs Retirement community.
112 episodes indexed on podsearch.
Recent episodes
- Ep 111 - The Open Sandwich Generation
You've heard of the sandwich generation — pressed between ageing parents above and growing children below, doing all the lifting. But nobody's named what happens next. When your parents have died. When your children have properly left home. When, for the first time since you were eighteen, you are…
- Ep 110 - The Permission Paradox
You've got the money. You've got the time. You've got the freedom. So why can't you actually enjoy it? In this episode, I unpack the Permission Paradox! The reason financially secure retirees still order the cheap coffee, skip the trip, and quietly guard a fortune they'll never spend. It's not a…
- Ep 109 - What You Lose When You Retire
Retirement is sold to you as a gain event. Freedom. Time. Choice. The world is your oyster. It is, in fact, one of the biggest loss events you will ever go through. And almost nobody warned you. In this episode, I walk through what actually dies when you retire — the ten things that quietly come…
- Ep 108 - Have You Worked Too Long and Saved Too Much?
The episode where we say the unsayable Everyone's worried about people not saving enough. That's the crisis. That's the narrative. But there's another problem. One the financial industry almost never talks about. Some of you did everything right — and it cost you everything that matters. This…
- Ep 107 - Your 12 Good Years
Your 12 Good Years What if the most important number in retirement isn't your pension pot — it's 12? Not 30 years. Not 25. Twelve. That's roughly how many genuinely good, healthy, fully-capable years the average 60-year-old has before energy, mobility, and independence start to meaningfully…
- Ep 106 - Why You're Wasting Your Time Worrying About Running Out of Money
Buy My Book The Retirement You Didn't See Coming Let's Chat About Your Retirement Plans Book a time for us to talk Episode Description You're probably not going to run out of money in retirement. Most retirees still have 80% of their savings after 20 years. Couples withdraw just 2.1% annually—half…
- Ep 105 - The Parent's Dilemma: Your Retirement vs Their Future
Buy My Book The Retirement You Didn't See Coming Let's Chat About Your Retirement Plans Book a time for us to talk Episode Description You've worked hard to build your nest egg. Now your adult children are struggling in a brutal housing market, drowning in debt, and navigating unstable careers…
- Why Small Problems Feel HUGE In Retirement
Buy My Book The Retirement You Didn't See Coming Let's Chat About Your Retirement Plans Book a time for us to talk Episode Description You spent 30-40 years solving major crises. Now you're retired with total freedom, yet you're standing in your kitchen, heart racing, furious because the…
- Ep 103 - The Emotional Price Tag of Retirement
You've saved for decades. The spreadsheet says you're fine. So why can't you book that trip to Italy? Why does buying nice coffee feel wrong? This isn't a financial problem—it's an emotional one. And it's incredibly common. What We Cover Money Scripts: The Invisible Backpack "There will never be…
- Ep 102 - Why your brain is hardwired to fail at retirement
Episode Description Your brain has spent decades as a corporate drug addict, getting its dopamine fix from deadlines, presentations, and feeling important. But when you retire, the dealer cuts you off—cold turkey. This episode explores the neuroscience behind why retirement can feel so…
- Ep 101 - Why Your Perfect Retirement Can Feel So Wrong
Why Your "Perfect" Retirement Feels So Wrong You did everything right. Saved hard. Invested well. Ticked every box. So why does retirement feel… off? In this episode, I unpack the uncomfortable truth nobody talks about: retirement can feel psychologically harder than work, even when the money's…
- Ep 100 - What 100 Episodes Taught Me About Retirement... And About Being Human
After 100 episodes of diving into the messy, hilarious, emotional and utterly human world of retirement, I return with the rawest and most powerful episode yet. This milestone isn't a celebration; it's a challenge. A wake-up call. A bold invitation to stop drifting, stop delaying, stop hiding…
- Ep 99 - How to Retire Well in 2026: The 5 Key Areas to Get Right
If you want to retire well in 2026, you don't need a ten-year spreadsheet, a suitcase full of pensions, or a perfectly colour-coded life plan. You need five human foundations: clarity around your money, health that actually supports your freedom, purpose that wakes you up in the morning, people…
- S6 Ep 98 - The New Rules of Retirement
In the season finale, I tear up the traditional retirement rulebook and replace it with a bold, human, and rebellious manifesto for the second half of life. The old rules — work 40 years, aim for "enough," play it safe, slow down — were never designed for modern retirees who want meaning, energy…
- S6 Ep 97 - Are You Solving The Wrong Retirement Problem?
Most financial planning conversations in retirement are 90% about money, but most retirees spend 90% of their time thinking about life. That's the Retirement Focus Ratio, and it's completely out of sync. In this episode, I challenge the industry obsession with spreadsheets and show why the real…
- S6 Ep 96 - Why Your Brain Isn't Built for Retirement: Modern Software, Ancient Hardware!
Retirement is a modern invention, but your brain didn't get the upgrade. In this episode, I unpack why so many retirees feel restless, guilty, or underwhelmed, even when life looks "perfect on paper." It's not because something is wrong with you, it's because you're trying to run a 21st-century…
- The Emotional Whirlwind of Retirement (and How to Survive It)
Retirement isn't a finish line; it's an emotional rollercoaster. In this episode, I break the myth of the "happily ever after" retirement and introduce The Retirement Reinvention Curve — an honest, human map of what really happens when the work stops and life after work begins. From the initial…
- S6 Ep 94 - Tax, Death and Rock 'n' Roll
Tax. Death. Legacy. Three words that make most people squirm, but avoiding them doesn't make them go away. In this unapologetically bold and surprisingly uplifting episode, I turn the "taboo trifecta" into a conversation about freedom, meaning, and going out with style. You'll learn how to make…
- S6 Ep 93 - Your Retirement Plan is a Lie (But You Still Need One)
Most people treat retirement planning like an Olympic sport, building spreadsheets, forecasting returns, and trying to engineer certainty in a world that's anything but certain. But here's the truth: no plan survives contact with real life. In this episode, I unpack why traditional retirement…
- S6 Ep 92 - Retirement Income Isn't About Products... It's About Permission
Most retirees believe the key to a successful income strategy lies in the products — specifically, the right pension wrapper, withdrawal rate, or investment mix. But here's the truth: it's not about products at all. It's about permission. In this episode, I challenge the obsession with…
- S6 Ep 91 - The Skill No One Taught You - Spending Money!
You've worked hard. Saved smart. Invested wisely. You've built a life where money is no longer the problem. But here's the awkward truth: spending it freely, without guilt, hesitation, or second-guessing, is the part no one prepared you for. In this episode, I unpack why so many retirees struggle…
- S6 Ep 90 - Time Isn't What You Think It Is
Retirement isn't about how much time you have; it's about how much time you feel. In this episode, I dive into one of the most misunderstood aspects of life after work: time perception. From brain science to everyday challenges, I uncover why retirement can sometimes feel like a blur and how you…
- S6 Ep 89 -The Five Pillars of Retirement Well-Being
Most people retire with a solid income plan but no plan for a life they actually want to live. In this episode, I discuss the five human pillars that make retirement feel meaningful, not just financially viable: Purpose, Identity, Relationships, Structure, and Well-being. Expect punchy stories…
- S6 Ep 88 - The Past Built You. Your Future Needs You!
In this episode of The Humans vs. Retirement Podcast, I delve into one of the most disorienting aspects of life after work: identity. For decades, we've answered the question "Who are you?" with a job title. Director. Manager. Teacher. Lawyer. And then retirement hits — and suddenly, the title is…
- S6 Ep 87 - Retirement Isn't The Goal, It's The Starting Line
Welcome back to Humans vs Retirement! Season 6 kicks off with something brand new — no guests, no panels, just me, the mic, and the unfiltered truth about retirement. In this episode, I tackle one of the biggest myths of all: that retirement is the finish line. Spoiler alert — it's not. Retirement…
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