Over the years, in conversations with our clients across Ireland, I’ve noticed something subtle but important.

Very few people actually set out saying, “I want to have the biggest possible investment portfolio.” What they say instead is, “I want to feel secure.” Or, “I’d like to slow down at 60.” Or, “I want to help the children, but not at the expense of our own lifestyle.” Or simply, “I don’t want to worry about money.”

Yet somewhere along the way, financial planning sometimes can drift into a different objective of simply accumulating more. More in the pension, in investments, just looking for a higher return.

“More” is a dangerous goal, because it has no natural finish line.

If you’ve changed jobs a few times, worked abroad for a spell, or moved from PAYE employment into self-employment, there’s a decent chance you have one or more “forgotten” pensions sitting quietly in the background. In Ireland, the UK and further afield, workplace pensions are often set up automatically and then left behind when you move on. Years later, people remember “I had something with that employer”, but the paperwork is gone, the provider has merged, and the pension becomes an afterthought.