Ep 174 - Your Retirement, Your Terms – Make 2026 the Year You Take Intentional Action

Knowledge alone won’t get you through retirement — action will. In this New Year’s episode, Joe Curry explains why clarity, testing assumptions, and taking intentional steps matter more than consuming endless retirement content, and how you can turn 2026 into a year of momentum and confidence.

Key Takeaways

Knowledge doesn’t equal results
You can learn everything there is to know about retirement income planning, but without action, nothing changes..

Clarity creates momentum
You don’t need a perfect vision of retirement, but you do need direction. Knowing what you want your days to look like can help you start moving in the right direction.

Hope is not a retirement plan
Feeling “probably okay” isn’t the same as knowing. Understanding where you stand financially reduces anxiety and prevents costly inaction.

Test drive retirement before committing
A retirement dress rehearsal — living on your projected retirement income or taking extended time off — can reveal whether your assumptions actually work.

Professional guidance replaces hesitation with confidence
A trusted advisor doesn’t make decisions for you; they help you pressure-test your plan, uncover blind spots, and confirm whether you’re truly on track.

Insights Worth Sharing

“Knowledge alone does not produce results. Action does.”

“Hope is not a retirement plan.”

“You don’t need perfect clarity, but you do need enough direction to start moving.”

“Doing nothing feels safe, but it has a cost.”

“Focused action beats endless learning every time.”

Why Action — Not Information — Is the Missing Piece in Your Retirement Plan

As we head into a new year, it’s natural to reflect on where you are and where you’re headed — especially when retirement is getting closer. Many Canadians approaching retirement have done the hard work. You’ve saved diligently, built a solid career, and consumed plenty of information about retirement income planning. Yet despite all that knowledge, you may still feel stuck.

That’s because information alone doesn’t create results.

In this episode of Your Retirement Planning Simplified, I share a simple analogy: you can learn everything there is to know about eggs, but none of that knowledge will ever give you a fried egg. At some point, you have to take action, and make one yourself. Retirement works the same way.

Start With Direction, Not Perfection

Before you can take meaningful action, you need some clarity about what you actually want. Do you want to fully stop working, or ease into retirement? More travel, or more routine? Flexibility, or simplicity?

These aren’t financial questions — they’re life questions. And the good news is, you don’t need perfect answers. You just need enough direction to start moving. Clarity creates momentum, and momentum makes retirement planning feel far less overwhelming.

Know Where You Really Stand

Many people assume they’re “probably fine,” but hope is not a plan. Understanding where you stand today — your income sources, spending needs, risks, and blind spots — reduces anxiety and replaces guesswork with confidence.

This is where proper retirement income planning matters. Not to predict the future perfectly, but to answer essential questions: Are you on track? Are you closer than you think? Are there adjustments you should make now?

Test Retirement Before You Leap

One of the most powerful ideas discussed in this episode is the concept of a retirement dress rehearsal. That might mean living on your projected retirement income for a year, regardless of what you earn today. Or it could mean taking extended time off to see how your days actually feel without work.

These small tests help you validate both the financial and emotional sides of retirement — before making a permanent decision.

Why Action Builds Confidence

Even with a solid plan, retirement can feel final and intimidating. That’s why working with a professional can be so valuable. Not to tell you what to do, but to pressure-test your assumptions, confirm you’re on track, and highlight risks you may not see.

Action — even imperfect action — is what turns knowledge into confidence.

If you want help taking that next step, learn more about our retirement planning process at MatthewsAndAssociates.ca.