Retiring should be a milestone you look forward to. It’s a chance to spend your time how you want and do the things you’ve been putting off because work has been in the way. Yet, sadly, research shows UK adults associate spending their retirement savings with negative words, and it could prevent them from enjoying the next chapter of their life.
According to an August 2025 article from Money Marketing, UK adults associate anxiety (26%), fear (18%), and guilt (15%) with spending their pension and other assets they’ve built up for retirement.
Positive emotions, such as excitement (15%), security (17%), and relief (10%), were less commonly associated with depleting assets in retirement.
Anxiety could hold back your retirement plans, even if you have enough to tick off items on your bucket list and live comfortably.
Working with your financial planner to create a cashflow model could help you turn anxiety into excitement.
A cashflow model can help you visualise your wealth
For most retirees, their pension provides their main source of income once they give up work. You’re also likely to benefit from the State Pension and have other assets you might want to draw on, such as savings, investments, or property.
Bringing together the value of all these assets and then calculating what that means for your income and financial security throughout your retirement can seem like a daunting task. This is where a cashflow model can be valuable.
A cashflow model is a powerful tool that lets you see how your wealth might change over your lifetime depending on the decisions you make and factors outside of your control.
You start by adding information about your finances now, such as the value of each asset and your expenditure.
With this foundation, the cashflow model can project how your wealth might change. So, you could see how the value of your pension will change during your working life if it delivers average annual returns of 5%. Or how your outgoings might rise to account for an annual inflation rate of 3%.
It can be particularly useful when you’re planning for retirement, as it can demonstrate if you have “enough” based on your plans, like when you want to retire and your expected income.
It’s important to note that the outcomes of a cashflow model cannot be guaranteed, but it can provide useful information so you’re able to make informed decisions. To ensure your cashflow model continues to reflect your circumstances and long-term goals, it’s also essential that you update it regularly with your financial planner.
Calculating a sustainable income could ease retirement anxiety
It’s understandable why people feel anxiety and fear about spending their retirement savings. After all, if you spend too much too soon, you could find yourself in a financially vulnerable position.
The cashflow model can project how your wealth might change. For instance, you could see:
- If you can maintain your current lifestyle with your pension savings
- Whether you’re in a position to retire before you reach State Pension Age
- Whether you’d potentially run out of money if you increased your annual pension withdrawal by £10,000.
Not only can a cashflow model help you understand the potential effect of your decisions, but it can also be useful when assessing how outside factors might affect your finances.
For example, you might change the assumptions the cashflow model uses to see how:
- You would cope if you faced an unexpected bill in retirement
- A period of high inflation might deplete your assets at a faster rate
- A market downturn would affect your investments and long-term finances.
A cashflow model can help you identify potential gaps in your retirement finances and take steps to bridge them. It could help you feel more positive about taking a step back from work and spending your pension.
Calculating the effect of gifting assets and the value of your estate could ease guilt
Interestingly, the Money Marketing article noted that 15% of UK adults feel guilty about spending their retirement savings.
If you find it difficult to spend money on yourself, a financial plan could help you identify what your priorities are and give you the confidence to pursue them.
For some people, supporting loved ones will be a priority and help ease any feelings of guilt. Again, a cashflow model can be useful.
If you want to gift assets to your loved ones during your lifetime, you can input this into your cashflow model to see how it might affect your long-term financial security. For example, if you want to gift a house deposit to your grandchild, you can use a cashflow model to assess the effect of gifting a lump sum now.
You might also be thinking about what legacy you’ll leave behind for loved ones, and how it could provide financial support when you’re gone. A cashflow model could help you calculate the value of your estate in the future, so you’re able to create an effective estate plan.
Contact us to talk about your cashflow plan
If you’d like to review or create a cashflow plan, please contact us.
Please note:
This blog is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice, which should be based on your individual circumstances. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
A pension is a long-term investment not normally accessible until 55 (57 from April 2028). The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
The tax implications of pension withdrawals will be based on your individual circumstances. Thresholds, percentage rates, and tax legislation may change in subsequent Finance Acts.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate cashflow modelling or estate planning.