FROM NOW TO NEXT: BUILDING THE FUTURE THAT AWAITS YOU

By Marion Nyariki

There's a peculiar irony in how we talk about retirement. We call them the "golden years," yet for many, they arrive tarnished with worry. The pension statements are confusing,social circles shrink, the questions multiply:“Will my money last? Who do I turn to? What comes next?”

Across the country, people are entering retirement only to discover that the safety nets they had counted on, robust pension systems, clear information, supportive communities, are either fragmented or simply don't exist. Pension literacy remains surprisingly low, even among those nearing retirement. And perhaps most striking of all, there's no central gathering place where retirees and soon-to-be retirees can come together to make sense of it all.

In 2024 Pension Club International (PCI) was established as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee to help fill the glaring void. PCI began with a straightforward observation; retirement planning had become too transactional, too isolated, too intimidating. What if, instead, it could be communal? What if people approaching or living in retirement could come together, not just to show sympathy, but to learn, strategize, and advocate together?

Building A Community

At its heart, PCI operates on a premise that seems almost revolutionary in its simplicity; people navigating similar life transitions should have a space to connect. Not just online forums or occasional seminars, but a genuine community where knowledge flows freely, resources are shared, and collective voices can influence the systems that affect everyone's future.

Members include retirees adjusting to their new reality, professionals still planning their exit, employers thinking about their workforce's future, young professionals beginning to plan for their future and policymakers trying to understand what people actually need. It's an unusual mix, and that's precisely the point.

In regular gatherings and ongoing conversations, pension strategies are demystified. Investment opportunities are explored together. Policy gaps are identified and challenged. And slowly, something else emerges,the realization that retirement doesn't have to be a solitary journey into the unknown.

What makes PCI's position particularly interesting is the landscape it entered. Despite the millions of people affected by pension policies and retirement challenges, no central body had emerged to truly represent their collective interests. No organization had successfully brought together all the stakeholders, retirees, workers, employers, and policymakers, under one roof.

PCI saw the opening and moved into it. As the first of its kind, its setting precedents, establishing standards, and building frameworks that didn't exist before. Whether it's influencing pension legislation, designing innovative retirement programs, or simply creating spaces for honest conversations about aging, PCI is charting new territory.

But PCI isn't content with just talk. Alongside the community-building and policy work, there's a tangible vision taking shape: retirement villages built not just with bricks and mortar, but with enduring friendships, social connections, and empowering networks at their foundation. The idea is to create environments where dignified living isn't an aspiration but a given. Where the physical space supports the social infrastructure. Where belonging is designed in from the start.

Rewriting the Narrative

For too long, retirement conversations have been confined to spreadsheets and policy documents. They've been technical when they should have been human. Reactive when they should have been visionary. PCI is attempting something different: making retirement planning forward-looking rather than fear based. Making it collaborative rather than isolating. Making it about possibility rather than limitation.

The club isn't just preparing people for retirement; it's proposing an entirely different story about what those years can be. Not a slow fade into irrelevance, but a new chapter with its own purpose, community, and dignity.

When someone joins PCI, they're not simply signing up for a membership. They're stepping into a community that's actively shaping what retirement looks like for this generation and the next. Their experiences inform the advocacy. Their needs drive the programs. Their voices matter in decisions that will affect countless others. It's a family not because everyone agrees on everything, but because there's a shared commitment to looking out for each other and building something better together.

The story of retirement in our time is still being written. The chapters ahead haven't been determined yet. And that's exactly why what happens next matters so much. Because the question isn't whether retirement will be challenging, it will be. The question is whether people will face those challenges alone, or together.

The writer of this article is the Pension Club International - Principal Officer.