Last month I had the dubious pleasure of celebrating yet another
birthday. It was not a "significant" anniversary –
it didn't end with a zero, or even a five (which comes next
year). I was delighted to receive the normal crop of good wishes
– although as the years pass, I seem to receive fewer cards
and far more electronic greetings. I did wonder whether it would be
OK to print all the Facebook messages and put them up where the
cards should go; I decided against it.
The celebrations were very jolly but somewhat overshadowed I
thought when someone, albeit in a jocular fashion, said:
"Another year closer to retirement, eh? I hope you've got
your pension sorted."
Well, yes thanks, I do, more or less, but for someone whose next
big "zero" birthday is 60 (although I hasten to add, not
until the early Twenties) retirement planning is most relevant and
something I think about far more than in days gone by. Many people
my age and older say "it's too late for me" as
