According to Sanlam Corporate’s internal member data, most South Africans can only retire at 80! It’s probably a similar story for many countries.

Read it here.

This is shocking.

They blame low savings rates, rising costs, and poor financial planning. Their solution? Invest more into retirement funds. But, in my opinion, that mainly benefits big investment companies and employers, not you.

Instead of working an extra 15 years just to survive, let’s look at real alternatives that put you in control:

• Cut unnecessary expenses so you need less money to retire.
• Start a side hustle to boost your income and savings. We started our side hustles in our mid-40s, so it’s never too late. We have met lots of early retirees who started online businesses well into their 60s.
• Retire abroad where the cost of living is lower. We travel full time to tropical beaches with a R40k ($1500) monthly budget, you probably can too.

The traditional retirement model is broken. But with smart planning and bold choices, you can retire on your own terms—well before 80. Here’s how.

Currently in Your 20s

• Live Below Your Means – Avoid lifestyle inflation. If you start making more, save more instead of upgrading your life.

• Start a Side Hustle – Use your free time to create a second income stream that can potentially make you financially independent.

• Ditch Debt Quickly – Pay off loans and avoid unnecessary credit card debt. Debt steals your future freedom. Having a good credit score is just encouragement to spend more and you are not the one who profits from this.

• Invest in your Skills, Not Just Savings – The higher your earning potential, the faster you can save for retirement. Learn high-income skills now. You are young, learn AI and leverage this while no one understands it fully.

• Save Aggressively, Even Small Amounts – Get into the habit early. Saving just R500 a month from 25 can grow to R1 million+ by retirement.

Currently in Your 30s

• Keep Lifestyle Costs Low – Don’t fall into the trap of overspending on cars, big houses, or luxury items. When you’re retired at 50 on a beach in Bali, they don’t matter anymore. Trust me, I know 😉.

• Increase Your Income – If your job isn’t paying enough, switch careers, negotiate raises. Start a side hustle, there are so many options these days. Look at becoming your company’s AI coordinator.

• Think About What You Want From Life – Seriously consider major life expenses (kids, home loans). You don’t have to follow the same life plan as your parents. Think about what your ideal future looks like. We chose to not have kids despite a lot of social pressure.

• Buy Assets, Not Liabilities – Invest in things that generate money: rental properties, dividend stocks, or side businesses. Buying a home is a liability for decades, it’s no longer the guaranteed asset your parents had.

• Consider Geo-Arbitrage – If your job is remote or flexible, move to a lower-cost city or country to save more while earning the same. Try to get to this point in your career if it’s not.

Currently in Your 40s

• Reevaluate Retirement Plans – Are you on track? If not, cut unnecessary expenses and boost savings now.

• Diversify Your Income – Don’t rely only on a salary. Start investing in income-generating assets (stocks, rental properties, online businesses). It’s never too late to start side hustles. We started in our mid-40s and this got us to early retirement by 50.

• Reduce Debt to Zero – Eliminate home loans, credit card debt, and car payments. Don’t get more debt.

• Create a Leaner Budget – Can you live on less? The less you need, the sooner you can retire. We travel full time living on tropical beaches with only a backpack. It’s so freeing and we have almost no stress.

• Explore Early Retirement Options – Can you semi-retire in a lower-cost country and work remotely for extra income? Work hard now to try reach this, it’s worth it.

Currently over 50

• Downsize Your Life – Consider selling unnecessary assets, moving to a smaller home, and reducing monthly costs. “I’ve worked hard, I deserve a new car” puts your money in someone else’s pockets and they end up on a beach in Bali while you’re still working.
• Turn Side Hustles into Full-Time Income – If you’ve been building additional income sources, this is the time to make them sustainable. If you haven’t got any, start.
• Test Living on Your Retirement Budget – Can you comfortably live on what you expect to have? If not, adjust now. It’s actually easy to live on less and it doesn’t make you a bad person.
• Research Lower-Cost Places to Retire – If South Africa is too expensive, explore cheaper and expat-friendly destinations. If you didn’t read it above, we have a budget of R40k ($1500) a month for the 2 of us and live a pretty decent life. Check our YouTube Bryandiscoversworld.
• Develop Passive Income Streams – Rental income, dividend stocks, online businesses, or part-time consulting can support early retirement.

The Bottom Line

Retiring at 80 is NOT an option. The traditional system isn’t built for you to retire early—but you can beat it.
Start today by cutting expenses, boosting income, and thinking outside the box. The sooner you take control, the sooner you can reclaim your time and retire on your own terms.