No retirement plan and it's weighing on you — who to speak to first

You're in your 30s or 40s, you've never set up a retirement plan, and lately it's started to nag at you—especially when colleagues mention their funds or you realise you've been moving between jobs without thinking about what happens to your savings. The anxiety is real. The relief is knowing exactly who to call and what they actually do.

The retirement advisory world isn't one thing. It's a landscape with several overlapping types of help, and which one suits you depends on where you are financially and what you need clarity on first. Getting lost in that landscape wastes time and often leads to inaction—which is worse than any wrong turn.

The different providers who can help

Retirement planning sits at the intersection of several professional worlds. Independent financial advisors are perhaps the broadest category; they advise on overall financial health, including retirement, investments, insurance and debt. They typically work across multiple products and institutions and are paid either by fee (you pay them directly) or commission (product providers pay them when you buy).

Tax practitioners and accountants often advise small-business owners on retirement planning because retirement savings and tax efficiency are entangled, especially if you're self-employed. They understand your business structure and how much you can legally set aside.

Staff at banks and insurance companies offer retirement products directly—but they're usually there to explain what they sell, not to audit your full situation or compare you to competitors' options. Useful for specific questions, limited for holistic planning.

Wealth advisors typically work with people who have substantial investable assets (usually over a few million rand) and manage money actively. They're not your first stop if you're building from scratch.

Pension consultants specialise in the legal and administrative side of retirement funds, especially if you're setting up a company scheme or managing a fund's compliance. They're expert on the rules but not necessarily on your personal savings strategy.

Where to start when you've never done this

Your first conversation should be with someone who can ask you three baseline questions without immediately selling you something: How much are you earning and spending? What do you own and owe? When do you want to stop working, and what kind of life do you want then?

If you're salaried, an independent financial advisor is a natural starting point. They'll map out your whole picture, explain what happens to your company retirement contributions (if any), and suggest whether you need additional private savings. They can also point you toward specific product types once you understand your strategy.

If you're self-employed or run a small business, a tax practitioner or accountant who knows retirement planning might actually be smarter first. They'll link your retirement options to your business structure and show you how retirement contributions affect your taxable income. Then they can refer you to a financial advisor to execute the investment side.

The key distinction: advisors who ask questions before prescribing, and who can explain their reasoning in plain language, are worth your time. Avoid anyone who rushes you into a product within the first meeting.

One practical step: ask for references or reviews from people like you—same life stage, similar income bracket. A recommendation from someone in your shoes is worth more than marketing material.

When you're ready to have that first conversation, you'll want someone regulated by the FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority) if they're giving personalised advice. Ask for their FSCA registration number; it takes a minute to verify and it's non-negotiable.

Finding the right person to start with matters, because a bad first experience can push you further into procrastination. Strove's adviser directory lets you read what others experienced, filter by speciality, and message providers to check they fit your situation before committing to anything. That small bit of due diligence upfront can be the difference between a conversation that clarifies your future and one that leaves you more confused.

The goal isn't perfection on day one. It's a conversation that makes sense of your numbers, names the real deadline, and gives you permission to stop worrying about whether you should have started sooner.