What to share with an advisor to run your real retirement number

You've decided to get professional help with your retirement. That's the hardest part. Now comes the practical one: what information does an advisor actually need from you to run the real number, not a vague projection?

Most people either arrive at an advisor's office with a shoebox of statements, or nothing at all. Both leave money on the table. An advisor can only work with what you give them, and incomplete or outdated information leads to a plan that falls apart when circumstances change. The trade-off is between privacy (how much you're willing to disclose) and accuracy (how useful the advice will be). You need to tip that balance deliberately.

Your current assets and where they actually sit

Start with the full picture of what you own today. This means retirement accounts (RA, preservation fund, unclaimed pensions if you've changed jobs), non-retirement savings, property, investments, and cash. Don't estimate. Pull actual statements—or at minimum, log into each account and screenshot the balance. An advisor needs the real numbers because even a 10% error compounds over decades.

If you've moved between employers, you may have orphaned pension money sitting somewhere. If you've been self-employed, you might have contributions in a personal RA. Bring evidence of all of it. An advisor can help you trace lost pots, but only if they know they exist.

Your income, expenses and what you actually spend

Retirement planning isn't about guessing at a comfortable number—it's built from how you actually live now. Pull three months of bank statements and identify what you spend on fixed costs: bond or rent, insurance, utilities, transport. Then look at discretionary spending: groceries, dining out, entertainment, holidays. Be honest about what you'd cut in retirement and what you'd increase (travel, hobbies, less commuting).

If you're self-employed or run an SMME, bring your last two years of tax returns and recent management accounts. An advisor needs to understand what your true income actually is and how volatile it might be. This matters because your capacity to save for retirement is only as reliable as your earnings.

Debts, obligations and what comes after

List every outstanding loan: bond, car finance, personal loans, tax arrears. Include the monthly payment, remaining term, and interest rate. This is where many plans go wrong—advisors can't run a retirement date if there's R50,000 in hidden debt that eats cash flow.

Also flag obligations that don't show up on your credit file: spousal support, school fees you've committed to, family loans, or a child's planned tertiary education in five years. These aren't things to hide; they're constraints the advisor needs to build around.

Your life shape and the numbers that matter

Bring clarity on timing. When do you actually want to retire? Not "someday"—an age or a date. Do you have dependants now, or will you in five years? Will you inherit assets, or will you need to support aging parents? Are you in good health, or does your family history suggest you might need to plan longer?

Bring any existing insurance documents: life cover, disability, gap cover. Many people carry policies they've forgotten about, or gaps they don't realise are there. An advisor can't recommend the right insurance if they don't see what's already in place.

If you're in a relationship, both partners should be present for at least the first conversation. Too many plans assume one person earns and the other doesn't, or ignore a second income entirely. That creates a fragile plan that breaks if someone changes jobs or steps back.

Moving from notes to a real plan

Bring these documents and you've shortened the first appointment by half. More importantly, you've given the advisor enough to do actual work—not theoretical work, but a projection grounded in your life. They'll spot where you can afford to save more, where you're taking unnecessary risk, or where your timeline needs adjusting.

Once you've gathered this, finding a registered advisor to crunch the numbers properly is the next step. Strove can help you find someone who's verified and asks for exactly these kinds of details—a sign they take the work seriously.