It’s 3am.
You’re lying in bed, wide awake, doing the math again. Your super balance. Your mortgage. Your age. The number of years until retirement.
And that nagging question: “What if I run out of money?”
You’ve done okay. You’ve worked hard. You’ve saved. You own your home (or close to it). Your super balance isn’t terrible.
But somehow, you still can’t shake this creeping anxiety that maybe—just maybe—it won’t be enough.
Welcome to FORO: Fear of Running Out.
And if you’re feeling it, you’re not alone. Not even close.
FORO is the persistent, nagging anxiety that your money won’t last as long as you do.
It’s a real, pervasive anxiety that affects thousands of Australians in their 50s and 60s. The fear that no matter how much you’ve saved, you’ll outlive your money.
That you’ll be 82, living on baked beans and two-minute noodles, wondering where it all went wrong.
That you’ll become a burden on your kids.
That your “golden years” will be spent worrying about every electricity bill, every dinner out, every unexpected car repair.
FORO is the feeling that you’re one market crash, one health crisis, or one bad decision away from financial disaster.
And here’s the thing: FORO doesn’t discriminate based on your bank balance.
I’ve met people with $800,000 in super who are terrified they don’t have enough. And I’ve met people with $300,000 who sleep like babies.
FORO isn’t about the numbers. It’s about certainty. Or rather, the lack of it.
Peter and Anne, both 64, living in Balmain. $850,000 in super. Home paid off. Both still working full-time in jobs they don’t particularly enjoy.
They came to see me because Peter had been telling Anne “just one more year” for the past three years. Anne was ready to retire. Peter was terrified.
“What if something happens?” he kept saying. “What if the market crashes? What if we need medical care? What if we live to 95?”
When I showed them their numbers – that they could comfortably generate $65,000/year in retirement income plus a part Age Pension, totaling $80,000+ annually – Peter went quiet.
“So we could have retired two years ago?”
Yes. They could have.
FORO had cost them two years of their lives. Years they can’t get back.
“Your Retirement Number Isn’t What You Think”
Margaret, 68, widowed, living in Rozelle with $720,000 in super.
She came to me because her adult daughter was worried. Margaret was rationing her groceries, refusing to turn on the heater in winter, and declining family dinners because “I can’t afford it.”
She had three-quarters of a million dollars sitting in her super account.
When I asked why she was living this way, she said: “I’m too scared to touch it. What if I run out?”
Margaret’s super could sustainably generate $40,000-$45,000 per year in income, plus she qualified for a part Age Pension. Her total retirement income should have been around $60,000 annually.
Instead, she was living on about $30,000 because FORO had convinced her that any spending would lead to catastrophe.
When you’re 30, retirement feels like a distant concept. You’ve got time. Compound interest is your friend. Market downturns are just buying opportunities.
But somewhere in your 50s, everything shifts.
Retirement isn’t “someday.” It’s soon. Maybe 10 years. Maybe 5. Maybe you’re already there.
Suddenly, you don’t have time to “ride out” market volatility. You can’t just work another decade to make up for that expensive mistake. The finish line is visible, and you’re wondering if you’ll make it.
And that’s when FORO really digs in.
Here in Balmain and the Inner West, I see it all the time:
They’re all successful, responsible people. And they’re all paralyzed by FORO.
Not everyone experiences FORO the same way. Here are the three most common versions I encounter:
Type 1: “I Don’t Have a Big Enough Number” FORO
This is the most common type. You’ve read articles saying you need $1 million, $1.5 million, maybe $2 million to retire comfortably. You look at your super balance and think: “I’m nowhere close.”
So you keep working. You delay retirement. You stress about every market dip eating into your balance.
The Problem: You’re measuring the wrong thing. (More on this in a minute.)
Type 2: “What If I Live Too Long?” FORO
You’ve done the math. Your super should last until you’re 85, maybe 90. But what if you live to 95? 100? Your dad lived to 93. Your mum’s 88 and still going strong.
The longer you might live, the more anxious you get.
The Problem: You’re not factoring in the Age Pension safety net and income strategies that last for life.
Type 3: “What If Something Goes Wrong?” FORO
Markets crash. Health fails. Aged care costs skyrocket. Your daughter needs help with a house deposit. Your son loses his job.
You lie awake thinking about all the things that could derail your retirement plan.
The Problem: You’re focused on worst-case scenarios instead of creating a resilient plan that can handle them.
Here’s what most people don’t realize: FORO is expensive.
Not just emotionally. Financially.
When you’re paralyzed by fear, you make poor decisions:
You work longer than necessary
You under-spend in retirement
You make overly conservative investment choices
You delay getting professional advice
One of my clients—I’ll call her Margaret—worked an extra four years because of FORO. She had $520,000 in super, owned her Balmain home outright, and thought she needed to hit $700,000 before retiring.
When we finally sat down and ran the actual numbers, we discovered she could have retired comfortably at 63.
She was 67 when we met.
That’s four years she’ll never get back. Four years of stress, commuting, and postponing the travel she’d been dreaming about. Four years lost to FORO.
You’re not irrational for feeling this way. There are real reasons FORO is so prevalent:
1. Retirement Used to Be Simpler
Your parents probably had a defined benefit pension. They worked for one company for 40 years, retired at 60, and got a guaranteed income for life.
You? You’ve had 5 different jobs. Your super is spread across multiple funds. You’re responsible for making it last. The burden is entirely on you.
No wonder you’re anxious.
2. We’re Living Longer
Life expectancy keeps increasing. Retiring at 65 might mean funding 25-30 years of living expenses. That’s a long time. And longer than your parents’ retirement was.
3. The Media Loves Scary Retirement Stories
Every news cycle brings another doom-and-gloom article: “Most Australians underprepared for retirement!” “Retirees facing poverty!” “You need $1.5 million just to scrape by!”
This stuff is designed to get clicks, not provide useful guidance. But it fuels FORO like petrol on a fire.
4. Super Fund Statements Are Designed to Scare You
Every quarterly statement shows your balance. And when markets drop 10%, that number goes down. Seeing “$480,000” become “$432,000” overnight triggers panic.
What the statement doesn’t show is your income potential—which is what actually matters in retirement.
5. Everyone’s Advice Contradicts
One mate says you need $2 million. Another retired on $400,000 and seems fine. Your super fund’s calculator says $950,000. ASFA says $690,000.
No wonder you’re confused and anxious.
Here’s the good news: FORO is fixable.
Not with positive thinking or “just relax” advice. But with clarity.
FORO thrives in uncertainty. It dies in the light of actual numbers.
When you know—really know—whether you’ll have enough, the anxiety evaporates.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Step 1: Stop Measuring the Wrong Thing
Your super balance is not your retirement income.
Say that again: Your super balance is not your retirement income.
Obsessing over whether you have $500K or $800K misses the point. The question isn’t “how big is the tank?” It’s “will this generate enough fuel for the journey?”
What matters is: Can you generate $60,000 (or whatever you need) per year, every year, for as long as you live?
That’s a completely different question.
This shift from “net worth” to “income” is exactly what I help Balmain residents understand. Your retirement number isn’t what you think it is—it’s not about hitting some magic lump sum figure.
It’s about building reliable income streams that last.
Step 2: Calculate Your Actual Income Need
Not ASFA’s number. Not some article’s number. Your number.
What will you actually spend each year in retirement?
For most Balmain couples I work with, it’s between $60,000 and $80,000. For singles, $40,000 to $55,000.
This includes:
Once you know your income need, FORO loses half its power.
Step 3: Map Your Income Sources
This is where the magic happens. Most people think retirement income = super drawdowns. But it’s actually:
Super drawdowns + Age Pension (if eligible) + part-time work (if you want) + investment income + other assets
When you add all this up, you often discover you’re way closer than you thought.
Step 4: Stress Test It
Okay, your plan works if everything goes smoothly. But what if:
A good plan survives these scenarios. And when you see that it does, FORO loses its grip.
Step 5: Build in Flexibility
Rigidity creates anxiety. Flexibility creates confidence.
Your retirement plan shouldn’t be: “I must withdraw exactly $45,000 per year forever.”
It should be: “I’ll start at $50,000, adjust if markets tank, spend more in my healthy 60s, and ease back in my 80s if needed.”
This kind of flexible planning dramatically reduces FORO.
David, 62, came to see me with classic FORO.
He had:
He thought he needed to work until 67 to “be safe.”
Here’s what we discovered:
His actual annual income need: $68,000
His retirement income sources:
Total: $68,000
He could retire now.
When I showed him the numbers, the relief was visible. His shoulders dropped. He smiled for the first time in the meeting.
“I’ve been losing sleep over this for two years,” he said. “And I was already okay?”
Yes. He was already okay.
FORO had been costing him sleep, stress, and peace of mind for nothing.
“Want to discover your own retirement readiness? Book a One Page Financial Plan session.”
Fair question. What if you run the numbers and discover there’s actually a gap?
That’s not a reason to panic. It’s a reason to plan.
If your income sources add up to $50,000 but you need $65,000, you’ve got options:
The point is: knowing the gap is better than guessing.
Because once you know the gap, you can close it. And once you can close it, FORO disappears.
Here’s something I’ve learned after 15+ years working with pre-retirees: FORO is rarely just about the money.
It’s about:
These are big, existential questions. No wonder people obsess over super balances—it’s easier than confronting this stuff.
But here’s the thing: a good financial plan doesn’t just give you numbers. It gives you permission to move forward.
When you know your money will last, you can stop worrying about money and start thinking about the life you want to live.
FORO keeps you stuck. Clarity sets you free.
You can spend the next five years:
Or you can spend 90 minutes getting actual answers.
I’m not saying a financial plan is magic. I’m saying confusion breeds fear, and clarity breeds confidence.
When you know your numbers—really know them—FORO loses its power.
If you’re reading this and thinking “Yes, this is exactly how I feel”—you’re not alone.
And you don’t have to figure this out by yourself.
The One Page Financial Plan is designed specifically for people experiencing FORO. In one 90-minute session, we’ll:
No 50-page report. No jargon. Just a single page showing you the truth about your retirement readiness.
One Page Financial Plan Investment: $660 (inc. GST) Next Step: Book a free 90-minute discovery meeting
Email: adam@suncow.com.au
Phone: 0418 785 200
Based in Balmain, working with pre-retirees across the Inner West and Sydney.
Stop losing sleep. Start getting answers.
Q: Is FORO a sign I’m not financially ready to retire?
Not necessarily. FORO often has nothing to do with your actual financial situation. Many people with plenty of money still experience it. The key is distinguishing between rational concern (you genuinely need more) and irrational anxiety (you’re already fine but don’t know it yet).
Q: How do I know if my FORO is justified?
Run the actual numbers. If your income sources cover your expenses in multiple scenarios (normal years, market crashes, living to 95), your FORO is likely unfounded. If there’s a real gap, at least you know what you’re dealing with.
Q: Can FORO ever go away completely?
For most people, yes. Once they have a clear, tested plan and see it working for 12-24 months, the anxiety fades significantly. Some low-level awareness remains (which is healthy—you should monitor your finances), but the paralyzing fear disappears.
Q: What if I can’t afford a financial planner?
The One Page Financial Plan is $660—less than most people spend on a weekend away. And the cost of not getting clarity is potentially years of unnecessary work or chronic anxiety. But if that’s genuinely out of reach, start with free resources like Moneysmart.gov.au and the Age Pension calculator at servicesaustralia.gov.au.
Q: My partner doesn’t have FORO but I do. Is that normal?
Completely normal. People have different risk tolerances and relationships with money. The important thing is getting on the same page about your actual financial situation so you can make decisions together.
About the Author
Adam Carey is a fee-for-service financial planner based in Balmain, specializing in retirement income planning for people in their 50s and 60s. No commissions. No jargon. Just straight talk about your financial future.
If FORO is keeping you up at night, let’s talk.
Email: adam@suncow.com.au
Phone: 0418 785 200
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