A guide to living and planning for longer

You’re likely to live longer than you think. If you’re 50 now, there’s a 1 in 4 chance you’ll live to 93 or beyond – yet when we asked 5,000 UK adults aged 45–75, only 37% said they had a clear financial plan for the years ahead.¹

Your third quarter is the phase most people are already in but haven’t named – the years between the intensity of building a career and family, and whatever comes next. It’s a period defined by choice, not decline. How you spend your time, how you structure your wealth and what gives you purpose all start to pull in the same direction. This guide works through the four questions that shape it most, so you can start the right conversations at the right time.

What’s inside

• What do I want my third quarter to look like? Explore what you actually want from the years ahead, from purposeful work to travel, creativity and family – and how to build a plan around it.
• How do I fund the life I want?
  Understand where your income will come from, how long it needs to last, and how to structure it for the life you’re planning.
• What happens when life doesn’t follow the script? Plan for the transitions that rarely announce themselves – from early retirement to care costs – before they become urgent.
• How do I support the people I care about? Navigate the balance between generosity and long-term security, from gifting to legacy planning.

¹ YouGov on behalf of RBC Wealth Management, May 2026. Online survey of 5,672 UK adults aged 45–75 with £2,000 or more in investable assets, including 226 respondents with over £1 million in investable assets (YouGov on behalf of RBC Wealth Management, May 2026).