EP 2: Why Retirement Is An Idea We Inherited, Not A Rule We Must Follow

Welcome back to The Yellow Couch! In our second episode, we sit down to talk about something most of us never stop to question - where the idea of retirement even came from. Join Kevin Neoh, Rajen Devadason and Dr Steven Poh as they trace retirement back to 1889 and Otto von Bismarck, unpack the old "study hard, work hard, then retire" model many of us grew up with, and ask a simple question: who actually decided we should retire at 60? From defined benefit pensions giving way to EPF-style contributions, to longer lifespans, falling birth rates and a working world that keeps changing, this episode makes the case that the old retirement script can leave many Malaysians in for a surprise, and that retirement is really an idea we inherited, not a rule we must follow. Whether retirement feels decades away or you're already in it, pull up a seat and join the conversation. In this episode Where the idea of retirement comes from? Who actually decided on 60 yo? Why the old "study, work, retire" model no longer fits the lives we actually live Why living longer is only a good problem The four things you can do with a cashflow surplus Why lifelong learning and reinvention have become survival skills, told through the hosts' own career stories Mentioned in this episode Otto von Bismarck and Germany's 1889 national pension, the origin of the modern retirement age Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson — on noticing when things change before you get caught out The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason (carried over from Episode 1) Financial Freedom: Your Guide to Lifetime Financial Planning (1998) and its sequel Financial Freedom 2: Through Malaysian Equities and Unit Trusts (2000), co-authored by Rajen Devadason Money Thoughts, Rajen Devadason's long-running personal finance column in the New Sunday Times Meet your hosts Kevin Neoh — Certified Financial Coach, and co-host, who moderates this episode, and Licensed Financial Planner with VKA Wealth Planners Sdn. Bhd. Dr Steven Poh — holds a PhD in persuasive communication and is the one who first championed the idea for this show; currently navigating his own early years of retirement and lecturing at Sunway University. Rajen Devadason — Licensed Financial Planner with Manulife Investment Management Berhad and the writer behind the weekly Money Thoughts column. Listen & subscribe The Yellow Couch is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you find value in the conversation, like, subscribe and share it with someone who's rethinking how they want to retire. Got a question, comment or story of your own? Send us an email (⁠[email protected]⁠) or drop it in the comments — we'd love to hear from you.