7 Mondays make my week
“Uncle T, your stomach is coming out paa these days o”,
Jennifer, the third lady to comment on my bulging belly this week, said. I haven’t gone for my morning walk in three weeks. The pressure is too much. Even on weekends I’m just too busy to even do some skipping at home. It’s always one social function after another. If it’s not the elders in the village calling a family meeting then it is something else. In the past two weeks alone, I’ve gone for three funerals and a wedding. Sunday too has its own troubles.
By the time I come in on Monday morning from my weekend rounds, I am so tired, it feels like I just finished running a marathon. But you know how Mondays are, meeting after meeting. I can’t see an end in sight. I know I will have to slow down very soon, but how can I do away with the social responsibilities? And what about work? How will I be able to live in today’s Ghana if my pay reduces?
I’m even having sleepless nights worrying about how my retirement in 12 years time will be. Kwaku and co. who went on retirement last year are not having it easy at all. Their income now is less than half what they got before retirement. If I were in their shoes, I would be very tight.
So I’m working very hard though I’m stressed. But I’m not even sure if my hard work will make a difference. These pension people kraa, they only make promises. When you finally go on retirement, they give you all sorts of funny excuses about your contributions and calculations, then they pay you peanuts. Growing old is not easy o.
It’s great to be able to look forward to the future with confidence. But often, this confidence comes from our planning and preparation. Are you saving enough for retirement? Should you consider saving more? How well are your pensions savings performing by the way? Is your money safe? Seeking out this information will help ease your stress about the future. Everybody wants to retire in comfort and happiness around their family. Our agents at Petra can help you answer some of these questions and help you plan. You can also seek advice about our products: Savings Booster, ezMortgage and DreamGuard, which can help ease the stresses of your responsibilities today and later. When you prepare for your future, you are more confident to face it. The important thing is to act now.
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