Strategy Retire, V5 Railway Arches, Patcham Terrace (2026)

07/05/2026

Looking forward to our next event at the end of May. Expect to work holistically on alignment, stability and consistency. More details to follow soon. If you are interested in knowing more DM me. Spaces are very limited x

17/10/2025

Last week, I had the privilege of leading a Pilates event with and some brilliant women in finance; and wow, the energy was electric.

We’re witnessing a powerful shift: women are blending financial literacy with wellness to build networks that support both wealth and wellbeing. From the studio to the boardroom, collaboration is our superpower.

Events like Femme & Finance in London and our own gathering at are redefining what success looks like. It’s not just about money; it’s about legacy, impact, and community. 🌍

But let’s be real: systemic barriers still exist.
Women retire with 48% less pension wealth than men in the UK.

We need to close the gap from payslip to pension.
And we will through education, strategic moves, and collective wellness.

When women move together, share their stories, and lift each other up, incredible things happen.

Let’s keep building. Let’s keep rising.

Photos courtesy of
Studio

14/10/2025

The book every woman should read. Just started it so will share snippets soon.

25/09/2025

I just passed my BASI Pilates exam - a milestone built on discipline, control, and deep internal strength. And somewhere between the teaser and the hundred, I realised:
Pilates principles = Pension principles. Especially for women.

Core Stability = Financial Stability
In Pilates, everything starts from the core. In pensions, your financial core is built early - first job, first promotion, first contribution. But for women, that core is often compromised by:
* The broken rung
* Part-time work
* Unpaid caregiving
* The midlife squeeze

The Midlife Squeeze
Pilates teaches you to stay strong under pressure. But midlife brings a different kind of squeeze:
* Children
* Ageing parents
* Career plateaus
* Menopause
This is when pension contributions stall - just when they should accelerate.

The Gender Pension Gap
Women retire with £75,000 + less on average than men. That’s five months a year without pension income relative to men. Why? Because our systems reward unbroken tenure - not real-life contribution.

Precision. Progression. Planning.
Pilates builds strength gradually. Pensions should too. Start early. Flex for life. Value non-linear careers.

Reframe the Narrative
To engage women with their pensions I believe we need to reframe the narrative. Pensions aren’t boring. They’re personal, just like my Pilates journey. They reflect our choices, our values, our systems. I decided to do the BASI Pilates teacher training course as an investment in my future self, much like saving for a pension.

We should design systems that flex, support, and strengthen - just like a good Pilates practice.

Strength isn’t just physical. It’s strategic.

22/08/2025

This week, I was deeply moved by an article shared by one of the many brilliant women I’m lucky to know. It introduced me to “the squeeze”—a term coined by Wharton’s Corrine Low to describe the relentless, invisible pressure women face balancing full-time work, childcare, and household duties.

It’s not just a clever phrase. It’s a data-backed diagnosis of why so many women burn out, stall professionally, or exit the workforce altogether.

🧠 The squeeze is: • A time crunch that peaks before earning potential does • A parenting culture that penalises emotional presence • A “mummy track” that limits career recovery • A flexibility myth that hides unpredictability • A pension gap that compounds every missed opportunity.

💥 The result? Women retire with less—despite living longer and doing more.

But here’s the good news: the squeeze isn’t inevitable. Corrine Low’s upcoming book, Having It All, offers strategies for workplaces, policies, and partnerships that can change the game.

✨ Because “having it all” shouldn’t mean doing it all—and certainly not alone.

Let’s name the squeeze. Let’s challenge it. Let’s build systems that work for women—and for everyone.

07/08/2025

Retirement isn’t the end of the story—it’s the start of an entirely new chapter. ✨

Gone are the days when retiring meant slowing down or stepping aside. Today, retirement is about rediscovering passions, exploring the world, learning new skills, and investing in what truly matters most. Saving into a pension can help to set you up to pursue your passions and dreams.

Strategy Retire wants to help you balance your wants and needs today with those of the future. We want to help break the stereotypes that surround retirement as it looks different for all of us. Whether it’s starting a small business, picking up a paintbrush, traveling to uncharted places, or giving back to the community, retirement is a chance to design life on your own terms.

So let us help you redefine what it means to retire: to growth, joy, purpose, and adventure—all at any age. 🌍❤️

31/07/2025

Women retire with 35–48% less pension than men. And for ethnic minority women? It’s up to 51%.

This is not just about savings. It’s about systems.

From unpaid care and part-time work to exclusion from pension schemes, the gender pensions gap reflects deep inequalities across race, region, and life stages.

Closing the gap means:

✅ Valuing care work
✅ Reforming part-time pension policy
✅ Targeting financial education
✅ Designing inclusive pensions
✅ Investing in underserved regions

This isn’t just smart economics—it’s economic justice.

When every woman can retire with dignity, we build a fairer, stronger society for everyone.

Let’s make pensions equal. Let’s reimagine retirement. 💪

07/07/2025

🔍 The Future of UK Pensions: Why Big Tech Might Be the Missing Piece

The UK pensions industry is undergoing a quiet revolution. From fintech disruptors like PensionBee to structural innovations like CDC schemes and superfunds, the market is brimming with potential. But despite the progress, the system remains fragmented, underfunded, and—let’s face it—still too complex for the average saver.

At Strategy Retire, we believe the next wave of transformation won’t come from within the industry alone. It may come from outside—through the disruptive power of Big Tech.

Imagine if Amazon or Google applied their customer-first, data-driven models to pensions. What if retirement planning was as intuitive as ordering groceries or streaming a show?

In Part 1 of our four-part series, we explore:
- The current state of UK pensions and the rise of fintech innovation
- Why niche solutions aren’t enough to fix systemic engagement gaps
- How tech giants could reshape the retirement experience for millions

👉 Read the full article on our website: www.strategyretire.com/component/content/article/big-tech-for-pensions

This is just the beginning. In Part 2, we’ll dive deeper into what a truly reimagined pension ecosystem could look like.

04/07/2025

The gender pensions gap is c.35%[1]. This basically means for every pound a man receives in retirement, a woman receives 65p.

The reasons for the gender pensions gap are complex and include: employment patterns, societal norms and expectations and structural inequalities in the design of pension systems.

The cumulative effect of these things is women have significantly less income than men in retirement. To address this gap, the interventions required are multi-facted and include policy interventions, raising awareness and structural reform.

Here at Strategy Retire we are working on a few ideas to help address this key societal issue.

[1] The Gender Pensions Gap in Private Pensions - GOV.UK

02/07/2025

Proudly founded by *Michelle Darracott*—visionary actuary, strategist, and FinTech leader—**Strategy Retire** brings together traditional pension acumen with cutting-edge innovation. With accolades like *Fintech Woman of the Year (2021)* and *Innovate Finance Top 100 Global Leaders (2022)*, Michelle’s expertise in both analog pensions and digital transformation puts Strategy Retire at the forefront of retirement solutions.

💡 **What We Do**
We partner with businesses to deliver tailored advisory services that reshape retirement outcomes. Whether you're:

- An established provider expanding into new markets
- A FinTech innovator launching pension offerings
- Or a non-financial business exploring commercial opportunities in retirement...

…we’ll help unlock value in untapped spaces.

🔍 **Our Expertise**
• Strategic consulting to identify growth opportunities and craft compelling business cases
• Innovation strategy to disrupt the retirement landscape with actionable insight
• Market entry and proposition development in the retirement and wealth space

At Strategy Retire, we don't just consult—we *co-create the future of retirement*.

30/06/2025

Strategy Retire’s purpose is to create better outcomes in retirement. We feel this requires a two pronged approach - for Business and for Individuals - to ensure a healthy thriving retirement ecosystem.

In doing this we are particularly passionate about effecting systems change to solve societal issues such as inadequate retirement savings, inequalities and pension gaps, pension poverty, the shift from Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution, rising state pension ages. We also support the role that technology can play in positively disrupting retirement markets. Furthermore, Strategy Retire explores some of the important intersections with retirement, such as diversity and inclusion, health and wellbeing and financial education.

Strategy Retire

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