Stoic Money Reviews: Melissa's Journey
Nov 09, 2025Hello Stoic Investors,
Today I want to share the story of Melissa, one of my former students, who works as a Pharmacy Supervisor with the NHS.
If you work for the NHS, you know how demanding it can be.
You spend your days caring for others, but when it comes to your own finances — things often feel blurry.
The NHS pension, for example, can be incredibly complex.
There are multiple schemes (1995, 2008, 2015), different contribution rates, and rules that seem to change every few years.
Add to that long shifts and limited time, and it’s easy to see why investing or planning for retirement often gets pushed aside.
That’s exactly how Melissa felt when we first met.
Melissa felt completely lost when it came to her pension and long-term planning.
She told me she wanted to understand what she actually had, what she was contributing to, and whether she’d be able to retire before 70.
Those questions — and the uncertainty behind them — were what pushed her to join our 1:1 Coaching Program.
Together, we started from the basics.
We looked at how to use the NHS pension website, how to find and read her pension statements, and what each part meant — from “pensionable earnings” to “accrual rate.”
Then, we broke down which pension scheme she belonged to and how that affected her retirement age and benefits.
Once she finally saw the full picture, we compared her current pension to her retirement goals and started building a plan to invest alongside it — so she could have more flexibility and aim to retire earlier.
What I loved about working with Melissa was how determined she was to learn.
She didn’t just want someone to “fix it” for her — she wanted to understand it and make her own decisions.
Today, she knows exactly how her pension works, what to expect in the future, and how to make her savings grow independently.
Melissa’s journey is a reminder that clarity is empowering.
Once you understand how your money works, you can finally take control of it — no matter how complex the system seems at first.
If you’ve ever felt confused about your pension or unsure where to start, this is your sign to take the first step.
Join us and learn how to build a plan that makes sense for your life — with clarity, confidence, and control.
Let’s make smart, long-term decisions together!
