<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Why wait until your 70s to enjoy life? It's the philosophy behind the growing micro-retirement movement and it's not just an American phenomenon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some workers are taking shorter, planned, self-funded career breaks rather than waiting 40 years to retire.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Perth financial planner Fran Hughes has set herself up as a micro-retirement specialist with a growing client base.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/treasury-advice-leak-raise-taxes-lower-housing-targets-treasurer-jim-chalmers-response/37340233-73c5-4e79-8dce-f0dd01cdf759" rel="" target="" title="Secret advice calls on government to hike taxes"><strong><span>Secret advice calls on government to hike taxes</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Sometimes you have to pay it forward and go without today in order to actually have that mini retirement," Hughes said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Melbourne resident Angus Hill took a career break between his first and second jobs after university.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I ended up taking a five-month trip to Europe, and stopped down in Morocco, because the budget was getting a little tight," the 26-year-old account coordinator said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/new-micro-retirement-trend-growing-in-popularity-among-workers/3a5a089e-5bbc-4f03-95aa-1e47bef40d1d" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/finance/gst-why-are-there-calls-to-change-it-australia-tax-system-explained/90b4e02e-8aec-4a15-8727-e2ba31209a98"><strong><span>Why experts want to raise one of Australia's least popular taxes</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You just don't know how much time you have on this planet."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Riley McPherson has just finished his first micro-retirement, which involved two months off between jobs in property.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I wasn't spending as much time with my family and connecting with my kids," the 39-year-old said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australian-dollar-hits-nine-month-high-against-us-dollar/8207614b-7029-495a-8b60-5470a1735a35"><strong><span>Australian dollar hits nine-month high against US dollar</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Both men are planning micro-retirements every five to 10 years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're working longer but also we're living longer and if we continue this trend, we might actually continue to work till age 70 and only have a short period of time that is 10 years to enjoy our golden years," Hughes said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Colonial First State head of technical services Craig Day said while micro-retirement sounds fun, it is not without long-term costs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/woolworths-expands-rollout-of-digital-supermarket-trolleys-after-successful-trial/12c4afca-f0a9-44cb-b035-6d8e6e873bfc"><strong><span>Huge change coming to your supermarket aisle</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You may end up actually having a much bigger impact on your retirement nesting than you may otherwise have thought," Day said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The numbers are confronting.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A 26-year-old who takes a year off each decade could end up with 20 per cent less in their super by the time they retire.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That is a hit of around $105,000, which means their retirement savings could run dry six years earlier.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The biggest planning mistake is not to plan it out," Hughes said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><span>The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.</span></em></div></div>