You are still living in Spain.
Your property is worth more than it was ten years ago. Your pension and investments have changed. Your children may now be living in different countries, and your own priorities may have changed too.
Imagine It’s 2036: Would Your Financial Plan Still Work?
By Matthew Green
This article is published on: 12th August 2026
Now ask yourself:
Would the financial decisions you made in 2026 still make sense today?
It is an interesting question because most of us plan for the future we expect to have.
But life rarely follows the plan.
What if things change?
When people move to Spain, they often have a clear idea of what their future will look like.
Perhaps they intend to retire here permanently. They buy a property, organise their pensions and investments, and settle into their new life.
But what happens if things change?
You might decide to move back to your home country, move somewhere else, receive an inheritance, sell your property, retire earlier than expected, or simply live much longer than you originally anticipated.
These aren’t problems. They are simply possibilities.
The question is whether your financial arrangements are flexible enough to cope with them.
Your financial plan should give you options
I believe one of the most valuable things financial planning can provide is choice.
The choice to retire earlier or work for longer.
The choice to stay in Spain or move elsewhere.
The choice to help your family.
The choice to spend more during the early years of retirement.
And the ability to deal with an unexpected financial event without completely changing your lifestyle.
A good financial plan shouldn’t simply tell you what to do today. It should help you understand what your choices could look like tomorrow.
Try looking at your finances from 2036
Imagine you are already there.
Ask yourself:
- Where am I living?
- Am I still working?
- What income do I need?
- Where are my pensions and investments held?
- What happens if I need to sell my property?
- What happens if my circumstances change?
- What happens if I live another 30 years?
You don’t need to know the answers with certainty.
The purpose isn’t to predict the future. It is to see whether your finances are prepared for different versions of it.
Planning isn’t about predicting the future
Nobody knows exactly what the next ten years will bring.
But you can test different scenarios and see how your finances might respond.
What happens if you retire earlier?
What happens if you need more income?
What happens if investments perform differently than expected?
What happens if you decide to leave Spain?
This is where financial planning and cashflow forecasting can be valuable.
It isn’t a crystal ball. It is a way of helping you understand your financial future and, importantly, the choices available to you.
So, imagine it really is 2036.
If your life looks different from what you expect today, will your financial plan be able to adapt?
Perhaps the most important question isn’t:
“How much money will I have?”
It is:
“What will my money allow me to do?”
Could your financial plan adapt to your future?
If you are an expat living in Spain and haven’t reviewed your financial arrangements recently, I would be happy to have an informal conversation with you.
There is no obligation to make any changes. Sometimes, simply looking at where you are today and considering the different paths your future could take can give you greater clarity and confidence.
If you’d like to explore what your financial future could look like, get in touch and let’s start the conversation.