The Strange Country of the Notice Period

I'm serving my notice period.

The date is in the calendar. The countdown is real. And yet this coming week I have a report due, a few meetings to run, and a few handover document to finish. The ordinary machinery of working life keeps turning, even as I'm already somewhere else in my head.

This is the strange country of the notice period. You are still fully employed – there are deliverables, there are people depending on you, there are things that need to be done well – and you are also, unmistakably, leaving. Both things are true at the same time, and navigating them requires a particular kind of split attention that I don't think anyone fully prepares you for.

What surprises me is how much I still care.

I want to leave well. I want my colleagues to be set up to pick up what I'm putting down. I want the handover to be clean, the documentation to be useful, the relationships to end on a note that means something. That's not obligation – I could coast. It's something closer to professional integrity, or maybe just who I am. But it does mean I'm giving real energy to something I'm simultaneously walking away from, which is its own kind of cognitive dissonance.

I've been thinking about why that is. And I think the answer is simpler than I initially assumed: the work mattered. The people matter. Leaving doesn't change that. If anything, the countdown makes it sharper – the awareness of limited time tends to clarify what you actually value.

Outside of work, the rest of the plan is taking shape. My wife and I are relocating back to Singapore. We're closer to family there, and I'll be moving into a new role with a non-profit – work that I didn't expect to be doing, but that feels right in a way I'm still making sense of. The 210 square metre townhouse is being sold down, piece by piece, ahead of the move to a 50 square metre apartment. Progress is being made on all fronts.

And our daughters are staying in Australia.

They're not finished yet – high school, a patisserie course, a life that's taken root here in ways that don't transplant easily. Their friends are here. Their routines are here. The honest answer is that they'll probably stay long after they're done studying, the way young people do when a place has become theirs.

It wasn't an easy decision. In Singapore, children typically live with their parents until they marry. Our girls are younger than most who leave. But my wife and I found our way to a reframe that helped: if they'd finished school in Singapore and we'd sent them overseas for university, this would be the same scenario. Same distance, different geography. And there's something genuinely valuable in learning to adult – to manage a household, navigate a problem without your parents in the next room, build a life from the inside out. We're not abandoning them to it. We're trusting them with it.

Still. Dropping them off and flying north will be its own thing. I'll write about it when I get there.

What I notice now, in this in-between weeks, is that the notice period and the parenting situation have more in common than they first appear. In both cases, I'm trying to leave well. Making sure things are in good hands. Doing the work of transition carefully, so that what comes after has the best chance of going right.

That's not a small thing. It's probably the thing.

This newsletter I write is called L-Plate Retiree – because retirement doesn't come with a manual. I've been writing it for almost a year for people approaching exactly this kind of transition. Now the transition is mine. I'm not retiring, exactly – the new role in Singapore is real work, purposeful work, work I'm looking forward to. But the life I've been writing about is the life I'm about to be living.

I don't have a neat conclusion for that. Just the observation that it's strange and clarifying and a little bit exciting, in the way that most things are when the countdown finally becomes real.

Have you served a notice period that felt like this? Or are you approaching your own version of the in-between?

👉 Hit reply and share your thoughts – I’d love to hear what’s resonating with you.

☕ If these Sunday reflections are worth something to you, consider buying L-Plate Retiree a coffee on Ko-fi.

Navigating the Digital Investment World – Platforms & Tools

Congratulations, L-Plate Retirees! You've come a long way in Getting Started with Investing. You've chosen your provider, opened your account, made your first investment, and even set up regular contributions. Now, let's talk about the playground where all this happens: Digital Investment Platforms.

In today's world, most of your investing will happen online, whether through a dedicated brokerage website or a sleek mobile app. These platforms have democratized investing, making it more accessible and often more affordable, echoing our earlier discussions on Investment Costs.

Understanding how to navigate these digital landscapes is crucial. Here's what you'll typically find and how to use it:

• Dashboard & Portfolio View: This is your command center. It gives you a snapshot of your investments – total value, performance over time, and how your assets are allocated. Regularly checking this helps you monitor your portfolio, a key aspect of Portfolio Monitoring.

• Trading & Order Placement: This is where you execute buy and sell orders. You'll search for investments using their ticker symbols, specify the quantity, and choose your order type (market, limit, etc.). Always double-check your order before confirming! Mistakes can be costly.

• Research Tools & Resources: Most platforms offer a treasure trove of information: company financials, analyst reports, news feeds, and educational materials. These tools are invaluable for making informed decisions, building on the Researching Individual Investments concepts.

• Security Features: Protecting your investments online is paramount. Always use strong, unique passwords, enable two-factor authentication (2FA), and be wary of phishing attempts. Remember our emphasis on Risk Management – this extends to cybersecurity.

Think of it like driving your L-Plate car. You've learned the rules of the road, now you're getting comfortable with the dashboard, the gear stick, and the mirrors. The more familiar you are with your platform, the smoother your investment journey will be.

L-Plate Takeaways:

• Master Your Dashboard: Understand your portfolio's performance and allocation at a glance.

• Trade Smart: Learn to place orders accurately and always review before confirming.

• Utilize Resources: Take advantage of the research and educational tools your platform offers.

• Stay Secure: Protect your account with strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Your digital safety is as important as your financial safety.