Listen: Farmer retirement - don't leave it too late

Rhodes Donald, from Polson Higgs Wealth Management in Dunedin has an important message for farmers considering retirement - don't leave it too late.

Donald spoke to The Country about his study of retired farming couples, saying he found out that health is far more important to them than money.

"Health is number one, not money - health," says Donald who discovered that the people he studied worked on keeping healthy and active.

Although some people keep a hand in the farm Donald says it is important to keep an eye on the future.

"Get ready for the next 30 years, don't just treat this as a continuation of your farming life."

Although health is definitely important, people still need money to live comfortably but Donald found in his stud that "everyone adapts to how much they've got."

Another interesting fact from Donald's study was that women found it more difficult to retire from farming life than men.

Find out more about Rhodes Donald's study here.