From football to retirement
In this Life & Pension article, we talk to Serge Moesman from The Hague. Serge is Lead Recruiter at Defense Safety and Security (DSS) at TNO, and enjoys playing football in his spare time. So, what about later when he retires? He’ll probably be playing walking football.
Besides other sports like running and cycling, Serge is a big football fan. His enthusiasm for football started at a young age, he says. ‘At first, I used to play with friends in the neighbourhood. And my dad took me to his club, KSD Marine in The Hague, when I was little.
They didn't have a youth team there, so I started playing at another local club. When I was older, I did actually play for KSD Marine in the senior league. These days, I play there with a regular group of veterans. We’ve been doing that for about 7 to 8 years. Before, I played for the first team as a midfielder,’ says Serge enthusiastically.
‘I’ve been playing football at KSD Marine in The Hague since I was 18, the same club where my father used to play.’
Youth coach
Until Serge joined TNO last summer, he was also a youth coach. ‘When my youngest daughter started playing football at the age of 8, I was the leader of the team. That was great fun. Then I also started helping with coaching and obtained a coaching diploma. Since then, I coached them until they reached the age of 17. After that, I coached another youth team at SV Die Haghe for several years. Who knows, I might return to it at some point. Being a coach has certain obligations and at the moment I need my time and energy for my work.’
What do you like about playing football?
Serge is very clear: having fun. He can't even remember a time when he didn't feel like playing football. ‘I always want to play football. In fact, it’s something I need; I have to get rid of my energy. It's just like running, when you can completely forget about everything else.’ The social aspect of playing football is also very important. ‘The team I play in has become a real team of friends. The third half is just as important as the game itself.’
‘I always want to play football. In fact, it’s something I need; I have to get rid of my energy'
Do you ever think about your pension?
From time to time, Serge thinks about his pension. ‘Our family is getting to the stage where the eldest is going to study and leaving the nest. That creates space in all kinds of areas When you retire, you also have space to do fun things and enjoy extra freedom.’ He doesn't know how he’ll fill that space. As far as sports are concerned, it will have to be something other than conventional football. ‘I had knee surgery 18 months ago. My goal is to carry on playing for a few more years, but I also need surgery on my other knee. I’ll continue to play football for as long as I can, but when I retire I might switch to walking football or doing more miles on my racing bike. Whatever I do, I'm going to do something that causes fewer injuries and where I can get rid of my energy.’
Useful to know: your pension options
Serge is thinking more about the future now that one of his kids is going to college. A feature of the pension scheme is the possibility to exercise the various options. We’d like to tell you more about these. It’s possible to retire before reaching the state pension age. Partial retirement is also possible, ideal if you want to enjoy more freedom and benefit from the flexibility of your pension. The option of receiving a higher pension initially and a lower pension later is also useful. For example, you can receive more for the first 5 or 10 years. That might be useful if you need more money for travel, your hobby or something else. After those first 5 or 10 years, you receive a lower retirement pension for life. Or you can do it the other way around, with a lower initial pension. Want to know more about all the options? Check out the De Pensioenregeling website.
Goed om te weten: keuzemogelijkheden rondom je pensioen
Serge denkt af en toe na over de toekomst nu een van zijn kinderen gaat studeren. Een van de aspecten van de pensioenregeling is de mogelijkheid om gebruik te maken van de keuzemogelijkheden. Daar vertellen we graag wat meer over. Het is mogelijk om eerder met pensioen te gaan dan je AOW-leeftijd. Dat kan ook parttime. Dat is ideaal als je bijvoorbeeld wilt genieten van wat meer vrijheid en de ruimte van je pensioen wilt benutten. Ook is de keuze hoog-laag interessant. Je kunt de eerste 5 of 10 jaar een hoger ouderdomspensioen ontvangen. Dat kan handig zijn als je voor reizen, je hobby of een ander doel meer geld nodig hebt. Na die 5 of 10 jaar krijg je levenslang een lager ouderdomspensioen. Uiteraard kan andersom ook. Wil je meer weten over de keuzemogelijkheden? Lees er dan meer over op de site bij De Pensioenregeling.