More than half expect careers beyond conventional exit age.
Singapore’s high-net-worth individuals are increasingly working past traditional retirement age and restructuring their finances to support longer lives, though many still lack a coordinated plan to manage this shift.
Despite this awareness, planning remains patchy. Whilst 68% said market, geopolitical or tax changes were prompting them to update their plans more often, and 69% were building backup plans for different scenarios, only 16% currently have a fully integrated wealth plan covering investments, retirement income, health insurance and succession planning together.
According to new research from Manulife and FT Longitude, part of a report titled “The New Fluidity”, 57% of Singapore-based high-net-worth respondents want to continue working beyond retirement age, with 30% planning to work for as long as possible.
Many expect to stay active after leaving their primary careers by moving into advisory roles (35%) or starting new ventures (24%).
The report describes this pattern as “portfolio lives”, where wealthy individuals continue to split their time and money across multiple roles and priorities rather than stopping work altogether.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) said longer life expectancy had made flexibility more important than simply building wealth, and 57% said they were restructuring their portfolios to support a more adaptable lifestyle.
More than half (53%) hold assets or residency rights in more than one country, adding complexity to their financial planning.
Income sustainability (59%) and healthcare costs (55%) were named as top concerns, though fewer than half of respondents said they felt well prepared for major unexpected medical bills, cross-border healthcare costs or cognitive decline.
Seventy per cent said they would benefit from a single trusted adviser to coordinate their wealth planning.
Benoit Meslet, CEO of Manulife Singapore, said wealth planning was no longer a straight line from accumulation to retirement to succession, with decisions on income, healthcare, family support and wealth transfer increasingly happening together.
Succession planning emerged as a particular weak point. Whilst 38% cited preserving wealth across generations as a key concern linked to longevity and 37% pointed to business continuity and succession, more than half (51%) said they had not involved the next generation at all in wealth planning discussions.
Only 45% said they were confident the next generation would manage family wealth effectively.
Michelle Fang, Chief Marketing Officer of Manulife Singapore, said the challenge for wealthy families was not just how to transfer wealth but how to prepare the next generation to manage it responsibly.
She said insurance could help provide liquidity and continuity during succession without forcing families to sell long-term assets or change their investment strategy.
The study surveyed 1,000 high-net-worth individuals across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East in April and May 2026, including 250 based in Singapore.
Respondents had net worths ranging from $3m to more than $50m.
Other markets covered included Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the UAE.