![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design-10.png\")
<\/p>\nAt 28, corporate lawyer Etim* had the basics down: a steady 9\u20135, modest lifestyle, and regular pension contributions through his Retirement Savings Account (RSA). But he didn\u2019t realise that one simple tweak could supercharge his pension growth. In this story, he shares how a quiet shift made a huge difference.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The 9\u20135 Pension Hack I Wish I Knew Sooner<\/p>\n
When I got my first job as a corporate lawyer in 2019, a pension was just one of those background things that needed to get done, like completing an attestation form or something. You sign the employment contract, HR asks for your Retirement Savings Account (RSA) details, and 8% of your salary disappears monthly. I didn\u2019t overthink it. It felt like something \u201cfuture me\u201d would deal with.<\/p>\n
Back then, I earned \u20a6180k. Between rent, black tax, and just trying to breathe in Lagos, I didn\u2019t have much headspace for the future. I told myself I\u2019d get serious once I started earning more.<\/p>\n
And I did. By 2023, my monthly salary had climbed to \u20a6850k, and I was also making extra money from side briefs. I\u2019d grown more intentional about my money; I built an emergency fund, tried a few investment apps, and even opened a mutual fund account.<\/p>\n
Still, I barely thought about my pension. In my head, that 8% was enough. At least went in every month; I didn\u2019t even remember what my balance was.<\/p>\n
Then one day, after a meeting, I was chatting with a colleague who casually mentioned he\u2019d been adding money to his pension on his own with something called AVC.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s AVC?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdditional Voluntary Contribution\u201d, he said. \u201cIt\u2019s basically you topping up your own pension. You know how payroll deduct a portion? This one is you adding more. It helps it grow faster; besides I have a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
I paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean I can put more money into my retirement account\u2026 like deliberately?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded. \u201cYeah. And with the right PFA and consistency, your AVC and statutory contributions can perform even better.<\/p>\n
That conversation sat with me.<\/p>\n
That night, I logged into my Access ARM Pensions dashboard on the Access Buddy mobile app \u2014 they\u2019ve been my pension fund administrator since I started this job. I hadn\u2019t checked in almost two years. The balance was encouraging, but it also reminded me that I needed to do more if I wanted the lifestyle I dreamt of at retirement.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I sent an email asking about AVCs. The process was easy. I had to decide how much I wanted to contribute, and how often, monthly, quarterly, or whenever I had extra. They shared a scenario based on my current status and a hypothetical simulation of additional contributions. The table looked like this:<\/p>\n
ScenarioWithout AVCWith AVC (\u20a6100,000 monthly)Current Age3030Retirement Age6060Years to Retirement3030Mandatory Contributions (RSA)\u20a6153,000\/month\u20a6153,000\/monthAVC Contributions\u2013\u20a6100,000\/monthAssumed Annual Growth Rate10%10%Projected Retirement Savings\u20a6184,000,000\u20a6304,000,000<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a difference of \u20a6120 million at retirement \u2014 simply by adding \u20a6100,000 monthly in AVC.<\/p>\n
I started small. \u20a650k monthly. Suddenly, I wasn\u2019t just relying on HR deductions anymore. I was actively building my future. I now had a deliberate plan.<\/p>\n
My voluntary contributions went straight into my retirement savings account \u2014 only now, I was earning more because I was putting in more. And over time, that makes a big difference.<\/p>\n
Some days, I still spend impulsively. But I also know my pension isn\u2019t just sitting there \u2014 it\u2019s working for me. And with AVC, I\u2019m contributing more deliberately, which makes it work even harder.<\/p>\n
I wish I\u2019d started sooner. The good thing is, it\u2019s not too late. So now, whenever I hear people say, \u201cI\u2019ll sort that out later,\u201d I just smile and ask: \u201cDo you know you can actually top up your pension right now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Most people don\u2019t. But now I do, and you can too. Sometimes, knowing better really does make all the difference.<\/p>\n
Bottom Line<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t wait; time lost can never be regained. Make intentional commitments today to secure your future! Whether you\u2019re in a 9-5, building a business, or juggling side hustles, start your pension journey with Access ARM Pensions. Visit their website to open your retirement savings account<\/a> today. Your money, your future, your move!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At 28, corporate lawyer Etim* had the basics down: a steady 9\u20135, modest lifestyle, and regular pension contributions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151122,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,63,99,186,184,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-151121","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-finance","12":"tag-personal-finance","13":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}