Retirement? You're Having a Laugh - Del Boy Trotter

RETIREMENT? YOU'RE HAVING A LAUGH! Age creeps up on all of us - even the nation's beloved TV stars. The actors who starred in iconic sitcoms like Only Fools & Horses, Keeping Up Appearances, The Royle Family and I'm Alan Partridge are now firmly established national treasures - but how would the characters they played cope with the financial challenges of retirement? At My Retirement Options, we took a look at how much it might have cost some of Britain's most popular sitcom characters to maintain their on-screen lifestyles. Delboy Trotter: Only Fools & Horses RETIREMENT? It's not for plonkers! TRO INDE NELSON MANDELA HOUSE LONDON BOROUGH OF PECKHAM £14,000 SE15 Flat in Peckham Del Boy's old stomping ground of Peckham has gone up in the world since the early 80s - and unfortunately for the Trotters, property prices have risen accordingly. You'd be hard pressed to rent a two-bedroom flat in the area for less than £1,200 a month adding up to an eye-watering £14,000 per year. £6,689 Robin Reliant running costs According to the RAC, the cost of driving in London - taking into account fuel costs, MOT, parking and repairs - has shot up to more than £6,000 a year. Del Boy might be better off trading in his beloved Robin Reliant for an Oyster card. £2,184 Pina Coladas at the Nag's Head When he wasn't chasing the latest get-rich-quick scheme, Del Boy could often be found sipping high-class mixed beverages in his local boozer. A good cocktail in London will generally set you back around £6 a glass, so if we assume he visits the Nag's Head twice per week and drinks an average of 3 glasses per trip, the cost adds up to over £2,000 per year. Maybe it's time to switch to lager. £600 Beginner's French Classes One of Del Boy's most endearing characteristics is his frequently baffling misuse of the French language ("Mange tout, Rodney, Mange tout!"). If he ever decided to brush up on his linguistics, an evening class in Beginner's French would set him back around £600 per year. PECKHAM Spring Hate Trific! Total: French £23,873 per year Conclusion: Oh dear. Del Boy better hope one of his money-making schemes pays off soon, because the cost of maintaining his lifestyle would probably be well above the average pension income for a working class Londoner - and we have a suspicion that prudent financial planning was never one of his strong suits. *) My Retirement Options Guiding you through a changing market