On 1 July 2026, Jan de Witte passed an astonishing milestone: he has been drawing a pension for 40 years. Despite already being 98, he is still very active: he writes, he gives lectures and recently he went for a ride on a side-by-side buddy bike. At the same time, his story highlights a certainty that you can still rely on under the NexT Pension Scheme: no matter how long you live, you will always have a pension.
Almost as soon as we enter Jan de Witte’s home, we discover that he is a walking, talking history book. Names, events and recollections come flying at us. His ties to Philips and Philips Pensioenfonds go back a long way, after all. He spent 26 years with Van Rietschoten & Houwens, and after helping out with several real estate projects for Philips Pensioenfonds he eventually came to work directly for the pension fund. His job in the construction department involved everything related to electrical matters. He retired in 1986, at the age of 58. Now, 40 years later, he still draws a pension every month.
“Are they all babies?”
If you think being retired for 40 years means vegetating at home, Jan de Witte will change your mind. Despite his 98 years, he is still active and involved. For example, he has written a short book about his experiences during World War II, and gave a lecture about it before a full auditorium. His motivation is evident: he wants to keep sharing what happened during that period and what he hopes will never happen again. He stays physically active as well. A few months before meeting with us, he took part in a bicycle tour through his home village of Son en Breugel, as the oldest participant, riding a side-by-side buddy bike.
He is still a member of the local association for retirees. Being only 58, he felt far too young when he and his wife first went there shortly after his retirement. Now his perspective has shifted completely: when he recently attended a meeting, he looked at the other people there and joked to the chair, “Look at them now, all these people here are babies!”
So your pension savings can never run out?
Jan de Witte’s 40 years of retirement bring us to a question that many of our members ask. With the NexT Pension Scheme, you will have a personal pension capital, but what happens if you live to a very old age? Could your pension savings ever run out? The answer is no. You will have a pension for as long as you live. In other words, your personal pension capital is not a pot of money that is reserved for you and could one day run out.
This is a key pension principle: we share the risk that one person will live longer or die sooner than another. Your pension savings will not run out if you live beyond the average age. Even under the NexT Pension Scheme, you will have a pension for as long as you live.
For Jan de Witte, this seems barely a point of concern. We ask him what he thinks about people who are worried about their pension running out. He replies calmly, “I have complete confidence in the switch to the new pension scheme, and I have no doubt that I’ll keep receiving my pension until I pass away.”
Your pension savings cannot run out
With the NexT Pension Scheme, you will have a personal pension capital. This does not mean that your pension will stop if you reach a very old age. You will have a pension for as long as you live. We share the risk of some people living longer than the average life expectancy, so your pension savings can never run out.
A retirement with many happenings
Much can happen during 40 years of retirement. Jan de Witte and his wife have travelled extensively, for example. One of his finest memories is a trip in 1989: with his wife, and two friends they had known since 1951, he spent seven weeks travelling around America. He has also maintained his ties with Philips and other retirees.
But what makes Jan de Witte so special is that he is still thinking about the future despite his age. Printing new copies of his book, giving lectures, taking part in activities or sending an email about arrangements he wants made: even at 98, Jan de Witte still does it all. And in the meantime he is still paid his pension every month, even after 40 years. This not only makes his story so wonderful, it also highlights a key certainty of your pension: no matter what your age is, you will always have a pension for as long as you live.