The day the office stops calling: Big titles, corporate privileges and the reality of life after employment

By Joshua Kato, CA

Imagine waking up on a Monday morning and, for the first time in twenty years, nobody is looking for you!

No missed calls from the office. No driver waiting outside. No urgent emails requiring your approval. No secretary reminding you about the 9:00 a.m. management meeting. Even the WhatsApp group that once needed your opinion on everything has suddenly become unusually quiet. The official vehicle has been handed over, the fuel card deactivated, and somebody else is comfortably seated in that executive chair you once considered yours.

Meanwhile, your electricity bill has not retired. Your children's school fees have not received a retirement notice. The supermarket still expects payment, and your medical bills have absolutely no respect for your former title! Welcome to life after the office!

As accountants, we are trained to calculate depreciation on buildings, machinery, motor vehicles and almost every other asset. Yet, strangely, some of us have classified our corporate titles and government appointments as assets with an unlimited useful life!

Perhaps we should introduce an annual impairment test for our professional titles. At least then, some of us would start preparing for the inevitable!

This was among the reflections I carried away from the EY Uganda Inaugural Tax Retreat 2026, an intellectually enriching gathering that offered far more than discussions on taxation and economic policy.

The final day was particularly memorable.

Prof. Samuel Sejjaaka, PhD, FCCA, delivered a remarkable presentation titled “Thriving Beyond the Corporate Career: Strategies for Successful Investing and Entrepreneurship.” His message was a powerful reality check for Uganda's corporate professionals and middle class.

Equally inspiring was Mr Muhammed Kakiika, a respected educator, businessman and entrepreneur, whose emphasis on early investment, financial discipline and planning for the future reinforced an important truth: financial independence is not something we should begin pursuing when retirement is already knocking.

These two gentlemen challenged me to reflect on something we rarely discuss in our comfortable offices: Are we genuinely building wealth, or are we simply enjoying the privileges of employment?

Today, you are the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Minister, Commissioner, Permanent Secretary, Director, Head of Department or senior manager.

Your signature moves millions. Your diary is fully booked. Your telephone rarely stops ringing. People respectfully address you by your title, and important meetings sometimes cannot proceed without you.

You occupy an impressive office, enjoy executive privileges and make decisions affecting entire institutions.

But here is the uncomfortable truth: the institution existed before you, and it will most likely continue long after you have left.

One day, another person will occupy your office, inherit your executive chair and park in your reserved parking space.

And believe me, the organisation will continue operating!

Prof. Sejjaaka's presentation challenged us to confront a fundamental question: if your salary stopped on December 31, how long could your current lifestyle survive?

Six months? One year? Three years? Or would January immediately become a financial emergency?

The answer reveals something our impressive professional qualifications may not: the difference between earning a good income and achieving financial independence.

Consider the lifestyle of some senior government officials and corporate executives. An impressive official vehicle, sometimes a V8, a driver, free fuel, comfortable accommodation or housing allowances, comprehensive medical insurance, travel privileges and, in certain positions, education benefits for children. Life is beautiful!

These are legitimate benefits attached to particular offices and employment arrangements. The problem begins when we mistake institutional privileges for personal wealth.

A government official may live in a beautiful residence, drive an expensive vehicle and enjoy medical coverage without personally meeting the full cost of those benefits.

A corporate executive may enjoy similar privileges through an employer. But what happens when the appointment ends?

The vehicle is returned. The driver is reassigned. Fuel becomes a personal expense. Medical insurance must be replaced. Housing costs become your responsibility. And unfortunately, the children do not automatically agree to attend cheaper schools because Daddy is no longer a Commissioner!

Suddenly, the lifestyle that appeared affordable becomes surprisingly expensive.

A big salary does not necessarily mean you are wealthy. Sometimes, it simply means your employer is financing an expensive lifestyle.

The real question is whether your personal assets can sustain that lifestyle when the employer is no longer paying the bills.

Another fascinating lesson from Prof. Sejjaaka concerned how professionals invest their hard-earned income.

Many spend their most productive years constructing magnificent residential homes, complete with expensive fittings, enormous compounds and bedrooms that are rarely occupied.

There is nothing wrong with building a beautiful home. However, we must recognise the distinction between an asset that provides comfort and one that generates income.

A billion-shilling residence may be valuable, but it does not automatically pay your monthly retirement expenses.

Then comes our beloved upcountry farm! Every month, money is sent for animal feed, workers' salaries, veterinary services, repairs and mysterious emergencies. Yet the profits remain permanently on the way!

Sometimes, what we proudly call an investment is merely an expensive hobby wearing a business suit.

Agriculture can be highly profitable, but only when approached with proper management, financial controls and commercial discipline.

Not everything that makes you look wealthy makes you financially independent.

Start investing before your salary becomes impressive

This is where Mr Muhammed Kakiika's emphasis on early investment becomes particularly relevant. Many young professionals postpone investing because they believe their current salaries are too small.

They promise themselves that once they become managers, directors or commissioners, they will begin building wealth. Unfortunately, when their salaries finally increase, their lifestyles often expand even faster.

The modest car becomes a luxury SUV. The rented apartment becomes a larger house. Social expectations increase, and suddenly the additional income has disappeared.

Time, however, remains one of the greatest advantages young investors possess.

Starting early, investing consistently and allowing returns to compound can significantly improve long-term wealth accumulation, subject to investment performance and risk.

Whether through Treasury bonds, unit trusts, listed shares, rental property or carefully managed businesses, the objective should be to build productive assets over time.

Do not wait to become wealthy before investing. Make investing part of the process of becoming wealthy.

And remember, the best time to develop alternative income streams is while your salary is still arriving every month.

Owning a business is not the same as running a profitable business

Prof. Sejjaaka also challenged the assumption that every successful corporate professional automatically makes a successful entrepreneur.

Many executives establish farms, restaurants, shops and other businesses they barely have time to supervise.

Before investing, ask yourself: Who controls the money? Who verifies the transactions? Can the business operate profitably without my constant financial support?

Without proper management and accountability, a business can become another expense financed by your salary.

The objective is not simply to own investments. It is to own investments that are properly structured, monitored and capable of generating sustainable returns.

Plan your departure before somebody plans it for you

We spend years pursuing degrees, professional qualifications, promotions and prestigious appointments.

Yet surprisingly few professionals devote comparable attention to planning their exit.

Retirement, restructuring, political changes, contract expiry or ill health can bring even the most successful career to an end.

And when that happens, the bills will not disappear simply because the title has.

Build savings. Invest consistently. Diversify your income. Protect your health. Maintain relationships beyond the workplace.

Above all, build an identity that extends beyond your business card.

Because one day, people may stop calling you Director, Commissioner or CEO. But your worth as a person should never disappear with your appointment.

A final word to my corporate learned friends

I left the EY Uganda Tax Retreat deeply appreciative of the organisers, particularly Prof. Samuel Sejjaaka and Mr Muhammed Kakiika, whose wisdom challenged us to reconsider the relationship between professional achievement, financial security and life after employment.

Prof. Sejjaaka reminded us of the importance of preparing for life beyond corporate careers. Mr Kakiika reinforced the value of beginning that preparation early.

To my fellow accountants, lawyers, bankers, corporate executives, government officials and ambitious young professionals: pursue those promotions. Earn those doctorates. Become CEOs, commissioners, ministers and directors. Serve your institutions with excellence.

But while building your professional reputation, remember to build your financial independence too.

Your employer can replace you in your position. Government can appoint your successor. Your official vehicle can be handed to another officer. But your former title cannot pay your retirement bills.

My sincere appreciation goes to EY Uganda for organising such a thoughtful retreat and to these two distinguished gentlemen for sharing lessons that deserve to reach every boardroom, government office and young professional in Uganda.

I leave you with one uncomfortable question: If tomorrow your office, official car, free fuel, medical insurance, housing privileges and salary disappeared, would your investments sustain your lifestyle, or would you discover that you were only wealthy while somebody else was paying the bills?

One day, the office will stop calling.

Make sure that when it does, your financial future is not waiting for the next appointment letter.

Joshua Kato, CA

Chartered Accountant | International Tax Advisor

Personal reflections inspired by presentations from Prof. Samuel Sejjaaka and Mr Muhammed Kakiika at the EY Uganda Inaugural Tax Retreat 2026.