And the winner is: Max who needs more time We’ve been delighted with the volume and depth of responses to the inaugural Retirement Essentials Retirement Pulse survey, launched in October. You may recall we asked you to share the issue or question you would...

The work bonus enables you to earn extra for longer Financial adviser Nicole reports that how much you can earn is one of the major concerns in her consultations with Retirement Essentials members. The rules are confusing and they are about to change again....

What you’ve got over the past year Taking a long view when managing your money is almost always the best strategy. It can be difficult to do this with frequent changes to key financial indicators such as price hikes, stock market volatility and changing Age...

Reporting Income Reporting income can be a minefield for those on an Age Pension or those who may be entitled to one in the near future. The difficulty for many is that it is less than clear which income is reportable to Centrelink – and how and when you...

When is an asset treated as income? And when isn't it? Australia’s Age Pension is a main source of income for 70% of retirees. Of those who are eligible, nearly 60% are on the full Age Pension. As they reach their 80s, 80% are on the Age Pension.   We call...

Age Pension income and assets thresholds Last week we shared the news about the largest Age Pension increase for 12 years. We also mentioned the increase to the Age Pension income and assets thresholds, but these changes were somewhat overshadowed by the...

Biggest increase in 12 years Last Monday the Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth, announced the largest increase in the Age Pension for 12 years, effective September 20. The full range of welfare increases will affect 4.7 million Australians. The...

Work bonus change for retirees Last week’s Jobs and Skills Summit produced 36 concrete actions to reduce Australian workforce and skill shortages. The one of most interest to older Australians is the change in the rules on income and the Age Pension. The new...

What you see – or don’t … … can cost you dearly A diptych is a double image that shows two different things simultaneously. The example in the image above is very famous. It was first published in a German postcard in 1888 and then reshared by an Englishman,...