How can you know what you don’t know? There’s an old saying that an assumption is a gateway to a mistake. And thinking that your already know all the rules is a proposition that is worth challenging. There is a reason that the financial planning industry...

Three retirement assumptions that lead to mistakes And the myth busters that explain why these assumptions are wrong: It’s mainly about the money It’s all about you and your needs You already know the rules And here are the myth busters that explain why...

Not everyone is aware that they may have a Centrelink debt. The Department of Social Security (DSS) paused debt activity in August 2021 to alleviate hardship, with many parts of the country in lockdown due to the Delta outbreak. This pause is scheduled to be...

Festive Season Checklist We’ve compiled a list for you of support offered for those in need at Christmas. This is by no means exhaustive – instead it’s a brief overview of some national organisations which may be able to help you during the holiday period if...

When you need help and support it can be frustrating to find support services closed.  This is particularly the case over the Christmas New Year break.  To help you we have compiled this summary of Centrelink opening hours and reporting timetable. Centrelink...

This is a very common and important question because there are limits to how much you can give away without an impact on your payments. The limits are part of the gifting rules. Gifting rules apply not only to people who are already receiving the Age...

Some things you can’t ‘untell’ Centrelink - Tips and traps for overseas travellers With international borders finally reopening many older Australians are keen to head overseas. But leaving Australia – particularly where you go and for how long – can have a...

The Australian government offers a Pension Loans Scheme (PLS) to retirees who wish to access the equity in their home so that they can top up their retirement income. The scheme was first introduced in 1985 and  expanded in 2019 to widen eligibility, and...

As you are aware, most older Australians can qualify for some type of entitlement. This might be a full or part Age Pension, a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, for those not on a pension, or other special government supplements. What tends to fly under the...