Many older Australians would love to receive a Universal Pension – one that is simply paid to everyone above age 67 without the need to go through torturous income and asset reporting. But these two tests are the mainstay of Age Pension eligibility. Today we...
Cost of living is an issue top of mind for most Australians. Last week’s higher inflation rate was a stark reminder just how much we are now paying for essentials. So it’s timely that a seniors advocacy group should suggest a solution for those doing it...
Our adviser, Megan Marshall had a big win last week. This happened when she helped Fiona to increase her Age Pension entitlement from $506 to $916. That’s an extra $410 a fortnight. It’s such a large increase that we wanted to share how this could happen....
Life happens. Divorce, floods, leaving work are all triggers for changes in your financial situation. And your entitlements. Most of us benefit from learning from those who have gone before in all sorts of life changing events. Today we share some of the...
What would it take to make you want to work again? Higher wages? Manageable hours? Or a guarantee that your benefits and entitlements would not be jeopardised? Or maybe all of the above? In short, what would it take to lure you back into the workforce?...
Recent research from financial services provider, AMP, reports that 70% of Australians do not know what an Account-Based Pension is. We doubt this is the case with Retirement Essentials members, but it was a handy reminder that the complexity of many aspects...
Last month Steven (who’s head of our Customer Services Team) answered a series of questions about whether our members should be receiving a single or couples Age Pension. These questions coincided with new Age Pension increases, with many people questioning...
Services Australia workers are gearing up for a 24-hour strike next week, leaving many Australians wondering about the impact on Centrelink payments and services. The strike, scheduled for Monday, October 9, is a response to a government pay rise offer that...
A member recently asked us how long it is reasonable to wait for a response from Centrelink. That’s not an easy question to answer. The short answer is, ‘it depends’. The longer answer is equally complicated, as it still depends on many different aspects of...