Your superannuation strategy doesn’t end when you begin drawing your savings in an Account-Based Pension. It’s common for retirees to keep accumulating super through part-time work or lump sum contributions from windfalls like property sales or...
Planning for Retirement Articles
Affordable travel guide: Saving money on travel in 2025
Welcome to Retirement Essentials annual affordable travel guide. This year we have again approached the experts for their insider tips on how to get maximum bang for your buck when you travel in 2025. We’ve left the group touring and cruising adventures...
22% of retirees in poverty: How to avoid the poverty trap
More than one fifth of Australian retirees currently live in poverty, according to a recent report by The Australia Institute. Given that we are one of the richest nations in the world this is both disturbing and difficult to believe. Today we review these...
Who needs a million to retire?
Here’s why most of us don’t Being set unrealistic targets is hardly likely to motivate anyone at any age. Yet this is often the case with retirement savings targets. Today we take a more realistic approach by using the factual ‘middle’ savings amounts for...
Future-proofing your retirement
Alice’s move to a better place For many retirees, home is where they want to be - to be part of a community, to stay connected to friends and family, and to enjoy their independence. If you’re thinking about what the options are for you to...
Resetting your retirement goals: How to hit the moving target
It’s generally agreed that retirement is not a ‘set and forget’ proposition. On the one hand this can sound as though we need to continually monitor our situation. But the flipside of this is that it is literally never too late to change our settings and...
When should you retire?
Picking the perfect retirement age Your retirement age is a very personal thing. Sometimes retirement is thrust upon us. We might lose our job or be forced to leave work due to ill health or caring responsibilities. Most people, however,...
When downsizing goes wrong
Don’t make these classic errors A recent article (How fair is the Age Pension) prompted quite a few Retirement Essentials members to share their (not-so-good) experiences of downsizing. Here’s what you told us (edited for reasons of space): Helly says...
Concession and health care cards update
Discount and concession cards Most of us love a discount. And when the cost of living is persistently high, concession cards are worth their weight in gold. There are a range of discount and concession cards available to older Australians. But the rules...