The most outstanding feature of Australia’s retirement income system has to be its complexity. During their working lives most people have managed just one source of income – their salary. If they have investments, this money typically adds to savings. But...
Currently about 76% of Australian retirees own their own homes. About 13% of these retirees still have a mortgage. These ratios are set to change dramatically over the next 10-15 years, with more than 50% of those currently aged 55-60 carrying mortgages,...
A couple of weeks ago I came across a Retirement Happiness Index. This index, launched by Challenger on 4 April 2024 makes for interesting reading. It indicates Australian retirees have plenty to keep us busy and engaged, we feel mentally healthy, but we...
With the footy season underway, I thought I’d share a favorite story: I was lucky to spend a few moments alone with Geelong Captain Joel Selwood, at a 2013 Grand Final Day event. He was pretty subdued as Geelong had missed the big game due to a...
The American Association of Retired Persons – or AARP as it is now called – has been around since 1958 and has 38 million members. Late last year they asked their membership about being a grandparent and how this affects their own finances. The results were...
We asked and you responded… You may recall that we asked you to answer a short 5-minute Retirement Pulse survey a couple of weeks ago. Well you did. And to say that your answers delighted us is an understatement. Here’s why. They shared a lot of common sense...
We recently did a Google search to see the type of value people place on advice and it seems some of the best things in life (including advice) are free. Other advice may seem expensive - medical appointments for instance. But paying for a third opinion on a...
There are certain ‘motherhood’ statements, so-called because you would find it hard to disagree with these sentiments. One such statement is that we all want what’s best for our kids. We’d walk over hot coals for them, in fact. This is evidenced financially...
There are many challenges associated with planning retirement and retirement income. Over the years, we’ve highlighted lots of ways to tackle them one by one. But the ‘fear of running out’ (FORO) remains the main concern for many older Australians. And...