Retirement Income Articles

End of Year tax rules for retirees

End of Year tax rules for retirees

Tax rules for retirees Thursday marks the end of financial year 2022. Or the EOFY as it’s now commonly known. Many people assume – incorrectly – that retirees who don’t earn income don’t need to file anything. This is not true. There are two points to make...

Working when retired – Is it worth it?

Working when retired – Is it worth it?

One of the major myths about retirees is that they don’t work. This is the opposite of what’s really happening. Many retirees are still in the paid work force, albeit working fewer hours. Just as many others are beavering away doing volunteer work. In fact...

Private Savings

Private Savings

This week we turn to the fourth pillar of retirement income – private savings. As we reported in our other story this week, a significant proportion of Retirement Essentials members (71%)  reported that they are accessing private savings or investments as...

Can retirees beat inflation?

Can retirees beat inflation?

Can you beat inflation? - Highest price rises in 20 years Last Thursday, the long awaited Consumer Price Index (CPI) update for the March 2022 quarter was released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The graph below shows it all – a sharp spike in...

Interest rates after a decade of diminishing returns

Interest rates after a decade of diminishing returns

With last week’s headline inflation announcement of 5.1% per annum, it has become a matter of time before the Reserve Bank (RBA) responds by increasing the underlying cash rate of 0.1%. It’s no longer a question of if, but when. Rates will almost certainly...

Five ways to secure your retirement

Five ways to secure your retirement

Make sure your money lasts 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...

Workers needed?

Workers needed?

So why are older Australians penalised for earning more? Current economic data confirms that Australia now has too few workers for jobs that urgently need to be done. With unemployment hovering around 4% and predicted to tighten further there are now jobs...

Income for life

Income for life

Is a secure income stream achievable? While there are many headlines promising to help you to ‘retire rich’, most Retirement Essentials members have different expectations. The majority tell us that ‘rich’ isn’t a believable goal. They simply wish to...

Cost of living in retirement

Cost of living in retirement

Are prices higher for retires? It’s logical to follow the quarterly and annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) changes to try to keep track of the price of household goods and services. If you did this you would believe that most Australians are subject to about...