I’m at least 10 years away from retirement, but I admit there are times when I’ve pondered my future in the small hours, especially when work or family circumstances change. Financial worries are surely universal and, leading up to or during retirement,...
Retirement Spending Articles
Loans in retirement: Is repayment really the best choice?
When we last discussed the ‘classic dilemma’ of paying off debt or retaining a mortgage (but earning more in other ways) we received some great feedback from members. Many of you said that this option doesn’t have to be an ‘all-in’ decision. Which has...
What is bucketing? And can it save your retirement?
The ‘bucketing’ method of money management has been around for decades. But it shot to prominence when self-proclaimed ‘barefoot millionaire’ Scott Pape wrote about how easy it was, by using buckets, to get on top of your spending. But ‘financial bucketing’...
Boomers fuelling inflation?
Is this really happening? The other night I saw an ABC TV report by business reporter, Daniel Ziffer. I normally find Mr Ziffer’s work to be both informative and interesting. So when he spoke of a ‘generational divide’ in Australia’s spending habits, I was...
Managing spending in retirement
The current economic climate has been described by many as a ‘crisis’. Whether rising prices and interest rates do indeed constitute a crisis is arguable. But it’s fair to say that most Australians are very concerned about the rapidly escalating costs of...
Learning to spend what you can afford
Keeping Retirement Simple – Part 4 In his book Straight Talk on Investing, a friend of mine, Jack Brennan, former CEO of The Vanguard Group, gives his views on the most important piece of advice. “Live below your means….simply put, you must not spend...
Your retirement horizon and your spending level
Keeping Retirement Simple – Part 2 In Australia, we’re responsible for our retirement. The government helps with the Age Pension and Aged Care. But the rest we supply ourselves through our super and other savings and perhaps some work...
Secrets of successful budgeting across your retirement journey
Your retirement journey is likely to be as quirky and individual as you are. But whilst most of us love fun and adventure, volatile cash flow is not the type of adventure we would embrace. Predictable income becomes even more important in retirement when you...
When cash is trashed …
What are your options? The other day I needed a $100 note for a gift for someone. I didn’t have my purse with debit card on me, but I did have my phone which has my debit account App installed. So I popped into the bank and expected to be able to wave my...