James Coyle

Are deeming rates set to change? Should you plan ahead?

Most of us can cope with adversity if it doesn’t arrive as a total surprise. Knowing what’s coming is often the best way to put plans in place to mitigate financial shocks. That’s why the subject of deeming rates needs to raised.

All’s been quiet on this topic for a while and there’s a reason for that. Back in pre-Covid days there were justifiable grievances that deeming rates were way too high. We’ve now entered a time when one could argue that they are far too low. Why is this the case? And if it is, can you prepare for what seems inevitable – an increase on July 1 this year?

Deeming rates are an aspect of means testing that affect full and part-Age Pensioners and self-funded retirees alike. They also affect those living in age care facilities, so you could say that all older Australians are likely to be affected, in some way, if they change on 1 July as expected.

What’s great advice worth? Sometimes more than we think

by James Coyle | Retirement Advice

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 nagging medical worry becomes totally ‘priceless’ if it leads to a diagnosis that saves your life.

We also asked the Retirement Essentials team on the best advice they had ever received and got some really interesting responses. Most of us have received some advice in the past when facing career, relationship or financial turning points or challenges. So in the February 2024 Retirement Pulse we would like to learn more about the types of help and advice that you are seeking. We hope that you will help us with our survey which takes just 3-4 minutes to complete.

And here’s what James, Steven, Alison and Sharon had to say about the best piece of advice that they’ve ever received.

Making Centrelink work for you

by James Coyle | Centrelink Age Pension

ou may recall our article in December which shared tips from Steven Sadler? We asked him what works best when dealing with Centrelink and he responded with some really useful insights into how to progress your Centrelink interactions, including the best time of day to call. Because this article was published on Boxing Day, we realise that not everyone will have seen the extensive Q&A discussions it evoked. So today we are featuring a roundup of some of the most common questions you have asked us about Centrelink and what Steven had to say in response.

And at the very end we share Glenn’s heartfelt comment on the Centrelink system – he’s got a bit to say on the subject.