Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves just how lucky we are.  A friend’s note did that for me the other day.  Brian Jones runs a business based in the Philippines from Australia and he shared how grateful he is to be living here, particularly during the...

In addition to your age there are three major considerations upon which your eligibility for the Age Pension is assessed; the income test, the assets test, and your residency status. Today we share the first of a three-part explanation of how these critical...

Taper Rates: Understanding the Age Pension sliding scale This often misunderstood term applies to a sliding scale which sits between entitlement for a full Age Pension, a part Age Pension and no pension at all. When applied to your assets, it means that the...

Can you get free RATs test kits? It’s hard enough to keep up with frequent changes to health rules, let alone changes to your entitlements. So you may have missed the recent announcement of free rapid antigen tests (RATs) for all Australian concession card...

How can you know what you don’t know? There’s an old saying that an assumption is a gateway to a mistake. And thinking that your already know all the rules is a proposition that is worth challenging. There is a reason that the financial planning industry...

Three retirement assumptions that lead to mistakes And the myth busters that explain why these assumptions are wrong: It’s mainly about the money It’s all about you and your needs You already know the rules And here are the myth busters that explain why...

Not everyone is aware that they may have a Centrelink debt. The Department of Social Security (DSS) paused debt activity in August 2021 to alleviate hardship, with many parts of the country in lockdown due to the Delta outbreak. This pause is scheduled to be...

Festive Season Checklist We’ve compiled a list for you of support offered for those in need at Christmas. This is by no means exhaustive – instead it’s a brief overview of some national organisations which may be able to help you during the holiday period if...

When you need help and support it can be frustrating to find support services closed.  This is particularly the case over the Christmas New Year break.  To help you we have compiled this summary of Centrelink opening hours and reporting timetable. Centrelink...