One in five of the people we see still have a mortgage on their home. Many of them also have money in the bank, super or some other investments. For part pensioners this can sometimes be costly. This is because most part pensioners, and those that aren’t...
When it comes to retirement, entitlements is a term we hear a lot, but it can also be misunderstood. Many people believe that retirement entitlements are confined to government benefits, specifically the Age Pension the associated Pension Concession Card....
Simple sums that share the rules The Retirement Essentials advice team is currently handling a lot of questions about Age Pension eligibility and the gifting of money or possessions to family members. At one level, the rules are fairly straightforward. But...
Here’s what you’ll get The twice-yearly Age Pension indexation is due to increase 20 September. This Age Pension increase is much higher than the one that was awarded in March this year ($19.60 for singles and $29.40 for couples). We reported on 8 August our...
How non-millionaires .. Can enjoy the road trip of a lifetime I was listening to the radio the other day and a woman phoned the ‘Australia all over’ program to speak with Macca. She told host, Ian McNamara, how she and her husband were on a boat, moored off...
What Centrelink can do And what it can’t Robodebt, or to give it its full name, The Income Compliance Program, ended nearly 5 years ago in November 2019. The scheme was designed to recover money owed to Centrelink by people who had received more in payments...
A few years ago there was a terrific public safety advertising campaign developed by Metro Trains in Victoria called Dumb ways to die. It was designed to promote railway safety and became the world’s most shared public awareness campaign. It also spawned a...
With Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Pensioner Beneficiary Living Cost Index increases (PBLCI) now published, we are able to predict the most likely increases to the Age Pension on 20 September 2024. We believe this pay rise for retirees will be $26.54...
Sooner or later you will probably have to deal with Centrelink. This statement shouldn’t strike fear into anyone’s heart, but it often does. Why? You will be dealing with public servants whose wages you, as a taxpayer, fund. Yet many individuals will run a...