Federal Budgets can seem a long way removed from our day-to-day lives. Telephone book number expenditure is often quoted on some very abstract projects (infrastructure? cyber safety? border security?) which are hard to relate to. But the money that is...
Do you, too, find the Work Bonus credit as clear as mud? We suspect this may be the case because of the volume of questions we receive on this topic. It seems that many Retirement Essentials’ members are simply bamboozled by what should be a straightforward...
With the footy season underway, I thought I’d share a favorite story: I was lucky to spend a few moments alone with Geelong Captain Joel Selwood, at a 2013 Grand Final Day event. He was pretty subdued as Geelong had missed the big game due to a...
This week one of our team, Mikahil Walden, pointed out an anomaly in the Age Pension thresholds that really disadvantages one group of people. And in the midst of a national housing crisis it’s renters that are missing out. So what’s going on? The...
The current housing crisis can be seen in many ways. The most obvious is the reduced ability for younger Australians to get a foot in the property market. But there are other ways it hurts as well. One is the growing trend for couples who separate to stay...
As of 20 March 2024, the Age Pension in Australia has increased. The information detailed below shows the increases, as confirmed by the Federal Government, including supplements for singles and couples. For a single person, the maximum Age Pension...
Here's what you'll get The twice-yearly Age Pension increase is due to land on 20 March. We reported in mid February our predictions for singles and couples, and we’re pleased to say our predictions were correct within a few cents. The table below shows the...
It’s that time of year again when we receive clearer signals about the magnitude of Age Pension indexation scheduled for 20 March. From 20 March 2024 the maximum full Age Pension increases $19.60 per fortnight for a single person and $29.40 for a couple...
The average processing time for claims with Services Australia has continued to rise steadily since the start of the decade. Services Australia chief executive officer David Hazlehurst reported the latest numbers at the Senate Estimates meeting last week...