Preservation age is a term that is used to denote the age at which you can access your superannuation funds without penalty. It is one of the conditions of release set by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) in relation to superannuation. The common conditions of...

Are retirees now better off? ‘Inflation’ is a word very likely to jump into sight as you read your morning news. It’s also reported on the nightly TV news, a frequent topic in discussion in our federal parliament and a regularly reported source of concern in...

The sad fact about most retirement savings predictions is how woefully out of touch they are with reality. There’s a reason for this. Firstly the people offering these projections are generally not living in retirement. Most are still working, earning more...

Running out of money - But does it really happen? They say the secret to a happy life is to only worry about the things within our control. This is an even more interesting concept when applied to funding your retirement. What can you control? And what is...

When lack of confidence costs you money When it comes to retirement income, there is no better way to learn what retirees want and need than to ask them directly. And this is exactly what Retirement Essentials did in a recent survey designed to better...

Whether you live in the sunny north or chilly south in our wide brown land, flu season is officially upon us, so it’s important to protect your health as rigorously as possible. With so much attention given to the Covid-19 epidemic, it’s easy to overlook the...

As we head into the final week of the Federal Election campaign, many voters by now will be totally ‘over’ the promises, the rhetoric and the shouty debates. Yet many older Australians are also keenly interested in understanding the policy detail that...

And why is it critical to know how long you will live? Back in 1908 when the Age Pension was first introduced in the Australian Federal Parliament there were two striking features. It was for men only. And the life expectancy of men who would receive this...

Is using a TTR the best of both worlds? The days of an abrupt end to full time work, suddenly facing seven days a week of leisure are becoming a thing of the past for many older Australians. Yes, there are unforeseen life events like sickness or retrenchment...