by Amanda Hardy Lai | Mar 6, 2025 | Centrelink Age Pension
Why the unfreezing of deeming rates in 2025 matters. Using deeming rates is the way Centrelink calculates the income you earn from your financial asset, regardless of whether you receive that income or not. In May 2020, the then Morrison Government froze deeming rates...
by Amanda Hardy Lai | Mar 6, 2025 | Centrelink Age Pension
Maria and Carlos’s dilemma How will an inheritance affect your Age Pension entitlements? Many Retirement Essentials readers ask this question. As life expectancy increases, it’s not unusual for people to receive an inheritance much later in life—often when they are...
by Kaye Fallick | Mar 6, 2025 | Retirement Advice
A change is playing out in retiree households across the nation. One that is barely discernible but will have major repercussions for a generation of retirees to come. And that’s the change in home ownership status for Australians as they exit the workforce. Once it...
by James Coyle | Mar 1, 2025 | Planning for Retirement
Discount and concession cards Most of us love a discount. And when the cost of living is persistently high, concession cards are worth their weight in gold. There are a range of discount and concession cards available to older Australians. But the rules change all too...
by Amanda Hardy Lai | Feb 27, 2025 | Planning for Retirement
Stop now – or keep working? Retirement at 67 is often seen as the default, but is it really the best choice for everyone? Helen, who turns 67 in April, is weighing up her options. She has $275,000 in superannuation, $25,000 in personal assets, and $10,000 in...
by the Retirement Essentials Team | Feb 27, 2025 | Centrelink Age Pension
At the time of writing we still don’t know when the Federal Election will be held, except that it will be before the end of May. This means that we still expect a Federal Budget to be delivered on 25 March. Even if an election is called, it is likely we will see a...
by Amanda Hardy Lai | Feb 27, 2025 | Retirement Income
Annuity rules explained When we talk about retirement income, Account-Based Pensions (ABPs) often take centre stage because they’re the most common retirement income streams. But they’re not the only option. Lifetime income streams, such as annuities provide...
by Kaye Fallick | Feb 21, 2025 | Retirement Income
We were delighted to receive some great comments to last week’s newsletter, as well as some really good questions. Two that stood out were in response to Amanda Hardy Lai’s article, How much is enough for a comfortable retirement? Having read Amanda’s article Linda...
by Amanda Hardy Lai | Feb 21, 2025 | Retirement Advice
Small adjustments reap big rewards Amanda Hardy Lai is a problem solver at heart. After studying science and philosophy at uni, she took a temporary job to answer calls for finance expert Paul Clitheroe’s company. She quickly realised that she enjoyed this work, and...
by Steven Sadler, Retirement Essentials | Feb 20, 2025 | Centrelink Age Pension
Avoiding costly Centrelink mistakes with expert advice from Retirement Essential’s Head of Customer Service, Steven Sadler Navigating Centrelink rules can be challenging, and many retirees are unsure about their entitlements and how to apply. At Retirement Essentials,...
