by Kaye Fallick | May 17, 2024 | Centrelink Age Pension
Regular scheduled changes to the Age Pension will occur on 1 July. There are other changes as well which will have an impact on retirees and their income over the next 12 months. Here’s our end of financial year checklist to help you plan ahead. Spoiler alert: we do...
by James Coyle | May 17, 2024 | Retirement Advice
Jenny and Daniel contacted us with a dilemma recently. They had received a windfall gain due to an unexpected inheritance. Often inheriting money also means a time of great sadness, but in this case they did not actually know the great uncle who had remembered Jenny...
by James Coyle | May 14, 2024 | Planning for Retirement
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has handed down the May 2024-2025 Federal Budget. There weren’t a lot of surprises but there are a couple of nice bonuses for older Australians. Before we start, it’s important to note that these are only...
by Kaye Fallick | May 10, 2024 | Superannuation
With the approach of the end of the financial year (EOFY) there’s a lot going on. Many retirees are watching and waiting to learn of any 1 July changes to deeming rates which have been frozen since July 2022. It’s anybody’s guess what will happen next, but higher...
by James Coyle | May 10, 2024 | Planning for Retirement
There was great feedback on our article about peak retirement a few weeks ago. It seems that many Retirement Essentials members are planning on working longer, but not necessarily harder! As a consequence, our advisers have had many consultations helping both singles...
by James Coyle | May 2, 2024 | Retirement Advice
The most outstanding feature of Australia’s retirement income system has to be its complexity. During their working lives most people have managed just one source of income – their salary. If they have investments, this money typically adds to savings. But in...
by Kaye Fallick | May 2, 2024 | Retirement Income
And should you be ‘pushed’ into a retirement income product. Would that be in your best interests? At the heart of most retirement wants lies the desire to have a strong degree of control, in the form of a secure, dependable retirement income. No surprises here....
by James Coyle | May 2, 2024 | Retirement Advice
Currently about 76% of Australian retirees own their own homes. About 13% of these retirees still have a mortgage. These ratios are set to change dramatically over the next 10-15 years, with more than 50% of those currently aged 55-60 carrying mortgages, interest...
by Kaye Fallick | Apr 26, 2024 | Planning for Retirement
More older Australians are staying in work for longer, creating a new ‘peak’ retirement age, according to a new KPMG report. Analysis by KPMG Urban Economist, Terry Rawnsley, suggests that Australian workers are retiring at their oldest age since the 1970s. This...
by Kaye Fallick | Apr 26, 2024 | Centrelink Age Pension
Recent Treasury information revealed that 84% of retirement savings is held in Account-Based (or allocated) pensions. Yet responses to a survey conducted by AMP suggested that 70% of over 50-year-olds do not understand what an Account-Based Pension (ABP) is. How can...