by James Coyle | Mar 15, 2023 | Superannuation
No one wants to be a mortgage slave, particularly when you hit retirement. So what options do you have? When you reach Preservation Age a myriad of choices opens up. You can now access your super savings (subject to the rules, of course) without penalty. For...
by James Coyle | Mar 15, 2023 | Planning for Retirement
A popular question often posed of celebrities is what they would share as ‘advice to their younger selves’. The answers can make fascinating reading, with a strong thread of ‘never give up’ ‘believe in yourself’ and ‘honour your dreams’ usually featuring. Today...
by James Coyle | Mar 15, 2023 | Centrelink Age Pension
Age Pension changes: Are you now eligible? Last week we reported on the new rates of payment for Age Pension recipients. This week we can confirm that these rates came into effect on 20 March and that all Retirement Essentials calculators, including the Age Pension...
by James Coyle | Mar 13, 2023 | Superannuation
Super tax concessions are changing But are they fair? As we reported last week, there will be a change to how super is taxed for with balances of more than $3 million. The proposed legislation will be scheduled to commence on 1 July 2025. There has been a lot of...
by James Coyle | Mar 9, 2023 | Centrelink Age Pension, Superannuation
Super is a hot topic right now, with everyone seemingly having an opinion on what is the ideal amount to live on in retirement – and how to encourage this in an equitable way. While most of us are unable to influence the financial policy makers, our best tactic is to...
by James Coyle | Mar 8, 2023 | Centrelink Age Pension
Last week the expected increases to the Age Pension were published by Services Australia, the government department responsible for indexation of the Age Pension every March and September. The current rates and rules are summarised for you You may recall last...
by James Coyle | Mar 6, 2023 | Superannuation
Whose super is it? And what’s just changed? Last week, after much heated debate, the Albanese Government announced a change to the way super will be taxed. Even more heated debate followed. And most of it seemed to be focussed on ‘whose super is it’ and ‘is the...
by James Coyle | Mar 6, 2023 | Centrelink Age Pension
Income test made easy: How Centrelink assesses your earnings How much can you earn and still qualify for an Age Pension? Most pre-retirees and retirees would quite reasonably expect this question to be answerable in one sentence, or maybe two, to allow for single and...
by James Coyle | Mar 6, 2023 | Centrelink Age Pension
How pensions will change in March Last year the jump in the October Consumer Price Index (CPI) surprised many. The overall year-on-year (YOY) increase of 6.9% was lower than expected, and lower than the September YOY increase of 7.3%. The main movements were in the...
by James Coyle | Mar 3, 2023 | Planning for Retirement, Retirement Spending
What’s your uppermost retirement fear? We’re often surprised by many of the responses to our Retirement Pulse surveys. In particular, in the February survey, with respondents who have yet to retire who have such strong concerns about their money lasting as long as...
