by James Coyle | Mar 22, 2023 | Planning for Retirement, Retirement Income
How long will you live… … knowing is the best guide to your retirement spending The one piece of advice missing from your birth certificate is the expiry date. Yet this would be the single most helpful number for all retirees. If only we knew this date, we’d be able...
by James Coyle | Mar 22, 2023 | Retirement Spending
There’s a lot of discussion about interest rates – both here and overseas – at the moment. For some retirees higher rates are good news, while for others they can be extremely stressful. The key question is not what is happening in the short term, but how your...
by James Coyle | Mar 22, 2023 | Centrelink Age Pension
Asset test changes: How do they benefit you? There’s nothing hard and fast in the world of retirement income. Particularly when it comes to the Age Pension. As you are no doubt aware, last week saw indexed increases to the base rate of the Age Pension. Hidden in...
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...