by James Coyle | Dec 16, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
With seven out of 10 older Australians currently on an Age Pension you would think the rules would be relatively easy to understand. Unfortunately complexity is a feature of our retirement income system – another feature is the frequency of changes to rules and...
by Kaye Fallick | Dec 16, 2022 | Retirement Advice
Easy summer reading list: Time to relax, read and reflect! We don’t know about you, but one of our favourite things at this time of the year is the prospect of days in the sun, reading and reading and reading. We checked with the team and many have long ‘must read’...
by James Coyle | Dec 15, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
And answers for 2022 With over 100,000 members who are at or near retirement, the Retirement Essentials’ Customer Service Team answers a LOT of questions on a weekly basis. Given that nearly 70% of Australians are on a full or part Age Pension, many are concerned with...
by James Coyle | Dec 15, 2022 | Planning for Retirement
Five things you need to know about gifting The Bank of Mum and Dad is an emotive and not entirely accurate term when it comes to family loans. It’s not just adult kids who are the beneficiaries of the largesse of older Australians. It can be friends, nieces or...
by James Coyle | Dec 12, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
Late last week the Albanese Government and state and territory premiers agreed upon an energy price relief package to curtail rocketing electricity and gas prices for Australian consumers. Such price rises are an ongoing sore point for many Australian households....
by James Coyle | Dec 9, 2022 | Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
Easy concession applications Here’s a quick and easy way to lift your income in 2023 if you are a self-funded retiree. On November 4, the thresholds for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card increased substantially. The Federal Government’s predictions were that...
by James Coyle | Dec 9, 2022 | Retirement Income
These three wise men seem to say so … There are many ways to make money. And just as many to lose it. Today’s subject is about a way to make and earn significant sums, sometimes without realising how quickly this can happen. We’re talking about compound...
by James Coyle | Dec 9, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
What you need to know Are you one of the three-quarters of senior Australians who receives a full or part Age Pension payment? If so, it will help to know Centrelink availability, payment and reporting dates over the coming Christmas and New Year holiday period. ...
by James Coyle | Dec 2, 2022 | Retirement Income
Income boosts from home equity The family home remains the single greatest source of wealth for most retirees – that fortunate 80% who live in their own dwelling. Superannuation is a more easily accessible form of wealth, but the money locked up in our homes can be...
by James Coyle | Dec 2, 2022 | Retirement Income
Retirement Pulse reports most think they are worse off financially than 12 months ago The Retirement Essentials’ November 2022 Retirement Pulse posed the question: Do you agree or disagree with this statement: ‘I feel better off financially that I did 12 months ago’ ...
