Do you have a mortgage?

Do you have a mortgage?

With record low interest rates many retirees may have felt very comfortable carrying a mortgage into retirement. The monthly repayments are as low as they’ve been for decades and it means that keeping a higher amount in super or cash deposits ensures ready access for...
Retirement Age

Retirement Age

Defining retirement age may seem like a no brainer, but it’s actually a tricky definition. Put simply, there is no such thing as retirement age. Technically you can retire at any age you like, should your circumstances permit. But if you wish to apply for an Age...
Five ways to maximise your entitlements

Five ways to maximise your entitlements

One of the simplest ways of increasing retirement income can also be one of the most difficult. This is because the strategies – maximising entitlements – come with so many complex rules that many retirees are currently underpaid in retirement. And this does not just...
Centrelink welfare crackdown

Centrelink welfare crackdown

Centrelink is pursuing overpayments again As we reported in December 2021, Services Australia granted welfare recipients, including Age Pensioners, a debt reprieve until January 2022. The Minister, Linda Reynolds, stated at the time that debt recovery programs would...
What are personal assets?

What are personal assets?

It’s easy to become confused when trying to understand how your assets might affect your retirement income. Are they personal assets? Assessable assets? Or deemable assets? There are many ways of defining assets, and there can be a lot at stake if you misunderstand or...
Can advice help?

Can advice help?

Recent ASIC research shows that only one quarter of Australians have received financial advice in the past, but 41% intend to seek it in the future. One factor was cost, with 35% believing such advice was too expensive, whilst another impediment was a lack of trust,...
Retirement Income Changes

Retirement Income Changes

On February 10 the much-delayed Enhancing Superannuation Outcomes Bill was passed by the Federal Parliament and will come into effect on the 1st July 2022. There are two important features of this legislation that you need to know. Firstly, all your wage or salary...
Concession Cards

Concession Cards

Concession Cards are the icing on the cake when it comes to retirement income. The rate of a full Age Pension has been measured as subsistence level, not much more, according to the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS). Many part Age Pensioners also find that...
Are men are from Mars and women from Venus?

Are men are from Mars and women from Venus?

When it comes to money! Valentines Day has now widened from a celebration of ‘coupledom’ to a chance to acknowledge all kinds of love – for family, friends, even pets. This means it’s now a day for everyone, not just those ‘in a relationship’. It did get us thinking,...