by James Coyle | Apr 11, 2022 | Planning for Retirement
Is using a TTR the best of both worlds? The days of an abrupt end to full time work, suddenly facing seven days a week of leisure are becoming a thing of the past for many older Australians. Yes, there are unforeseen life events like sickness or retrenchment which can...
by James Coyle | Apr 11, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
Will this happen? In an announcement that would help 500,000 older Australians retire earlier, the Greens want to move the Age Pension eligibility age back down to 65. And increase the benefits by 25%. The announcement was made by Greens Welfare spokesperson Janet...
by James Coyle | Apr 4, 2022 | Retirement Advice
Need a retirement top-up? In today’s Jargonbuster we look at the different types of home equity access. This is a complex topic as there are many different types of home equity available for retirees – and each type varies in features, upsides, downsides and the...
by James Coyle | Apr 4, 2022 | Superannuation
The detail you need to know Last week’s Federal Budget included a significant change to the rules regarding decumulation. In particular, how much money you are allowed to draw down from your super account post July 1, 2022. These changes have raised a lot of questions...
by James Coyle | Apr 4, 2022 | Retirement Income
Are prices higher for retires? It’s logical to follow the quarterly and annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) changes to try to keep track of the price of household goods and services. If you did this you would believe that most Australians are subject to about the same...
by James Coyle | Mar 30, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
Budget March 2022 for older Australians Click here for information about the October 2022 budget delivered by Jim Chalmers After weeks of leaks and speculation, the Treasurer presented the Federal Budget 2022-23 in parliament last night. There are wins and losses for...
by James Coyle | Mar 25, 2022 | Planning for Retirement
The recent significant changes to Age Pension rules and rates have firmly renewed the focus on retirement income affordability. But in the push to fully understand every aspect of retirement incomings, we run the risk of missing the other half of the equation – and...
by James Coyle | Mar 25, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
The 20 March Age Pension increases have unleashed a huge number of comments from Retirement Essentials members. You have let us know, in no uncertain terms, how difficult it is to survive on the current rate of the pension, or when you are squeezed out of eligibility...
by James Coyle | Mar 18, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
Last Sunday, March 20, the highest Age Pension increase for nine years was enacted. The majority of the 3.9 million older Australians in retirement live on a full or part Age Pension. So this is a significant, across the board, income boost. But it is more than just...
by James Coyle | Mar 18, 2022 | Centrelink Age Pension
As you are no doubt aware, qualification for the Age Pension is dependent upon meeting both the income and assets tests, and whichever test delivers the worse outcome – the lowest amount of pension – is the one upon which your Age Pension entitlement will...
