Renovating your income in retirement

Renovating your income in retirement

Improving your income in retirement is a bit like renovating a home.  You may have  a home already but it’s not everything you want it to be.  So you start work to build something better.  Just like with a renovation there will be a number of steps to go through...
Combining your investments with the Age Pension

Annual Message from the Chair

Thanks for your interest in Retirement Essentials. It’s been a challenging year, hasn’t it? With Covid 19 lingering and varying and forcing us into short or prolonged lockdowns.  I’m sure it’s brought its difficulties for you, just as it has for me here in...
Spend your money before you die

Spend your money before you die

The Morrison Government has recently urged retirees to spend more of their retirement savings, particularly any super they might have. Why do they want retirees to spend their super? The Government’s recent Retirement Income Review highlighted that many retirees...
Deeming thresholds have increased

Deeming thresholds have increased

What are deeming rates? The way they work is that Centrelink determines that your financial assets are deemed to earn a certain rate of return, regardless of what they actually earn. This return is used to assess your eligibility for entitlements such as the Age...
Spend your money before you die

Age Pension thresholds July 2021

Centrelink have announced changes to Age Pension income and asset thresholds.  This could mean more Australians will now qualify for at least a part pension and those already on a part pension could receive more. A couple of weeks ago we wrote about what a difference...
What a difference a dollar makes

What a difference a dollar makes

We hear of many people that don’t apply for the age pension because they don’t think it is worth it. “I’ll probably only get a few dollars so it’s not worth the effort” is a common refrain. What many people don’t consider are all the fantastic benefits you receive...