by James Coyle | Sep 13, 2021 | Centrelink Age Pension
Age Pensioners will enjoy the biggest increase to pension rates in 7 years. Nearly 2.6 million Australians are on the age pension so this 1.4% to rates increase will be very welcome. Last September there was no increase at all for the first time in 24 years so this...
by James Coyle | Aug 31, 2021 | Planning for Retirement
We recently asked you to tell us more about the sort of help and advice you would like to receive. Well this is what you told us. How much will I need? Nearly 39% of people ranked “How much will I need” highest among the financial issues on their mind. People were...
by Jeremy Duffield | Aug 31, 2021 | Retirement Income
We had a big response to our last article on how your investments interact with the Age Pension. That discussed how they can combine to deliver your retirement income. Our readers have identified investing in super and other investments as one of the areas where...
by Jeremy Duffield | Aug 20, 2021 | Centrelink Age Pension
Last week we talked about the role of the Age Pension as the foundation of most Australians’ retirement plans – even for those who are not eligible when they first retire. But most people would like a higher income in retirement than the Age Pension...
by James Coyle | Aug 16, 2021 | Planning for 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...
by Jeremy Duffield | Aug 9, 2021 | Centrelink Age Pension
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...
by James Coyle | Jul 23, 2021 | Retirement Spending
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...
by James Coyle | Jul 16, 2021 | Planning for Retirement
By Dr Deborah Ralston* The 2020 Retirement Income Review examined the three pillars of the Australian retirement system – the age pension, compulsory superannuation and voluntary savings – and concluded that: The home is the most important component of voluntary...
by James Coyle | Jul 12, 2021 | Planning for Retirement
The recent Retirement Income Review* examined all aspects of Australia’s retirement system and concluded that it provides well for the needs of the vast majority older Australians, but it is complex and not well understood. In particular, there is a real lack of...
by James Coyle | Jul 5, 2021 | Centrelink Age Pension
When it comes to applying for the Age Pension many of our members have asked us questions like: “Do I apply as a single or as a couple?”, “What if my partner is younger than me, do I have to wait?”, “Why does Centrelink ask such personal questions about my...
