Age Pension payments are reviewed twice each year, in March and September, to help maintain their value as the cost-of-living changes. For many older Australians these changes can influence how much pension they receive, particularly for those retirees who rely on a combination of personal savings and government support.
Planning how much to live on in retirement can feel like a balancing act. On one hand, you want to enjoy the fruits of your labour—travel, hobbies, and a comfortable lifestyle. On the other hand, you don’t want to wake up one day at 85 and realise your savings have run dry.
This is one of the most common – and important – questions we receive from clients preparing for retirement. The answer is different for everyone, because retirement is very individual and shaped by your goals, resources, and lifestyle aspirations.
A Seniors Health Care Card, officially known as the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC), is a crucial resource for many retirees in Australia—including those who are self-funded and don’t qualify for the Age Pension. This card opens the door to valuable discounts and better access to health care and everyday living costs.
From 20th September 2025, all Australians receiving the Age Pension will be in receipt of important changes that could affect their income and financial situation.
The first half of 2025 has been a bumpy ride for markets worldwide. For retirees, this period highlights why managed funds can be such a smart choice for your savings. Here’s what happened—and why managed funds can help you stay calm and confident.
Australia is entering a new phase of monetary policy as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has begun cutting interest rates in 2025, with the official cash rate now at 3.85% (May 2025) after two reductions this year.
When planning for the future, superannuation beneficiary nominations help ensure your savings go to the right people. Your superannuation is not part of your Estate, and you must specify separately how you want those funds distributed upon your passing.
We’ve seen a share market downturn in recent months. When the share market takes a tumble, it is natural to feel anxious about your investments and your retirement nest egg.
How to manage any investment property holdings can be a significant financial decision upon retirement. There could be definite advantages in terms of freeing up your capital. At the same time, there are important financial considerations in terms of each individual situation.
When Can You Crack Open Your Super Piggy Bank? Accessing your Superannuation for retirement is a great time of life but can arrive with some financial complexities that require reliable retirement planning assistance.
Navigating retirement finances can be complex. This is where a retirement financial advisor can assist you to avoid potential pitfalls.
Age Pension rates are adjusted twice a year, in March and September, to help retirees keep up with the rising cost of living. These regular increases assist Age Pensioners in maintaining purchasing power and standard of living.
From July 1st, 2024, Australians saw an increase in superannuation contribution caps, offering new opportunities for those planning for retirement to boost their savings. These changes, along with adjustments to the bring-forward rule, provide more flexibility for individuals to grow their superannuation balances.
A Superannuation re-contribution strategy is a simple process that when used effectively can save your Estate beneficiaries many thousands of dollars.
The ‘Magnificent Seven’ stocks, comprising Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta Platforms, Tesla, and Alphabet (parent company of Google), have been the stars of the stock market over the past year. Anyone invested in these stocks have benefitted from these Tech giants collective growth of 80%, significantly outperforming the broader market indices.
There are two main types of pensions you may receive in retirement - a Government Age Pension or an Account Based Pension. In many cases you can receive both! Our Maher Digby retirement planning specialists explain your options in this article.
Binding nominations and reversionary pensions are two ways to ensure your superannuation is passed to your elected beneficiaries in an efficient and timely manner. It also keeps the money within the superannuation environment with the tax benefits of this. Without these legally binding directives, the choice of where your money goes to is at the discretion of the superannuation trustee.
When you are still working, but planning for your retirement, your investment strategy may be quite different than when you actually retire.
The vision of your retirement and the reality of your retirement journey could well be in harmony. Our experience as financial planners though, is that life can throw unplanned twists and turns along the way that may require review and accessing your investments.
At some stage during retirement, you may consider the option to downsize your living circumstances and boost your retirement income via contributing some of the profits into your superannuation. This is certainly a possible retirement strategy option. Read on to learn more from our Sunshine Coast retirement income strategy specialists.
Retirees who are drawing an income on their retirement investment have the opportunity to maintain their capital via dividend payments into their investment, as well as the increased capital value of their holdings.
It’s that time of year when many retirees are in the process of receiving retirement investment franking credit rebates. Franking credits are attractive to self-funded retirees because they allow them to generate additional income from their share portfolios.
In Australia, there has been increasing discussion about the potential of recession because of rising RBA interest rates and the subsequent economic impacts of these, such as reduced consumer spending and company production. There can be implications for retirees and their investment strategy.
Banks are now offering reasonable interest on your savings. It could pay to shop around. You can have a retirement plan for the investment of your retirement nest egg while keeping some accessible cash aside, at reasonable rates, to have on-hand for your personal needs and other lifestyle plans. Find out how bank cash interest rates can benefit retirees, here.
Once retired most people transfer their superannuation to an Account Based Pension and start drawing an income to fund their retirement. Because of market turmoil during COVID, the Australian government allowed pensioners to reduce the minimum annual income they withdrew from their pension by 50%. As of 1st July 2023 however, the minimum pensions are returning to their pre-COVID limits.
The 2023 events of a few overseas banks struggling to meet standards has raised questions about the security of our own Australian banks. Overall, the Australian banking system is strong, and we also have in place the added protection of the bank guarantee.
When you are approaching retirement, it can be wise to start considering your personal retirement plan. A financial advisor can provide a clearer view of best timing according to your personal circumstances as there are various superannuation retirement scenarios for teachers.
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