Retirement Planning

Here are a few ways to maximise your retirement no matter if you’re in retirement or 5 – 50 years away from it!

Here we look at how you can maximise your income in retirement, whether you’re:

  • a long way off retirement
  • close to retirement
  • already retired

Retirement still more than 10 years away

Retirement can seem irrelevant when you’re in your 30s or 40s. There are so many other things you can do with your money – go overseas, buy a house, raise a family, or just have fun.

However, according to research by the Investment and Financial Services Association (IFSA)1, the Age Pension won’t be nearly enough to fund the lifestyle we’d like when we’re no longer working. So the best thing to do is to start saving now.

Common questions to consider

  • How much do I need to retire on?
  • What is the best way of funding my retirement?
  • Is my superannuation enough to fund my retirement?
  • What is salary sacrifice?
  • How much should I be contributing now for a comfortable retirement
  • Why are women recommended to make higher extra super contributions than men?
  • My super is sitting in a few different funds. Is it worth moving it?

How we can help
We can:

  • Conduct a complete review of your financial situation
  • Recommend strategies to meet your retirement lifestyle goals.
  • Work with you to develop a new budget and investment plan to achieve your short-term and long term goals
  • Review and recommend wealth protection plans
  • Help you create or update your will

Retiring within the next 5 – 10 years

The combined effect of earlier retirement and living longer means that many Australians will spend more than a quarter of their life in retirement. While this sounds like good news, it does emphasise the importance of planning carefully – and well in advance – for your retirement.

Common questions to consider
Some questions you may wish to consider include:

  • How much do I need to retire on?
  • When can I access my super?
  • What are my options when I retire?
  • Will I pay tax on my super if I take a lump sum?
  • Am I eligible for the Age Pension?
  • How does the Income and asset tests affect eligibility for the Age Pension?
  • What are the different types of income streams?

How we can help
We can:

  • Establish how much you need and work out when you can retire based on your plans.
  • Establish a plan to accumulate enough retirement savings within your timeframe.
  • Review and recommend retirement income products so you can manage your money in retirement
  • Make sure you can maximise any entitlements to social security benefits.
  • Make sure you are not under insured.
  • Help you create or update your will

Already retired

Have you reached your retirement age yet you feel you’re not yet ready to give up work altogether? If you’re eligible for the Age Pension, the government offers incentives for working people to defer claiming it.

On the other hand, if you’ve independently funded your retirement, you may benefit from keeping track of, or restructuring, your finances so you can maximise any government entitlement.

Common questions to consider
Some questions you may wish to consider include:

  • I’ve already retired. Isn’t it just about living off what I’ve got now?
  • I have been retired for two years. Is it too late to change my financial arrangements?
  • What is the Pension Bonus Scheme?
  • What are the eligibility requirements for the Pension Bonus Scheme?
  • How much is the Pension Bonus Scheme and when is it paid?
  • Apart from social security benefits, are we eligible for anything else now we’ve retired?
  • Now we’ve retired should we move house?

How we can help
We can:

  • Monitor your investments and retirement income.
  • Provide regular updates about social security changes that might affect you.

Disclaimer:

This website contains information that is general in nature. It does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. You need to consider your financial situation and needs before making any decisions based on this information.

Interested in learning how to retire sooner?