Retirement & Wealth Insights
Practical, up-to-date guidance on superannuation, retirement planning, the Age Pension, investing and insurance for Australians.
TPD Claim Process in Australia: Steps, Timing and Appeals
TPD Claim Process in Australia: Steps, Timing and Appeals ! Preparing TPD claim papers for posting A TPD claim starts with a call to your super fund or insurer, not with a form.
Advance care directives in Victoria: how to make one
Advance care directives in Victoria: how to make one ! Woman writing an advance care directive at home An advance care directive is the legal document in which you record your future medical treatment preferences in Victoria, so they can be followed if you ever lose the ability to speak for yourself.
How to Consolidate Your Super Funds in Australia
How to Consolidate Your Super Funds in Australia ! Woman comparing several super fund statements You can consolidate your super by rolling your accounts into one fund, most easily through ATO online services in myGov.
Is Income Protection Tax Deductible in Australia?
Is Income Protection Tax Deductible in Australia? !
Retirement Cash Flow in Australia: Keep 1 to 2 Years in Cash
Retirement Cash Flow in Australia: Keep 1 to 2 Years in Cash ! Retiree checking a planned cash reserve Lock in steady income for your essential costs, then hold a cash buffer, typically one to two years of essential spending, so you never sell investments in a downturn.
Income Protection Benefit Period: 5 Options, Australian Super Costs
Income Protection Benefit Period: 5 Options, Australian Super Costs ! Client comparing income protection cover options Most Australian income protection policies offer benefit periods commonly ranging from a few years up to a specified age such as 65, and these are the terms most commonly listed in product disclosure statements.
Australian Income Protection Waiting Periods: Check Super Near Retirement
Australian Income Protection Waiting Periods: Check Super Near Retirement ! Pre-retiree reviewing income protection policy schedule The waiting period is the stretch of time you must be unable to work due to illness or injury before your income protection benefits begin, and no payments are made during it.
What Advisers Check: Home Equity Access Scheme for Older Australians
What Advisers Check: Home Equity Access Scheme for Older Australians ! Older couple discussing home equity with adviser The Home Equity Access Scheme lets eligible older Australians convert part of their home equity into a voluntary, non‑taxable government loan, paid fortnightly, as a lump sum or both.
Australians: Practitioner led aged care financial advice on 2026–26 changes
Australians: Practitioner led aged care financial advice on 2026–26 changes ! Family discussing aged care accommodation payments Aged care financial advice helps you map likely accommodation and ongoing care costs, complete a means assessment, and build an Age Pension-safe plan before you sign anything with a provider.
Avoid Age Pension surprises: Lifetime annuities for Australians 50+
Avoid Age Pension surprises: Lifetime annuities for Australians 50+ ! Couple discussing retirement income with adviser A lifetime annuity converts a lump sum into guaranteed income for as long as you live, trading access to your capital for certainty.
Australia: Don't Assume 75% on Income Protection in Super, Regulators
Australia: Don't Assume 75% on Income Protection in Super, Regulators ! Hands reviewing income protection documents Income protection in super is group salary continuance cover owned by your superannuation fund, not by you.
Australians: Set a Planner Tested Safe Withdrawal Rate from 3–4%
Australians: Set a Planner Tested Safe Withdrawal Rate from 3–4% ! Couple reviewing retirement withdrawal calculations A defensible starting point for most retirees is somewhere between 3% and 4% of your initial portfolio balance, adjusted for inflation each year after that.
3–5 Year Exit Plan for Australian Business Owners to Secure Retirement
3–5 Year Exit Plan for Australian Business Owners to Secure Retirement ! Business owner reviewing post-exit income plan Business exit planning turns years of hard work into a number you can actually bank, and it only works if you start early enough to change that number.
Australia: Stop Sideways Inheritance in Blended Family Estate Planning
Australia: Stop Sideways Inheritance in Blended Family Estate Planning ! Blended family discussing estate planning together The strongest approach for most Australian blended families is a will that creates a testamentary discretionary trust, paired with binding death benefit nominations that actually match the will's intent, and a property title reviewed for how it's held.
Australian Retirement Bucket Strategy: Size Using the Age Pension
Australian Retirement Bucket Strategy: Size Using the Age Pension ! Couple reviewing retirement income plan A retirement bucket strategy splits your savings into separate time-based pools—short-term cash, medium-term conservative assets, and long-term growth investments—so you can fund daily expenses without selling shares in a downturn.
Avoid ATO Tax Traps: Key Person Insurance for Australian SMEs
Avoid ATO Tax Traps: Key Person Insurance for Australian SMEs ! Operations director overseeing a specialist SME workshop Key person insurance is a policy your business owns and pays for, covering a named employee or owner whose death, permanent disability or serious illness would hit the company financially.
85% Rule: How Australians Split Super Contributions Without Rejections
85% Rule: How Australians Split Super Contributions Without Rejections ! Super contribution splitting documents arranged for review Yes, you can split certain super contributions with your spouse.
Australians: Avoid Costly Timing Mistakes with Super and the Age Pension
Australians: Avoid Costly Timing Mistakes with Super and the Age Pension ! Couple reviewing retirement income options Yes, superannuation affects your Age Pension, but the rules shift once you reach Age Pension age (currently 67).
Avoid Trustee and Tax Pitfalls with Testamentary Trusts in Australia
Avoid Trustee and Tax Pitfalls with Testamentary Trusts in Australia ! Executor organising testamentary trust estate materials A testamentary trust is a trust created inside your Will that only springs into existence when you die.
From 10 August 2026: SMSF Property Investment for Australian Business Owners
From 10 August 2026: SMSF Property Investment for Australian Business Owners ! Australian commercial property in evening light Yes, an SMSF can still hold property.
Avoid the CGT Trap: Buy Sell Insurance for Australian Business Owners
Avoid the CGT Trap: Buy Sell Insurance for Australian Business Owners ! Business owners planning insurance-funded share transfer Buy-sell insurance provides the cash a business needs to buy out a departing owner's share when death, terminal illness, or total and permanent disability forces an exit.
Get Up to $500 From the Super Co Contribution in 2026–27 for Australians
Get Up to $500 From the Super Co Contribution in 2026–27 for Australians ! Pre-retiree checking super contribution figures If you earn under $49,293 in 2026–27 and add $1,000 of your own after-tax money into super, the government matches it with up to $500 through the super co-contribution scheme.
Australians: Could You Need $705,000–$920,000 of Life Insurance?
Australians: Could You Need $705,000–$920,000 of Life Insurance? !
Lock Your Super: Binding Death Benefit Nomation Checklist for Australians
Lock Your Super: Binding Death Benefit Nomation Checklist for Australians ! Witness signing a super nomination form A valid binding death benefit nomination tells your super fund trustee exactly who receives your death benefit and in what proportions, but the trustee has no choice but to follow it.
$218 Free Area From July 2026, Model Both Tests to Protect Age Pension
$218 Free Area From July 2026, Model Both Tests to Protect Age Pension ! Retiree calculating Age Pension income The Age Pension income test reduces your payment once fortnightly income rises above the free threshold, and Centrelink runs both an income test and an assets test, then pays you whichever result gives the lower payment reduction.
Australians: keep, top up or move life cover from super
Australians: keep, top up or move life cover from super ! Insurance folders and house keys on console Yes, holding life insurance in super works fine as a default for most working Australians, but it's rarely enough on its own once you have a mortgage, kids or a serious income to protect.
Australian Trustees: Avoid TBAR Mistakes When Winding Up an SMSF
Australian Trustees: Avoid TBAR Mistakes When Winding Up an SMSF ! Auditor reviewing final SMSF wind-up records Winding up an SMSF is permanent.
Avoid Super Tax After 60 in Australia: ATO Rules, Caps and Checklist
Avoid Super Tax After 60 in Australia: ATO Rules, Caps and Checklist ! Older woman reviewing superannuation statement Most withdrawals from taxed super funds are tax free once you turn 60, whether you take a lump sum or an income stream.
SMSF Pension Setup: Australia 2026 Checklist for TBAR, $2M Cap
SMSF Pension Setup: Australia 2026 Checklist for TBAR, $2M Cap ! Trustee reviewing SMSF asset valuation Yes, you can start an SMSF account-based pension right now if you meet a condition of release and your fund's trust deed permits it.
$270,000 ETP cap: 2026 tax rates and retirement impact for Australians
$270,000 ETP cap: 2026 tax rates and retirement impact for Australians ! Reviewing termination payment retirement tax If you're receiving an employment termination payment in the 2026–27 financial year, the taxable component is taxed concessionally at 17% if you're at or above preservation age, or 32% if you're below it, up to whichever cap applies to your payment.
Act by 30 June: Australia's Superannuation Tax Rates, $3M Threshold
Act by 30 June: Australia's Superannuation Tax Rates, $3M Threshold ! Couple reviewing superannuation tax advice Most concessional super contributions and standard fund earnings are taxed at 15%.
1–3 Year Cash Buffer: How Australians Can Manage Sequence of Returns Risk
1–3 Year Cash Buffer: How Australians Can Manage Sequence of Returns Risk ! Retired couple reviewing a withdrawal plan Sequence of returns risk is the danger that poor investment returns in the early years of retirement, combined with regular withdrawals, permanently shrink a portfolio's capacity to recover.
2026–27 Bring Forward Rule: ATO Thresholds and Adviser Checklist
2026–27 Bring Forward Rule: ATO Thresholds and Adviser Checklist ! Senior arranging Australian banknotes on wood table The bring-forward rule lets you make up to three years' worth of non-concessional super contributions in a single year, capped at the annual limit multiplied by three for 2026–27, instead of sticking to the standard annual limit.
Retirees' Estate Planning: Check Beneficiaries, Enduring POA, Pension
Retirees' Estate Planning: Check Beneficiaries, Enduring POA, Pension ! Retiree arranging blank estate planning documents Make or review three documents now: a valid will, an enduring power of attorney and an advance healthcare directive (an enduring guardianship appointment).
Pensioner Concession Card eligibility: who qualifies and how
Pensioner Concession Card eligibility: who qualifies and how ! Senior holding Pensioner Concession Card at table Pensioner Concession Card eligibility comes down to one thing: whether you receive a qualifying Centrelink or Department of Veterans' Affairs payment.
Retirement income strategies that turn savings into a paycheck
Retirement income strategies that turn savings into a paycheck ! Hands counting retirement coins and cash Secure your essential expenses with a guaranteed income floor first, then fund the rest with a rules-based withdrawal plan that flexes with markets.
Level vs stepped premiums: which one actually saves you money?
Level vs stepped premiums: which one actually saves you money? !
Capital gains tax on shares: what you owe and when
Capital gains tax on shares: what you owe and when ! Hands calculating capital gains on shares at table Yes, capital gains tax on shares usually applies the moment you dispose of shares bought on or after 20 September 1985, whether through a sale, a takeover, or a buy-back.
Age Pension eligibility: age, residency and the income and assets tests
Age Pension eligibility: age, residency and the income and assets tests ! Senior organizing pension paperwork at home You qualify for the Age Pension if you're 67 or older, meet Australia's residence rules, and pass either the income test or the assets test, whichever pays you less.
What financial adviser fees actually cost in Australia
What financial adviser fees actually cost in Australia ! Hands calculating financial adviser fees The median cost of ongoing financial advice in Australia sits at about $3,960 a year, though most retirees pay somewhere between $2,500 and $6,000 depending on how complex their situation is.
Downsizer contribution rules: eligibility, caps and timing
Downsizer contribution rules: eligibility, caps and timing ! Mature Australian counting money at home table If you're 55 or older and selling your home, you can contribute a sizeable amount of the proceeds into your superannuation as a downsizer contribution, provided you've owned the property for at least 10 years.
Carry forward contributions: how to boost your super cap
Carry forward contributions: how to boost your super cap ! Mature couple arranging super paperwork Yes, you can use carry forward contributions this year if your total super balance sat below $500,000 at 30 June last financial year and you've got unused concessional cap space from any of the previous five years.
The concessional contributions cap: your 2026 numbers and next steps
The concessional contributions cap: your 2026 numbers and next steps ! Hands holding superannuation statement at desk From 1 July 2026, the general concessional contributions cap is $32,500 a year, up from $30,000.
A retirement planning checklist for people approaching retirement
A retirement planning checklist for people approaching retirement ! Hands unfolding a retirement planning checklist A practical retirement plan comes down to five things: knowing your numbers, sorting your superannuation, locking down your legal documents, testing your budget and deciding where you'll live.
TPD insurance in super: how it works and how to claim
TPD insurance in super: how it works and how to claim ! Hands sorting medical and ID documents on desk TPD insurance in super pays a lump sum if you become permanently unable to work because of illness or injury and you meet your fund's definition of total and permanent disablement.
Personal deductible contributions: your complete claim guide
Personal deductible contributions: your complete claim guide ! Hands holding super contribution deduction form Personal deductible contributions are voluntary, after-tax payments into your super fund that you then claim as a tax deduction.
Division 293 tax for high-income Australians
Division 293 tax for high-income Australians ! Hands calculating Australian superannuation tax Division 293 tax is an additional 15% tax on concessional super contributions when your Division 293 income plus those contributions exceed $250,000 in a financial year.
Transition to retirement: your practical guide for Australians aged 60+
Transition to retirement: your practical guide for Australians aged 60+ ! Senior woman sorting retirement documents by hand If you're aged 60 or in your early 60s and still working, a transition to retirement (TTR) strategy will often let you reduce your hours without a matching drop in income, or keep working full-time while salary sacrificing more into super.
Salary sacrifice super: your 2026–27 practical guide
Salary sacrifice super: your 2026–27 practical guide ! Hands signing salary sacrifice agreement To move forward: use the Amberwealth superannuation calculator to model your tax saving, check your current super guarantee (SG) contributions and total concessional contributions year-to-date, then speak with your payroll or HR team about setting up a written arrangement.
Five Areas Worth Reviewing Before You Retire
Retirement planning is about knowing whether your money, investments, debt and risk strategy are aligned with the life you want. Here are five areas worth reviewing before you retire.