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5 January 2025
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As the life expectancy of most Australians continues to rise, many indigenous people are lagging behind. A recent court case on early access to pensions highlights the need to create conditions for equal lifespans for all.
It’s great to see the age pension increase recently, but there are now additional challenges and opportunities. One is a change in aged care costs, and another is what the pension rise means for your own situation.
Superannuation is substantially improving retirement incomes for nearly two million retired Australians by providing regular income streams. It's also easing the burden on the government to fund retirements.
Australia's age pension eligibility is increasing to 67 years and it was once going to 70. The French have taken to the streets violently to object to an increase from 62 to 64. A survey on the different reactions.
Since the introduction of compulsory super, the industry has pushed its members to put as much as possible into super. It has been a disservice to anyone entering retirement who could have owned a home instead.
Additional investment in the family home to maximise the age pension becomes a straitjacket. To voluntarily plan this outcome comes at a high price in terms of reduced income and loss of discretion over your own affairs.
Recent media articles mocked a couple with $1 million in assets who asked whether they would qualify for the Age Pension. The ridicule hid an important debate about whether the Age Pension system is still fit for purpose.
The system has incentives that run counter to policy objectives, especially for the age pension taper rate, family home and access to super before it's assessed for the age pension. Here's how to fix these problems.
The festive season is often the time that families notice Mum or Dad or both might need some extra care. Here are tips to navigate difficult conversations around aged care and how to best prepare for the transition.
New research reveals the uncertain outlook for retirement, with most people admitting they will hold insufficient assets to self-fund their needs, and nearly one-third expect to carry debt into retirement.
A retired couple with up to $419,000 in assets plus a family home can receive a full age pension of $40,000 a year (worth maybe $1 million) plus many other benefits. With home equity access, money should not run out.
Whether you are an investor or borrower you will know that rates are rising. The aged care interest rate recently jumped by close to 1%. Take a deep dive into the impacts on residents of aged care homes.
Last year, I wrote an article suggesting returns from ASX stocks would trample those from housing over the next decade. One year later, this is an update on how that forecast is going and what's changed since.
The Future Fund's original purpose was to meet the unfunded liabilities of Commonwealth defined benefit schemes. These liabilities have ballooned to an estimated $290 billion and taxpayers continue to be treated like fools.
ASFA provides a key guide for how much you will need to live on in retirement. Unfortunately it has many deficiencies, and the averages don't tell the full story of the growing gender superannuation gap.
Unlike family trusts, testamentary trusts are activated posthumously, empowering you to exert post-death control over your assets. Learn how testamentary trusts offer unique benefits and protective measures.
Key lessons include expensive stocks can always get more expensive, Bitcoin is our tulip mania, follow the smart money, the young are coming with pitchforks on housing, and the importance of staying invested.
While the performance of the largest super funds has been admirable, they’ve become so big that it will make it difficult for them to outperform their benchmarks in future. It will be important for you to pick your fund wisely.