On numerous occasions, I have written about the requirements for a person entering residential aged care to complete a Permanent Residential Aged Care – Request for a Combined Assets and Income Assessment (SA457) form. Sounds a little frightening, and it can be. It is 28 pages long with over 140...
When should I really start planning for my retirement?
For anyone who knows me, I have a standard answer for questions like this. And that answer is ‘it depends’. Whether it is planning for retirement, buying a new home, deciding what school to send the kids to, what job to take, or where to go for holidays, there are...
Age Pension – not set and forget?
Applying for an age pension is not easy. There is a comprehensive and complicated application form with an extensive number of questions to be answered and depending on your circumstances, innumerable documents that need to be photocopied and lodged as well. If an application is successful and the age pension...
Has superannuation failed us?
For many older Australians, superannuation is a relatively new concept, having only been available to the masses since the mid-1980’s. Although ‘award based’ superannuation first appeared in 1985, the more formal compulsory superannuation guarantee system was introduced in 1992. Before becoming compulsory, employer sponsored superannuation was pretty much optional. Certainly,...
Retirement is not that simple!
During my working life, I have always looked forward to the stress-free and simple life I would be able to lead once I retired, but as I draw closer to the magic day, I am not sure how stress-free and simple retirement will be. For most of us, by the...