Opinion

For those bored in retirement or simply needing the dollars, starting afresh in a new business venture can be a viable option. It looks exciting and it can be financially rewarding but be warned – the challenges are many.

While retirees understandably fret when markets resemble a roller-coaster ride, their fears are misplaced. A new study shows that over the past three decades markets have performed strongly, the GFC, COVID, economic downturns and geopolitical events notwithstanding.

With the Productivity Commission estimating $3.5 trillion will change hands by 2050, there is a pressing need for all the generations to work together to ensure that this windfall legacy is not squandered.

It was lance corporal Jones of Dad’s Army fame who immortalised those two words, ‘don’t panic’. It’s exactly the right advice for those in retirement who are seeing equity markets see-saw due to geo-political events, profit-taking and rising Japanese interest rates.

It might just prove a double whammy for self-funded retirees. A looming US recession is not only bringing sharemarket bears out of hibernation but could prompt the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates earlier than many analysts expected.

Baby boomers have been the major beneficiaries of rising housing prices over the decades. That does not necessarily mean it’s a good investment decision for them to buy residential property as they near or begin retirement.

Laurence Parisi will build on more than two decades in real estate with listed and unlisted funds to grow funds under management and broaden the product offering.

Investors are cognisant of the capital gain and income property can deliver. But there’s a bonus in the form of a tax deferred component as part of their distributions that some might not realise.

The Federal Government had next year’s federal election firmly in its sights with this budget, and retirees were among the beneficiaries of its fiscal largesse.

In the 2019 federal election, Labor’s proposal to abolish cash refunds for excess franking credits went down like a lead balloon. So, will the $3 million cap proposal see Labor revisit history?

China needs its 1.4 billion citizens to start spending. But its ageing population is reluctant to loosen the purse strings, especially while the social security net remains inadequate.

Forget the bucket list. Far better to find a pursuit, whether it be a sport or hobby, which you can derive pleasure day in, day out.