Retirement

When retirement looms, many look for a milder climate. In the US it’s Florida, and in Australia, it’s the Gold Coast. And the latter might just have more to offer.

Ending your working life and starting retirement can be stressful. To help you adjust to a completely new way of life, The Golden Times suggests these titles are well worth a read.

While recent studies estimate the total savings needed for retirement at about $1 million, specialists caution against a one-size-fits-all approach, and many Australians could be “comfortable” on less.

Approximately a third of SMSF holders under advice will be hurt by the new cap on discounted superannuation balances, the researcher says. A bump in the TBC cap will help some, but add to complexity for advisers.

Younger Australians expect to retire earlier, and earn more in retirement, than older generations even as they redefine the traditional path to retirement by taking more career breaks, new Vanguard research shows – and these ambitious expectations may not be “aligning to reality”.

A key consideration for SMSF members is how their retirement will impact their fund’s investment strategy. To navigate these tricky waters, members must plan around long-term needs, and input from experts can help prevent costly mistakes, according to Accurium principal Melanie Dunn.

Higher rates and the cost of living, on top of global events, have contributed to increased Fear Of Running Out across the country. Yet the level of concern may be relatively unfounded, AMP reports.

By holding ground in areas such as quality of life, material well-being, finances and health while other countries fell back, Australia moved up two spots to 5th on the latest Natixis Global Retirement Index.

There are a range of factors that will determine the fees a member will pay. The difference could have a dramatic effect on the final balance of a retiree’s nest egg.

The country’s largest super fund, Australian Super, has announced a new fee structure aimed at reducing member costs by $300 million this year, following what has been a busy year for consolidation in the industry.

The central bank expects house price growth to ease this year and house prices are already falling in Sydney and Melbourne; economists expect that price weakness will spread to other cities, which may limit the number of official interest rate rises this year that are needed to tame inflation. According to the Reserve Bank of…

A bounce in share markets in March supported superannuation fund performance in the first quarter of 2022. However, with inflation concerns mounting, global share markets remain volatile, including the hard US share market, which is likely to dent superannuation returns for the current financial year.  Superannuation research house SuperRatings found the median balanced option rose…