Retirement TMFS icon

We help our clients plan for retirement, whether it’s now or years away


I would like you and your staff to know how satisfied and appreciative Ruth and I are of your efforts in guiding us through the financial maze over the last 8 years. Your advice in preparing us for retirement has made the financial side of this next step in our lives a lot easier and smoother than I thought possible.
You also need to be aware how grateful we both are for the pleasant and helpful attitude of your staff. Many thanks.
Rob and Ruth

When will I be able to retire?

Everyone is different and we can work with you to explain the retirement lifestyle that you can enjoy and provide realistic expectations about how long your funds will last. There is a limited opportunity before retirement to review and restructure your financial affairs.

Maximise your retirement strategy

Transition to retirement strategies offer unique opportunities to restructure your income to reduce tax and increase retirement savings.

We can show you the exact amounts that you need to salary sacrifice, when to commence an allocated pension and how much you should be drawing in order to optimise your pre-retirement income.

These strategies build wealth without taking on any increase in investment risk.

Thinking ahead – tax and Centrelink effective strategies

Superannuation can provide tax free income from age 60 plus no capital gains tax. Careful thought needs to be taken as to how best to utilise the superannuation environment and when and how to move funds across.

We are able to analyse potential Centrelink-friendly strategies that should be adopted in advance.

Flexible solutions – including Self Managed Superannuation Funds

We are able to offer our clients exposure to over 350 managed funds as well as listed securities.

We can provide advice on retail (AMP, MLC, Colonial, BT, etc), industry funds (REST, HESTA, etc) and Wrap accounts, and we specialise in providing advice on Self Managed Superannuation Funds.

Our priority is on your needs and objectives.

Sensible investments that provide comfort

Approaching retirement is a logical time to reassess your attitude to risk but remember the life expectancy of an average 65 year old Australian is 85 years, therefore you don’t want your investments to retire when you do.

We provide sensible and diversified investment portfolios tailored to your needs.

For clients wanting minimal administration and the diversification and professional expertise of fund managers, we are able to access quality research to select high quality fund managers. We also put in place a structure so that we can act quickly and decisively to make changes when required.

For other clients that place high priority on transparency and control we would look to utilise direct investments. This includes Australian shares, hybrid securities and term deposits when appropriate.

Open communication

People are living longer and there will likely be changes to your circumstances before and during your retirement.

We pride ourselves on being accessible to our clients and having an open communication channel. By this, we mean clients are encouraged to contact us with any questions or concerns and we will respond in plain English to ensure you are comfortable and confident in your retirement plans.

Estate planning

Estate planning is a specialist area and we are able to work with other experts to ensure that your overall needs are covered.

The importance of planning ahead can be seen regarding the implications of the government’s de facto death duties, which can claim up to 15% of your superannuation.

Strategies are available whilst you are working to reduce such future liabilities.

CASE STUDY

The Situation

Susan is 62 and has retired from the workforce. She receives a fortnightly pension from Military Super (defined benefit) and also has $620,000 in super.  She receives the Carer Payment and Carer Allowance from Centrelink for looking after her elderly mother.

She wants to downsize her home, moving from a larger rural property to a retirement village where this will be much easier to manage as her mum is now in her 90’s.  By downsizing her home this would leave her with $300,000 with surplus funds to invest.

Susan had already been a client for several years but this significant change in her circumstances prompted her to get further advice from us.

Strategic Advice

Once meeting with Susan and then providing written advice, it is agreed that she would contribute $300,000 to super.  Susan did not require any additional cashflow (her Military Super fortnightly pension and Centrelink payments provided her with what she needed) and we would keep her super in accumulation phase to ensure that her Carer Payment would still be received (where the now $920,000 in super did not count towards the assets and income tests for Centrelink, where if they did the Carer Payment would be cut off).  This resulted in her receiving over $20,000 pa in Centrelink benefits that she would not receive if the $920,000 did count towards Centrelink.

As Susan is over 60 and retired, she has access to her super where she can take ad hoc lump sum amounts whenever required (tax free).  This suited her where at times she may need to draw funds for larger one-off expenses (e.g. new car, overseas holiday, etc).

Investment Advice

As mentioned, Susan was an ongoing client that liked direct shares but for this to be managed on an ongoing basis for her.  The $300,000 was therefore added to her existing super that we managed for her and additional shares etc were purchased.  We discussed at the time the various options to her (industry superfunds, SMSF, etc) but Susan was comfortable with the current superfund where we could proactively look after the investments and administration of the account providing her with peace of mind.

Note: The case study is illustrative only and is not an estimate of the investment returns you will receive or fees and costs you will incur.

Your next step? Call us now to secure your appointment and start your journey to Financial freedom -Locations and contact details can be found at the bottom of this page.