Retirement Planning Guides
Plain-English explanations of Australian retirement planning concepts — superannuation, Age Pension, defined benefit pensions, and more.
Support at Home: What Aged Care at Home Really Costs
How Support at Home contributions work — free clinical care, means-tested rates for independence and everyday living, how your rate is actually calculated from your Age Pension position, worked examples, and the lifetime cap shared with residential care.
July–September 2026 Updates: Age Pension Rates and Deeming, Aged Care Rebuild and Modelling Corrections
What changed and why your numbers look different — the 20 September Age Pension indexation and deeming rise (a cut for some part-pensioners), the defined benefit deductible-amount cap, aged care rebuilt, and the July threshold updates.
Superannuation & Retirement Changes 2026–27: Everything You Need to Know
A complete guide to every super and retirement rule change from 1 July 2026 — higher contribution caps ($32,500 CC, $130k NCC), Transfer Balance Cap $2.1M, Payday Super, Division 296 tax on balances above $3M, Age Pension threshold updates, and more.
Australian Government Benefits for Retirees: What You're Entitled To
Age Pension, Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Rent Assistance, PBS concessions, and state Seniors Cards — eligibility criteria and 2026 rates in one place.
Maximising Your Age Pension: Strategies and the Sweet Spot
How the taper rate works, what the pension sweet spot is, which assets are exempt, and what planning considerations can help you understand your entitlement.
How to Work Out Your Retirement Spending: A Practical Australian Guide
A practical guide to estimating your retirement spending — what changes from working life, the ASFA benchmark, a budget categories checklist, and how to test your number in the calculator.
Why Most Australian Retirees Die With Too Much Money
Fear of running out causes most retirees to systematically underspend — sacrificing quality of life for an accidental bequest. Here's why it happens and how to find the spending level that's actually right for you.
CPI vs JP Morgan Spending Curve: Which Retirement Spending Pattern Is Right for You?
Should you model spending as flat in real terms (CPI) or declining over time (JP Morgan curve)? The research behind each, the pros and cons, and how to choose.
Transition to Retirement (TTR) Strategy: Is It Right for You?
Who benefits from a TTR strategy in 2026, how the salary sacrifice + TTR income stream combination works, what changed in 2017, and how to model it with a TTR calculator.
How Long Will My Super Last in Retirement? An Australian Guide
The five variables that determine how long your super lasts, why the 4% rule needs adjusting for Australia, how the Age Pension extends your super, and how to stress-test your plan with Monte Carlo simulation.
PSS and CSS Pensions in Retirement: The Complete Guide
Everything Australian public servants need to know about PSS and CSS pensions — how your pension is calculated, CPI indexation, tax, the defined benefit income cap, and Transfer Balance Cap interactions.
MSBS Pension in Retirement: The Complete Guide for ADF Members
Everything ADF members need to know about the MilitarySuper (MSBS) pension — how your pension and productivity benefit are calculated, CPI indexation, tax treatment, the defined benefit income cap, and Transfer Balance Cap interactions.
PSS and CSS Pension Indexation July 2026: What Your Increase Will Be
PSS, CSS and MSBS indexed pensions increase by 2.0% from July 2026. Full calculation explained, historical rates, and how to factor it into your plan.