If you are a Gen X or Y retirement is an average of 33.6 years away, for some it will be up to 50 if the retirement age is increased.  Not only is the age at which we retire creeping up but the time in retirement and money required to fund it growing too.  Forced super contributions have not been increased in line with this growth and as a result there is now a broadening gap between what one has saved for retirement and their actual needs.

Recent studies have shown that for a male to have a truly comfortable retirement he needs to contribute 17.5% of his annual salary to super until retirement and for females the figure is 19.5%.

9.5% of that is currently taken care of by your employer and the rest is up to you!  Is it really feasible to contribute 8-10% more of your income into super?  Let’s put it into dollar figures to make it simpler.  For an individual earning $60,000 this equates to an average $103 per week of extra savings.

If you committed to that saving plan at age 30 by the time you reached 40, it would have made an average $79,262 increase to your super balance.  If we extend that out to retirement (age 70) we are looking at a $1,041,108 difference.

What would you give up for an extra million dollars in retirement?  Your morning coffee? Buying lunch at work? Using non-preferred bank ATM machines?  Combining these simple techniques could easily get you on your way to saving $100 per week.

Unfortunately what we find for the Gen X & Y demographic is that if they cannot see an immediate benefit for themselves, they will not give it much attention.  They are extremely quick to take on debt to satisfy a want for a new car, piece of clothing or electronics, yet extremely slow to put any money away as they cannot see any present day tangible benefit.

It all comes down to education, JBS can assist the Gen X & Y’s with their financial needs. It’s about taking control today and you will thank yourself when it comes to retirement.  Start with what you can afford, get yourself into a saving rhythm and mindset that is sustainable and doesn’t impinge too much on your lifestyle.  Keeping your savings plan manageable is key to its success.

For every 1 dollar saved before age 35 you will have 7 more in retirement.  Would you turn down a 600% return anywhere else?

At JBS it’s not all work and no play, we love to kick back and have FUN too. The team also loves a bit of healthy competition between one another, so it was decided that a game of soccer was a great way to de-stress after work.

As an ex soccer player myself, I find the sport exciting to watch for about two minutes, and those two minutes are usually when players score goals. That makes the other 88 minutes of the game about as fun as watching paint dry.

As you know the JBS team isn’t your average group of office professionals, so we decided to step it up and take on the challenge of Bubble Soccer.

Now you’re probably wondering what is Bubble Soccer?

Basically it’s indoor soccer (5 vs 5) with huge inflatable Zorb like balls around you that you wear like backpacks, and the ball isn’t light – weighing approx. 9kgs.

Your aim is still to score as many goals as you can, however the game is full contact. The FUN part about this game of soccer is you get to smash into each other – team mate or not, bouncing & rolling around in your inflatable ball, occasionally getting stuck upside down with your feet popping out the end.

Forget faking an injury for a penalty in this game, instead you’ll be laughing non stop while trying to take out one another. Click here to check out the footage we captured of the team doing just that.

Movember is an annual event  involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and other male cancers.  The fact this event attaches so much attention and is encouraged by the medical profession show the seriousness these health issues have on families.

The facts:

• Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian Men (20,000+ new cases per year)
• 1 in 8 Australian men (1.3 Million) experience depression at any given time.
• Every hour, more than 4 men die from potentially preventable conditions in Australia.

There are many complex reasons for the poor state of men’s health which include: 

• Men not openly discussing their health and how they’re feeling
• Reluctance to take action when men don’t feel physically or mentally well
• Men engaging in risky activities that threaten their health
• Stigmas surrounding mental health
• Men are less likely than women to seek help for health concerns, and also less likely to use health care services

It is important that families are adequately protected to combat the financial impact that Prostate cancer and other illnesses impose.  This financial stress can be removed through implementing appropriate levels of insurance, an area JBS Financial Strategists can assist with.

For more information regarding men’s health issues click here.

Never before have I had a better reason to bail work the second the clock hits 5.30pm than now, for what awaits me when I walk into the front door each night I arrive home.  On Tuesday, 14th October @ 6.22pm, the latest miracle to enter this world had arrived.  I became the father to little Ashton.

This is the first sighting we have on record of Ashton.  Just 15 mins after birth he was smiling as wide as the eyes could see.

It’s amazing how something so small with so much to learn can impact one’s life.  How one’s world changes upon the birth of their little one…

•    Within an instant your life is flipped upside down and your new role as a father for which there is no training manual is suddenly a priority.

•    My status as my fiancé’s number 1, has been downgraded to number 2.  Still love ya babe

•    Fatherhood and perfectionism don’t mix.  However, my fiancé has provided great support to baby Ashton and myself.

•    I am always waiting for the daily Ashton updates to come through whilst at work.

•    That one hour ‘daddy / Ashton time’ from the time you get home is the best part of the day.

It has been the most surreal experience to date for my partner and I, and how we have adapted to our new life which has now changed forever.  Whatever Ashton grows up to be, you just know he will make a real impact on this world in a positive manner.  So I say look out world, Ashton is coming!  Before that time however, he will continue getting drunk on mum’s milk and sleeping 17 hours per day.  Sounds like the perfect life…

Approximately $800 million+ was wagered on Melbourne Cup Day.  It is part human nature to trust in luck or a big windfall such as winning the ‘big one’ at the Melbourne Cup or the lottery, and for most people it’s just good fun.  But statistically we know this is highly unlikely to happen.  We also know that a high proportion of people will suffer a significant health event throughout their working life resulting in their income stopping.

There is a greater chance of suffering a heart attack than winning the Melbourne Cup trifecta.  In fact, the confronting news is if you buy a tattslotto ticket the day before the draw, studies show you have a greater chance of dying before the lottery is drawn than winning it.

The challenge is to make sure we take the ‘gamble’ out of things that really matter, like protecting our family in the event we become sick / injured and are unable to work to ensure we can continue to pay the mortgage and living expenses.

What are the Odds?

A lack of financial preparedness can have significant impacts down the track.  No one wants to find themselves in a situation where they can no longer support themselves financially.  It is about making your own luck rather than simply hoping for the best.

If you wish to discuss your risk protection options further, please contact one of the advisers at JBS.

Everyone needs a hobby and mine is a tiny little Italian. I have a 1960 Fiat 500 that I am very slowly restoring (or destroying if you talk to those in the Fiat club as I’m not really going original). I love cars and I love working on them. I’m not sure I’m actually any good or know anything that I’m doing at all but I play around, take nuts and bolts off and hope they all go back on.

After getting a couple of quotes on welding work required that resembled Linda Evangelista’s weekly pay packet (google it for the young ones), I thought my Fiat dream was dead, until I met a lovely man who was a sucker for a lady into her car. Nick agreed to complete the welding on my little beauty for a reasonable price but wanted a year to fit it in around other projects. We fast forward to a year later and my husband is smiling again as he had been able to use the garage for 12 months and I’m smiling because I got my car back. When it left, the panels resembled a colander but now they are hole free and smooth.

Now that it looks more like a car, I’m getting more and more excited. I have most of the parts, including an upgraded engine but I’ve now got to spend the time getting everything right as I put it back together. As much as I want it done yesterday and want to be able to drive it, I also want to do a good job.

I want to do as much as possible on the car myself. I’ve even sewn my own seat covers from leather and I stripped the car when I originally got it. The last thing I did on the car was get the seam seal out and cover all the welds. I’ve unfortunately found a broken bolt that’s welded to the car, so more welding, more parts, and more money.

Next I’ll stoneguard the bottom, then undercoat, rub back and reap before taking it to a mate’s to paint. I’m going mat black but with a gloss realistic flame over the front (see, not so original).

It’s coming along, especially since I bought it from a lady who had driven into her paddock 15 years earlier and never touched it again. The cows had eaten the interior and rust replaced pretty much everything else.

My biggest challenge now is the engine conversion. I have the newer engine (650cc instead of the 500cc, so I might hit 100 kms on a downward slope with the wind) but I need to somehow work out how to connect it to the old gearbox. It seems that it’s not as easy as the 2 page instruction sheet I downloaded off the net. So if anyone knows how I do this, I’d love the help because I really need it!

There I was on the 18th of August looking out the window at the big Qantas A380 about to take me on my journey to America! After about 14 hours in the air we landed in LA, and made our way to our first stop, Anaheim.

Of course the only reason we’d be in Anaheim is to go to Disneyland. For the next 3 days we toured around Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure Park, and believe me you need the full 3 days. Now I’m not a big fan of rides, I went on a couple, so while my mate was checking out the rides I walked around to discover what Disneyland had to offer. If you’re not a big fan of rides like me, there’s still plenty to do and see! My two highlights from Disneyland were the fireworks show and the magical light show at the California adventure park (a must see!).

After our three days of Disneyland, it was time to head off to the other side of the country to see the big city, New York. Staying right at Time Square, which is really great to see at night, and always packed! This is where we were to spend the next 6 days. While my mate went and saw the Broadway shows, I trekked around the city all day! There is plenty to see in New York, and well I saw most of it. From the 9/11 memorial, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park (man it’s huge) and grand central station. And believe me there’s plenty more to see and do, you even see places here and there by just randomly walking around (I even saw the famous 5th Avenue Apple Store, I’m a huge fan)! And of course, I did go and see one Broadway show, being a big Disney fan it had to be Aladdin. If it ever comes to Australia, I recommend you go and see it.

After New York we set off to Chicago, unfortunately we didn’t do our research on Chicago so there’s plenty more we could have seen in our short time there, but we made the most of what we had. If you ever go to Chicago I highly recommend the Tommy Guns dinner show, great entertainment and very friendly staff. On top of this we couldn’t go to Chicago and not go on a mob tour. Apparently Al Capones millions are still hiding somewhere, so I may have to go back and explore. And my mate and I are quite fond of burgers, so we checked out The Cheesecake Factory, not only do they have awesome cheesecakes but they have a massive menu and awesome burgers, just wish they had one in Melbourne!

After Chicago it was back to the other side of the country to visit San Francisco, where in our few short days there we took advantage of as many tours as possible. Day trip to Muir woods, one of many national parks you can visit, and finished off by the city night lights tour, awesome tour. And of course we got to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Now we couldn’t go to San Francisco and not see Fisherman’s Wharf (we stayed right around the corner), and see the absolute highlight of my trip, Alcatraz! My friend and I are both horror fans we saw Alcatraz at night. Unfortunately there were no ghost stories (the hospital ward was a bit freaky though), but it was one amazing tour. At first I was sceptical of an audio tour, but it did not disappoint and was very interactive. If you go to San Francisco just make sure you see Alcatraz.

Now we’re off to our final destination, after about 3 weeks of travelling, and it’s time to relax and I couldn’t wait. This was my favourite destination I must admit, but I prefer the tropics and beaches over cities, so I was a bit biased. We couldn’t go to America and not visit Hawaii! While in Hawaii we did two tours, one was Pearl Harbour, an awesome tour where we saw the USS Arizona memorial and got to check out the USS Missouri. The other tour, well that was a huge day, up at 4am and didn’t get back to our hotel until after 10pm. It was the Volcano national park tour. We had to fly across to the big island where we were taken around the volcano national park, and toured a bit of Hilo (the main city). Our guide was awesome and showed us some cool spots. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see lava and we missed out on seeing the glow from the volcano at night, but it was still a must do tour!

After getting the tours out the way, it was time to relax on the beach and get a tan! I just couldn’t get enough of the sun and beach. After 7 days in Hawaii and an awesome 3 and a half weeks of holidays in America, it was time to head home! I definitely want to go back and check out America again, so much more to see and do.

Coming from 40 degrees to being woken by the pilot announcing it was 4 degrees almost made me do a U-turn in customs. However, I am slowly settling back into the routine after an amazing 4 week break in Europe. I saw some amazing things and met heaps of intriguing people. I spent the majority of my break in Hungary and Malta and thought I would share some of the highlights.

We began in Budapest, the capitol of Hungary. It is an amazing and charming city, full of great food, awesome rooftop bars, Mongolian architecture and dainty markets. The city is small enough to walk if you are staying centrally or alternatively the public transport is cheap.

They have the amazing Szechenyi Public Baths (see photo below) which are frequented by both locals and tourists. There are an array of pools, spas, sauna’s and steam rooms all varying in temperature. You can also book yourself a massage with a fully trained physiotherapist for a few dollars!

We also visited the old synagogue which is the most amazing and intricate building of its type I have ever seen in the world (photo below)

After we had eaten enough goulash we ventured into the Mediterranean Sea to visit Malta. It is a tiny island measuring 28km across and is almost 100km directly below Sicily. Malta quickly became one of my favourite places that I have visited in Europe. You can spend between 7 and 10 euro per meal and be absolutely stuffed with fresh and tasty produce.

They have amazing architecture and history there, including both pebble and sand beaches which makes it the perfect place to do a little bit of touristy stuff and also completely relax. The island has an intricate network of busses; tickets cost 1.50 Euro for the entire day which makes it easy to get around. We did a day trip to the neighboring island of Gozo, where they have the oldest monolithic structure in the world (5500 BC) and also film scenes for Game of Thrones.   You can catch a ferry there from the main island which delivers you to this port (see photo).

On the way back from Gozo, you can detour via the Island of Camino which has the bluest water I have ever seen in the world, even clearer than the blue grotto in Capri. The fast boats cost about 10 Euro and run from 10 in the morning until 6 in the evening, they also take you on a quick tour of the caves around the island of Camino.

The trip was amazing and I have come back truly relaxed. I can definitely recommend visiting both Hungary and Malta, if you are considering a holiday there, send me an email at amckenzie@jbsfinancial.com.au and I will reply with some more detailed notes and tips.

I joined the JBS team as the Senior SMSF Financial Adviser at the start of July and what a fantastic decision it was. The team has welcomed me with open arms and it is great to be working in such a fun loving and enjoyable environment.  There is no doubt that the team works extremely hard and continues to strive to be a leader in the Financial Planning industry. Jenny and I share the same passion for our clients and this was one of the main reasons that attracted me to the roll. It is a fantastic feeling to be able to sit down with a client and help them to articulate what they want to achieve and then map out a strategy which allows them to achieve their goals. For this reason financial planning is such a rewarding occupation for me.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my young family, son Riley (3), daughter Lucy (18 months) and wife Kristyn. I enjoy spending weekends at the zoo, jumping on the trampoline and reliving my youth as a teenage mutant ninja turtle.

My other real passion is sport; there aren’t many that I haven’t tried. I’m a very keen Essendon supporter and member of the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is a family tradition to line up at 4am in the MCC members line on grand final day to secure a seat. I’m also a very keen golfer and I’m a current member of the Growling Frog premiership pennant team. I learnt to play golf with my dad as a 12 year old in country Victoria at Cosgrove Golf Club (20km’s out of Shepparton). Mum and dad still live on 100 acres there and I enjoy taking the family back to the farm.

There is no doubt that I’m very excited about this new chapter in my life and look forward to sharing it will all of the JBS team and our valued clients.

I’ve always considered myself lucky, having found what I didn’t know at the time, was to be my life long partner back when I was still in high school. If someone was to tell me back then that I would become a father in 10 years’ time, I would’ve told them to “get real”.  Being young and naive I’ve always had the mentality that I would have a child when I’m 35, at the earliest. That mentality, however started to phase out very quickly when I got engaged at age 21 and then married at age 24. A battle soon pursued between me and the wife. It was either to purchase our first home now or to have a child first. With no surprises, my wife won and we decided to have our first child.

Having a really large extended family meant we got advice from EVERYONE regarding having a child. From what to eat, to how we could tell if we were having a boy or girl. One thing that no one really warned me about, was how tiring it would be for Evone and myself. Evone reckons it’s a good way to lose weight, I believe it’s a good way to lose my mind.

Another amazing person in my son’s life is his Grandma (Evone’s Mother), who I refer to as ‘The Baby Whisperer’. Leon could be screaming his lungs out one minute and all Grandma has to do is touch him and he’ll drift into deep sleep immediately.

One thing which was never mentioned to me, was how rewarding and warm I would feel every time I hold my baby boy. Perhaps all my uncles, mates and cousins were too manly to admit it, but having my son in my arms makes me feel like nothing can go wrong. Beyond the sleepless nights, dirty nappies and the constant worrying of everything, I have never felt so needed and so much love from one little man. I am yet to fully understand what it is to become a father; however I can only imagine what adventures await us in the future.

Regarding my family, I could not be gladder to have so many of them around to provide assistance and help to us. For anyone who is thinking of having a child or is currently in the progress of having a child, my advice is to go out and spend as much time as possible with someone else’s baby. This will ensure you are exposed to all the loud cries, stinking nappies and constant fear of something being wrong with little bub. I definitely believe the experience will be much more realistic compared to receiving advice after advice from everyone.