Tag Archives: Retire Right

Saving for Retirement

Over the next few years the age at which you can begin to start receiving the Age Pension will gradually increase from age 65 to age 67 (depending on your birthdate), with most people now having to be 65 and a half before they can access the Age Pension. Every time the Age Pension age increases or there’s talk of it increasing, you’ll hear all over the media people who now can’t retire because they have to wait a few more years before they can access the Age Pension.

 

Unfortunately for some, the Age Pension will be critical to fund their retirement, but the Age Pension age doesn’t need to be your Retirement Age. There’s a few things you can do to help reduce your reliance on the Age Pension and retire when you want to retire, our motto is that we’d rather you be working because you want to, not because you have to.

 

Super Contributions – Your employer pays 9.50% of your wage into Super as a Super Guarantee Contribution (SGC), but if your cash flow allows for it, you can top that up through a Salary Sacrifice arrangement or making Personal Concessional Contributions, up to an annual cap of $25,000 (which includes your SGC). This allows you to boost your Super Savings while at the same time helping you save tax personally.

 

You also have the opportunity to put up to $100,000 in as a Non-Concessional (After-Tax) Contribution and even up to $300,000 utilising the bring-forward rule in one year (if you haven’t made large contributions previously). Depending on your Super Fund, this can be a transfer of any cash you may have or even other assets such as shares. Remember that the new $1.6mil balance rules need to be taken into consideration.

 

Depending on your income, if you make a Non-Concessional Contribution the government may give you a Government Co-Contribution up to $500 on a $1,000 contribution (you can contribute more, but the co-contribution is based on a maximum $1,000). If your income is below $36,813 for FY18 you will receive the full $500 Co-Contribution, and you will receive a pro-rata amount if your income is above $36,813 but below $51,813.

 

Consolidate your Super – For some you may have multiple Super accounts, each time you start a new job your employer may start a new Super Fund for you if you haven’t given them the details of your existing Super Fund. If you’ve got multiple Super accounts it may be worth consolidating them into the one account which may help to reduce the total fees you’re paying on your Super accounts. However, you need to be careful that when you rollover any Super into another account you will lose any insurance you may hold.

 

Review your Insurance – Most Super accounts come with default insurance cover, and insurance is a very powerful tool to protect you and your family in case something happens to you. For those later in life, who are empty nesters, paid off the mortgage and are close to retirement, your need for cover may not be as important as someone who’s just starting a family and recently taken on a mortgage. Although insurance may be needed, it is always worth reviewing it on a regular basis to ensure your level of cover is appropriate and you’re paying for what you need, as the premiums come out of your Super balance. In some circumstances it may also be worthwhile holding some of your insurance cover outside Super.

 

JBS can help provide a full review of your Superannuation and Insurance and help you put strategies in place to ensure that you’re working because you want to, not because you have to. We’d rather you work towards your Retirement Age.

 

– Peter Folk –


Meeting a Condition of Release

It’s been more than 6 months since the Superannuation reforms came into force on the 1st of July 2017, and now with the Christmas break over and done with and most likely back to your day to day routine, now is as good a time as any to re-focus on your Superannuation.

 

One of the more prominent changes to Super that came into effect was the removal of the concessional tax treatment of Transition to Retirement Pensions (TTR Pension). Pre 1 July 2017 any money held within a TTR pension received a 0% tax rate on any income or realised capital gains, however post 1 July 2017 money held within the TTR pension is taxed at 15% (same as accumulation).

 

However, any funds that are held within an Account-Based Pension still receive the 0% tax rate (for balances up to $1.6 million). Unless you’ve met a condition of release, such as attaining age 65, you’re unable to commence an Account-Based Pension. The most common conditions of release are:

 

– Reaching preservation age (currently age 57 – depending on your date of birth) and retiring
– Reaching age 65

 

For superannuation purposes, a member’s retirement depends on their age and future employment intentions. A person cannot access Superannuation benefits under the retirement condition of release until they reach preservation age. At this stage, the definition of retirement depends on whether the person has reached age 60.

 

If you’re under age 60, then meeting a condition of release is a bit harder, effectively you generally have to completely cease employment and have the intention never to again work more than 10 hours per week. However, if you’re over age 60 (but under age 65), simply having a change of employment post age 60 means you may be able to satisfy a condition of release, opening up an opportunity to move your Super wealth into the tax-free pension environment.

 

For example, let’s say John (age 62) works full-time in a Supermarket, but for 6 weeks he was contracted to work on the Weekends as a Labourer. After 6 weeks John has stopped work as a Labourer, because of this John has now met a condition of release and can move his Superannuation savings into the tax-free environment. However, any later contributions made (employer and personal) and earnings will be preserved (i.e. can’t be accessed until a new condition of release is met).

 

Based on the above, if you’ve been operating a TTR Pension and potentially could meet a condition of release, you may be able to continue to receive the tax-free pension on your Superannuation benefits. Here at JBS we can help assess your options in relation to meeting a condition of release.

 

– Peter Folk –


Why a Bucket List is so Important?

For me a Bucket List is a critical factor in any Retirement Plan. Writing down your “bucket list” no matter how crazy, significantly increases the likelihood of Retiring Right.

 

Over the past few months we have had some of our clients send photos of their adventures around the world as they enjoy their retirement dreams.

 

We have had Paul drive across America with a long time school friend.

 

 

 

 

Densie & David go skiing in Whistler and visit Downton Abbey.

 

 

 

 

Peter & Debbie say goodbye to their employers and book trips to Ski the French Alps, visit family in the UK and even enrol to go back studying in the New Year on their return.

 

Phil & Linda who rented out their house for 12 months and have no permanent place of abode as they initially travelled around Australia before heading to Asia; eventually heading to Europe while the World Cup is on in 2018.

 

These are just a snippet of the numerous clients that we have all around the world living out their dreams and ticking off their bucket list.

 

It is fantastic to be able to share in our client’s success, but these results didn’t just happen overnight. In every case our clients have been planning and working towards these goals for years and in some cases tens of years.

 

Over the years I have helped hundreds of clients Retire Right and in my experience the clients who have written down their bucket list and regularly referred back to it; are kept accountable and tracked their progress towards their goals, are the ones who you see in these photos.

 

Early on in my own career a wise Retire Right client once said to me, I’m an overnight success after 20 years, so learn from him and START NOW.

 

We are approaching a great time of the year to complete some reflection and planning and I challenge you to come up with your own Bucket List. Be bold, aim high and start now as the earlier that you start, the more likely your dreams are to achieve.

 

For the record, the number one thing on my bucket list is to go the US Masters with my son and my dad. My wife and daughters are welcome, but my daughters are a little young to tell if they will like golf and I already know my wife’s answer….

 

What I wish for you is the opportunity to Retire Right so start the conversation.

 

– Warren Hanna –


Man Retires At 34 and Freaked Out on First Day

Sometimes when you read an article that resonates with you, well you just have to make a video about it!

 

In Warren’s latest #RetireRight video he shares some of the take outs from an article on Brandon, a 34 year old young man who achieved financial independence at the age of 34 and freaked out on his first day of retirement.

 

 

“Brandon wrote that financial independence was something I talked about and thought about so much that it just became this abstract concept in my mind and didn’t relate to anything in real life. It was a long-term goal that I guess I never actually pictured achieving.”

 

Check out Warren’s video where he discusses some of the learnings that are critical to giving yourself a choice about retirement. Here is the link to the article where Brandon is featured.

 

You’re never too young and never too old to start thinking about your retirement!

 

– Warren Hanna –


Financial Challenges

Many young Australians are continually facing more and more financial challenges and hurdles as they enter adulthood.  Many are trying to save to buy their first home, travel the world, buy their first car, paying off their HECS debt, or all of the above.

 

As parents there are few little things that you can do to help teach your children about finances, which will go a long way for them in the future.  One of the most important is to teach your children how to do a budget or how best to save their money.

 

It can even be a worthwhile exercise including your children when it comes time to doing the family budget, this way they’ll learn that nothing comes for free and the things that they enjoy (such as their flashy smart phone) costs money, even if it’s paid for by the bank of mum and dad.

 

When you give your children their pocket money a good exercise can be to sit down with them and see if there’s something they wish to buy or spend their money on.  Once this has been determined you can then help them set a goal and savings plan. Teaching this at a young age can help them become disciplined with their money and set them up for the future when they need to save for the bigger things (such as their first home).

 

When it comes time to buying their first car or home they’ll most likely need to borrow money to help them (especially in the case of the home), so it’s worthwhile teaching them about debt and how it works. It may sound silly but introducing them to how debt works will help them understand that when the time comes they’re not just going to be given free money, but they’ll have an obligation to pay that money back plus interest.  You’re older children may understand this but the younger ones may not quite grasp this.

 

At JBS we have wide range of services to help clients achieve financial freedom. For the younger clients we have a Cash Coach program to help with savings and budgeting and a Retire Right program which is tailored towards our older clients to help with the transition from working life. These services help our clients overcome their biggest financial challenges and achieve their goals.  We even offer services to our clients children to help them on their journey.

 

– Peter Folk –


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