There are 44 articles in this Retiring and retired Series
  • Advanced
    4 m

    Yielding to the dividend trap

    Pensions

    A bird in the hand isn't always worth two in the bush. We tell you why capital growth can be better at building your wealth instead of dividends.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    Living longer than your super

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    We all want to enjoy retirement, but we face longevity risk - the risk our savings will expire before we do. Here's how to manage it.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    6 m

    When dividends aren’t important

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Profit from a dividend and from capital gains is the same. So why are we always hunting for yield? Stop searching and look at your total return.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    10 m

    How can I get my super?

    Pensions

    To access your super you need to either have reached a certain age - at or near retirement - or met other strict employment-based conditions.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    3 m

    Low interest rates: 5 tips for your cash

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Self-funded retirees have seen their income from term deposits halve in only a handful of years. Find out how to manage this.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    8 m

    Transition to retirement

    Pensions

    As you get older, transition to retirement pensions let you draw an income from your super while you are still working.

  • Beginner
    4 m

    The two types of risk

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Permanent loss of capital is a well known investment risk. But there's another risk - being in the wrong asset class for your stage of life.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    What is the work test?

    Super

    If you want to add more money to your super fund past the age of 65 there are a few rules you need to follow to satisfy the requirements.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    5 m

    Should you downsize your home? Part 1

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    To free up some money in retirement, one option is to look at your home and determine what the extra cash would mean if you downsize.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    5 m

    Should you downsize your home? Part 2

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    To help you decide we show how much Age Pension you will receive depending on how much you have in super and other assets.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    Why you need cash for pension payments

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Living off your super means you need to have enough cash to fund three years worth of pension payments. We tell you how to do it and why it's important.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    5 m

    The future of term deposits

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Term deposits will remain low for a while yet, so what should defensive investors and retirees requiring pension payments do?

  • Beginner / Advanced
    6 m

    Why you need a fixed income manager

    Defensive investments and fixed income

    If you are using a fixed income fund to pay you income to live on in retirement you must be confident in your choice - a fund manager can help.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    3 m

    The problem with trying to time the market

    Shares and investment markets

    Too often we sit on the sidelines or stay invested believing we can pick the optimal time to buy or sell, when it may not be the best way to manage your portfolio.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    6 m

    Retired? Time to check your asset allocation

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    If you don't revisit your asset allocation when you approach or reach retirement it can undo all your hard work. Here's how to do it.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    5 m

    What is the bucket approach?

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    A popular way to help investors divvy up savings is to separate it into different buckets. Here's how to do it and the pros and cons involved.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    Age Pension: Planning for change

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    If you were banking on extra cash from the Age Pension in retirement, the latest changes might catch you out. Here’s how to plan ahead.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    3 m

    The risk of cash

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    In a world of low interest rates, the only comfort offered by cash is certainty of its dollar value. It can be a costly decision to keep your savings only in the bank.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    2 m

    Turning growth into income

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Instead of just relying on dividends, retirees can use capital gains from some of their investments to help meet their income needs. We show you how.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    Act your age when investing

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    The world, our attitude and even our facial hair changes as we get older. When it comes to super, acting your age determines the investments you have. Are you acting your age?

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    4 ways to play catch up with your super

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Worried about how much cash you will retire with? Here's 4 tips to boost your super that won't cost you your lifestyle.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    What is the Age Pension?

    Super

    For those of us who haven't saved enough super for retirement, there is government assistance available to help make ends meet.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    3 retirement myths busted

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Entering retirement doesn't mean you need to be conservative with your investment selection - we tell you why.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    6 m

    How much is enough? Paying for your retirement

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Working out how much you need in retirement is done by starting with how much it costs you to run your home and how long you think you might live for.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    5 m

    4 ways to prepare for retirement

    Super

    There are a few things you can do early on to take the stress out of preparing for retirement, regarding both your finances and your state of mind.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    4 m

    3 mistakes to avoid in retirement

    Pensions

    When it comes to how you manage your super, some blunders will cost you more than others. We tell you what to look out for.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    5 m

    Are you getting ripped off?

    Super

    We analyse our bills to make sure we aren't being swindled out of our money and you need to do the same with your super.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    6 m

    Retiring within 20 years?

    Super

    There’s a fair chance that if you're set to retire between now and 2033 your retirement savings will be well short. Here's how to shrink the gap.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    10 m

    The most common pension

    Pensions

    Once you've retired and have met the minimum age requirement, you can start an account-based pension.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    2 m

    Planning for retirement

    Pensions

    Knowing what it will cost to live each year in retirement is the first step to working out how much you need in super.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    02 m

    Why you don’t need $1 million in super

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Combining what you have saved in superannuation with the Age Pension could mean you have more to spend than you thought.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    02 m

    Are you driven by fear?

    Shares and investment markets

    The latest sharemarket rout has spiked investor nerves, but should you be cashing up or switching investment options?

  • Beginner / Advanced
    05 m

    Why you can't accept income volatility

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Uncertainty is inherent with investing, but retirees need to be confident about how much income they can expect from their portfolio.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    06 m

    3 reasons SMSFs beat the big guys

    SMSFs

    We explain why the smaller size of SMSFs affords them some luxuries not available to ordinary super funds.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    6 m

    Making the most of what you have

    Super

    Estimates like '$1 million' are thrown around as to what you might need in retirement. While they can be a good guide, everyone's reality is different.

  • Advanced
    5 m

    When to put more money in super?

    Super

    Depending on your situation it might not be the perfect time to be sending any spare cash you might have to your super. Find out when you wouldn't.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    06 m

    What to do with your dividend payments

    Super

    Australian super funds are set to receive close to $10 billion of dividends, but what should you do with the cash you get?

  • Beginner / Advanced
    6 m

    The cost of having too much cash

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    If you have sold down too many of your investments in the latest downturn you could be foregoing higher returns that other options can offer.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    06 m

    Retirees and negative returns

    Shares and investment markets

    Find out why retirees - especially those who have only quit the 9 - 5 recently - are sensitive to negative returns.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    01 m

    Why retirees need reliable income

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Investors can tolerate shares moving up and down in price, but earning less income is out of the question.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    04 m

    The 5 deadly sins of super saving

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Avoiding some of the traps that catch many super savers out will make it easier for your retirement savings stay on the right path.

  • Beginner / Advanced
    03 m

    Retirement: myth v. reality

    Managing my portfolio and super strategies

    Find out why confusing fact with fiction could prove costly when it is time to live off your super savings.