18 rules for ageing well

The rules to age successfully include, 'the unexamined life lasts longer', 'change no more than one-eighth of your life at a time', 'nobody is thinking about you', and 'pursue virtue but don’t sweat it'. I recently happened upon a practical and often humorous book about how to age successfully. It’s called Rules For Ageing by Roger Rosenblatt, a literary overachiever who’s had success as a Harvard lecturer, newspaper editor and columnist, and is the author of 21 books and six plays. I first came across Rosenblatt on the PBS Newshour show years ago, where he regularly presented essays on an array of topics.

What returns do you need for a comfortable retirement?

I recently wrote an article on how much you need to save to have a comfortable retirement. I thought I would turn this around and look at the return side of things. This is my attempt to figure out what return is required to have a comfortable retirement at different savings levels.

Empowered to choose: Proactive retirement key to happiness

New research finds that customers with a guaranteed lifetime income product often have an easier time transitioning into retirement and have a better quality of life once doing so.

Back-dating pension commencement – is this permitted?

It is not possible to backdate the commencement of a pension. However, if the trustee and the member have informally agreed that a pension would commence from a particular date in a financial year (typically, 1 July for obvious reasons) and, in fact, pension payments are made in that financial year and the aggregate of the pension payments

Financial advice helps Australians retire with confidence

Advised Australians enjoy their retirement more than their unadvised counterparts, according to a new report.

Are you one of the 25% of retirees that spend too little money?

The narrative of a miserly, Scrooge-like figure hoarding his wealth for years instead of enjoying his retirement might seem unbelievable—but unfortunately, it isn’t relegated only to fiction. It’s a cold reality for many retirees.

Financial security remains key to Australian retirement happiness

Support from advisers alongside financial education continues to be an integral driver of older Australians’ contentment in retirement, according to new data from Challenger. The 2024 Challenger Retirement Happiness Index revealed a score of 70 for Australians over the age of 60, citing financial wellbeing as a primary determinant.

Why is financial advice good for Australians?

Financial advisers help Australians with a wide range of financial issues during their lifetime, from budgeting to estate planning and everything in between. We also help Australians to have a more positive outlook, to feel more prepared and secured and to consider reaching out to other wealth professionals if they have a need.