If you are about to retire or already retired, we can help you arrange your finances to help you build a retirement income which is reliable and tax effective… and which should last for your lifetime or longer. We can show you how to pay little or no tax on your lump sum; and if you own a business or farm we can show you how to reduce or even eliminate tax on its sale. In addition, we can help you arrange your finances so you maximise Centrelink benefits if that is appropriate for you.

We will review all of your superannuation arrangements to check if they will ultimately satisfy your retirement goals. In particular, we will assess the following:

• Are you on track to retire with enough money to fund your desired lifestyle – for your entire retirement?
• Is your superannuation fund performing to expectations?
• Is the asset allocation appropriate?
• Are you employing the right fund managers?
• Are you contributing enough to super this year?
• Are you taking full advantage of the current rules for super?
• Should you make contributions for your spouse?
• Are there other tax effective strategies you should be using?

We can also advise you on Self Managed Superannuation if that is appropriate for you.

If you have a lump sum to invest or you wish to invest regular savings or superannuation contributions, we can advise you on asset allocation, investment strategies and investment selection. We can advise you on direct and managed investments in Australia, and managed funds overseas, to help you generate competitive returns and reduce risk… and in so doing help you achieve your financial goals.

We can help you invest your payout to meet your short term needs, as well as providing for your eventual retirement. We can also develop investment strategies to help you qualify for Centrelink benefits (if this is appropriate for you) and to minimise tax on your payout and your income.

We can help you develop investment strategies to build wealth prudently and tax effectively to help you become financially independent… and to provide a more financially secure retirement. In addition, we can assist you in protecting your financial position with the help of personal insurances, as well as referring you to finance broking professionals who can help you to create financial efficiencies with your mortgage.

Most families and businesses are carrying significant financial risk should the unexpected happen. The big question you have to ask yourself is: ‘Would your family be able to maintain their lifestyle if you no longer earned an income?’ And, if you own a business: ‘Would your business be able to buy a departing owner’s share of the business if they died or suffered a serious illness or injury?’ And: ‘Would your business be able to cover the loss of revenue and goodwill, and re-pay the debts of the business, if an owner or other key person died or suffered a serious illness or injury?’ If your answer to these questions is no, you need to consider transferring that financial risk to life insurance companies. They have a range of insurances which can help you fund your risk mitigation plan and give you enormous peace of mind – all for a small fraction of the sum insured each year.

Personal Risk Insurance isn’t just for if you lose your life… it’s also for if you lose your ability to earn an income. The key to creating an effective personal risk insurance plan is to visualise what a secure financial future would look like for your family if you were to die or could no longer earn an income. It must take into account many issues, including ongoing living expenses, repayment of debts, and special expenses like schooling. It might also take into account the financial cost of fulfilling the aspirations of your dependants and other people close to you. And, if appropriate, your desire to leave a philanthropic legacy. In the case of you suffering a severe illness or injury, you should also take into account the potential cost of hospitalisation, surgery, medicine, rehabilitation and home nursing costs. You should also consider the possibility you may need to make modifications to your home to make it easier for you to get around. We help you define your vision of a secure financial future for you and your family – and then help you to calculate how much money you’ll need to fund that vision – if you die or no longer earn an income due to serious illness or injury. We’ll then assess if you can afford to self-fund your vision, or whether you need to consider transferring some or all of that financial risk to an insurance company. It’s all about protecting your family from unnecessary financial duress. Our job then is to research the major, reputable insurance companies to find the insurances which provide you and your family with the right level of protection, including the definitions, clauses and exclusions which best suit you. Of those insurances which meet your needs, we obtain quotes to ensure we recommend cost-effective solutions. Personal risk insurances to consider include: Life insurance – pays a lump sum on the death of the insured. Income protection insurance – replaces your income if you are unable to work due to sickness or injury. It provides a monthly payment of usually up to 75% of your pre-tax income. You can generally choose the waiting period (this is how long you must be unable to work before the insurance begins to pay you) and the benefit period (how long the policy will pay you if you are unable to work). Trauma insurance – pays you a lump sum on the diagnosis of a specified non-pre-existing illness or injury, generally including heart attack, stroke, cancer, and paraplegia. This can be taken as a stand alone policy, or attached to a life insurance policy. This insurance was created when it was realised that medical advances were resulting in patients increasingly surviving major health problems, but that the financial cost of survival was prohibitively high for patients (e.g. medical costs, medicine, time off work, rehabilitation etc). In other words, patients didn’t lose their lives… they lost their life savings instead.

We can advise you on how to arrange your financial affairs to achieve an efficient and tax effective distribution of your estate after your death. We can help you to properly fund your estate and show you strategies which can save tax for your beneficiaries and minimise the chance of your Will being challenged. We can also advise you on how to protect your estate from being eroded by your beneficiaries being subject to litigation, bankruptcy or divorce.