There were significant changes to aged care planning that came into effect last year. We look at the opportunities they create. Accommodation bond balances for accommodation bonds paid on entry to low level care (hostels) and extra service places in ... Read more

Over the past two decades a handful of issues have emerged in Australia which affect the retirement system Read more

Changes announced in last year's Budget have removed some of the complications of pension planning. The Assets Test taper will be halved, increasing the number of people who are eligible for a part-pension, while the partial assets test exemption ... Read more

The substitution of employment income, which has been salary sacrificed into super, with pension income, is a strategy that has received significant attention following the introduction of the transition to retirement rules. In this article, we explore ... Read more

There are numerous income support payments and allowances payable by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), each with their own set of qualification rules and thresholds.The article provides a snapshot of the more common income support payments ... Read more

The recent Federal Budget 2005 has given the superannuation and retirement income industry a significant boost with proposed tax cuts, abolition of the superannuation surcharge and superannuation split between spouses. The intended beneficiaries are ... Read more

With the introduction of term allocated pensions (TAPs), introduced in September 2004, the strategy of converting existing retirees' allocated pension arrangements into a combination of TAPs and allocated pensions is becoming increasingly common ... Read more