Retirement planning

Transition planning, income strategies, aged care preparation. Know your options before you need them.

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When retirement planning makes sense

The biggest retirement planning mistake people make is assuming they’ll just figure it out when they get there. By then, your options are limited.

Retirement planning isn’t just for people who are about to retire tomorrow. The earlier you start thinking about it, the more options you have.

You might need retirement planning if you’re in one of these situations:

You’re 10–15 years from retirement and want to know if you’re on track, or if you need to make changes now while there’s still time
You’ve been offered a redundancy package or early retirement and need to know if you can actually afford to stop working
You’re already retired but not confident your money will last, or you’re worried about running out before you’re 90
You’re trying to figure out when you can access your super, what Centrelink you might be entitled to, and how to structure your retirement income tax-effectively
You need to plan for aged care – either for yourself down the track, or for elderly parents right now – and understand what it will cost and how to pay for it.

Retirement planning is about understanding what your retirement will actually look like financially, what levers you can pull to improve it, and making sure you don’t run out of money before you run out of life. The earlier we start planning, the better your retirement will be.

Let’s Talk About Your Situation

What’s included in retirement planning

When we create a retirement plan for you, here’s what we’ll cover:

Retirement readiness assessment

We’ll analyse your super, investments, assets, debts, and expenses to determine whether you can afford to retire when you want to. If there’s a gap, we’ll show you what needs to change to close it.

Retirement income strategy

We’ll model different income options – account-based pensions, transition to retirement strategies, drawing down super, Centrelink Age Pension entitlements – and create a tax-effective income plan that suits your lifestyle and goals.

Aged care planning

We’ll help you understand aged care costs, Centrelink aged care means testing, accommodation bonds, and how to structure your finances if you or your parents need to move into aged care. This is complex and expensive – planning ahead makes a huge difference.

Asset protection strategy

We’ll review how your assets are structured, whether you need to update estate planning documents, and how to protect your wealth from aged care means testing, relationship breakdowns, or other risks that become more relevant in retirement.

Transition to retirement planning

If you’re not ready to fully retire but want to scale back work, we’ll show you how transition to retirement pensions work, how to access your super before you stop working, and how to make the shift gradually without financial stress.

Ongoing income reviews

Retirement isn’t set and forget. Investment returns fluctuate, Centrelink rules change, your spending changes. We’ll review your retirement income regularly and adjust your strategy to make sure your money lasts.

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How retirement planning works

Understand where you are now

We’ll review your current super balance, other investments, assets, debts, and expected expenses in retirement. This gives us the baseline to work from – where you are today and what you’ll have to work with.

Model your retirement scenarios

We’ll run projections to show you what retirement looks like at different ages – 60, 65, 67 – and with different income levels. You’ll see how long your money will last, what Centrelink you might qualify for, and whether you need to make adjustments.

Create your income strategy

We’ll design a retirement income plan that balances tax effectiveness, Centrelink entitlements, and your lifestyle needs. You’ll know exactly where your income will come from, how much you can spend, and how to structure it for maximum benefit.

Implement and adjust over time

We’ll help you set up account-based pensions, apply for Centrelink, transition your super, and implement the plan. Then we’ll review regularly – retirement lasts 20–30 years, so your plan needs to adapt as markets change, rules change, and your life changes.

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Real retirement situations we’ve helped navigate

Here are some examples of how we’ve helped Bendigo locals plan for and navigate retirement.

I got made redundant at 58 and needed to know if I could retire
A client was made redundant and offered a payout package at age 58. He wanted to retire but wasn’t sure if he could afford it. We modelled his super, projected his expenses, factored in the Age Pension at 67, and showed him exactly what early retirement would look like. Turned out he could retire at 60 if he was willing to live more modestly for a few years until the Age Pension kicked in. He retired two years later with a clear plan and complete confidence in the numbers.
We had no idea how much aged care would cost for Mum
A couple’s 85-year-old mother needed to move into aged care, and they were overwhelmed trying to understand accommodation bonds, daily fees, means testing, and whether they needed to sell her house. We helped them model the costs, explained how Centrelink aged care assessments work, showed them options for paying the accommodation bond without selling immediately, and coordinated with aged care specialists. The family went from confused and stressed to confident they were making the right financial decisions for their mum.
I wanted to scale back work but didn’t know I could access my super
A 62-year-old client was burnt out and wanted to work three days a week instead of five, but she thought she couldn’t touch her super until she fully retired. We showed her how a transition to retirement pension works—she could access her super to supplement her reduced income while still working part-time. She scaled back to three days, used her super to make up the income difference, and plans to fully retire at 65. It gave her five extra years of better work-life balance.

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Ready to plan your retirement?

Book a free first meeting to talk through your retirement goals and find out if you’re on track to retire when you want to.