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Joanna Mather

Yesterday

Retirement spending is a bit of a maze to wind yourself through, but having confidence is key to living a life with lower financial anxiety.

Six big retirement risks and how to overcome them

Growing older means less time to recover from market crashes but ultra-conservatism carries its own risk.

February

The average uplift in age pension payments among AMP clients has been $8000 a year.

Doing this could increase your retirement income by thousands

Retirees may not know that using their superannuation to buy an annuity can boost their Centrelink age pension payments.

Think a will is unfair to you? You’re part of a growing number of people.

The reason so many adult children are challenging wills 

Soaring property prices have increased the size of the prize in inheritance disputes. And the bigger the estate, the better your chances. 

January

ASIC commissioner Simone Constant wants super funds to double down on customer service – or risk court action.

‘Weak’ scam protections put trillions of super money at risk

Superannuation funds have been warned they are at risk of becoming “soft targets” for scammers.

December 2024

Sibling rivalry can turn nasty when it comes to inheriting the family home.

Sibling rivalry: what to do when inheritance goes horribly wrong

Millions of Australians will jointly inherit the family home with siblings. We explore four common scenarios, what can go wrong and how to resolve disputes.

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Joanna and Justin Ryan are giving to charity using a sub-fund of the Sydney Community Fund.

Giving booms as donors maximise tax benefits

Joanna Ryan and her husband have established a sub-fund with an initial donation of $1 million.

Cbus chairman Wayne Swan.

Cbus’ Swan has ‘serious questions’ to answer: Coalition

Fundamental transparency and accountability failings at the industry super fund may yet claim the scalp of its chairman.

Michelle Levy recommended a shake-up of the financial advice sector.

Labor unveils plan for army of advisers to help Baby Boomers

Labor will attempt to re-write financial advice laws to relax the regulatory requirements that have made advice prohibitively expensive for many.

November 2024

Esther Freeman at home with husband Rob and children Benji and Rose.

Parents are investing on behalf of 2m Australian kids

Finder analysis shows that $15,000 invested over 15 years at an average return of 8 per cent could turn into over $49,000 by a child’s 18th birthday.

Amber Daines was disappointed when she found out what was in her father’s will.

‘Hurt badly’: When Dad leaves everything to his new wife

Two women share their heartbreak at being overlooked in their fathers’ wills and 10 strategies for safeguarding inheritances.

Stephen Pastor is working hard to reframe his attitude to money.

‘I’m worth millions but I still fret about money’

Money mindsets are established early in life and can lead to poor financial decision-making, but there are ways to reframe your approach.

He’s back. A Trump presidency will shake up global trade and markets, but investors warn against making sudden moves.

What Trump’s victory means for your money

From a sugar-hit to your super, to higher-for-longer interest rates, and a trade-war on the horizon, here’s what Trump 2.0 means for your finances.

October 2024

Stephen Jones, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services speaking at the AFR Super and Wealth Summit.

Advice reforms to be legislated by May next year: Stephen Jones

The Assistant Treasurer says he is “impatient” to have the next tranche of advice reforms legislated, as super funds push for freedom to give broader advice.

A bid to claim home office cleaning services was unsuccessful.

A man tried to claim his wife’s chores on tax – it did not end well

A long list of claims by an IT professional prone to “embellishment” included $11,420 for home-office cleaning and document management by his wife.

Gary Driscoll and his husband Dale Schilling with their dog Finn at their Petersham home.

Who three childless couples plan to leave their money to

One of the joys of a life well lived is lavishing the wealth you’ve created on others. If you don’t have natural heirs, thorough estate planning is crucial.

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What the aged care reforms mean for wealthy families.

The five numbers that determine whether you’ll pay more for aged care

Well-off families will pay more under new rules for funding residential aged care. Here are five key numbers you need to know to navigate the additional expense.

August 2024

David and Jenine Fleming.

The tools showing retirees they have more to spend than they thought

Retirement income modelling is advancing rapidly, giving people an unprecedented ability to plan their own financial futures.

Norman Zhang

Why the rich are decarbonising their portfolios

Wind and solar may have disappointed, but wealth managers see opportunity in areas such as waste management and disability housing.

July 2024

Popularity of sustainable ETFs dives to lowest in a decade

Platinum Asset Management will terminate its Global Transition Fund due to low demand.

Unlisted commercial property has been especially troublesome, but infrastructure may also prove challenging.

Don’t switch super funds until reckoning in unlisted assets is over

Industry fund executives regularly boasted about capitalising on the so-called “illiquidity premium”, but the world has changed.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/joanna-mather-j7gd3