Retirement

With most Australians now living much longer and stronger we will all probably spend more time after full-time work, getting a new life. Retirement used to be the stage of life where you gave up work and looked forward to life full of Saturdays, but now a successful retirement takes a lot more planning and skill to get the timing right.

Retirement should be seen as the opportunity to seek new challenges, to try something different in the workforce or realise some of the dreams you’ve held throughout your working life. Finding your way through retirement requires planning for your whole future, not just focusing on your finances.

Planning not only offers the best chance to achieve your goals, it also helps you work out what the type of retirement you don’t want and can ensure you avoid the common mistakes that can see all your years of hard work simply wasted. We all value our independence very highly and the best way to maintain independence is through good health and a firm financial footing which will deliver maximum choice as we age.

The Retirement section of YourLifeChoices website has been organised into seven main categories to help you plan and enjoy the next stage of life. Critical points to consider when retirement planning are timing, your emotional readiness, how much (money) is enough and maximising your nest egg with an effective transition to retirement.

And don’t forget that every quarter we bring together the best brains in the business to answer your questions on how your super can work best for you, making the most of your income in retirement, your rights in retirement, the latest government, health and technology news, relationship dilemmas and so much more in our Retirement Update. 

Timing your retirement Ensuring the optimal timing of your retirement right is the first step, so how do you achieve this?

Retirement planning Retirement planning is often considered in a purely financial terms, but there’s so much more to consider than just money.

How much is enough? With people living longer on average in retirement, it’s understandable that running out of money is a major concern. So how much do you need to fund retirement?

Making the transition to retirement Very few people go from working full time to full-time retirement, so what can you do to enjoy a successful transition?

Retirement income There are several ways to secure an income in retirement, so here's a plain English summary of the main options.

Living in retirement Options for living in retirement and how your home can help fund your retirement lifestyle are varied, so which choices do you need to consider?

Do you know if you qualify for an Age Pension? Find out with our RetirePlanner tool.

Retirees ‘flying solo’ with finances

Retirees ‘flying solo’ with finances

A large number of retired Australians are independently navigating their way through their retirement finances.

Going it alone

Surviving low rates

Surviving low rates

If you have your retirement savings in a term deposit, chances are you’re watching your ...

Check the alternatives

Improving the retirement system

Improving the retirement system

What’s wrong with our retirement income system? Plenty, says Michael Rice.

Easy improvements

Desperate to retire

Desperate to retire

Lorraine* is 64 and wants to ensure she gets to enjoy a retirement. She asks ...

What does Noel say?

Older Aussies on the scrapheap

Older Aussies on the scrapheap

Government must act now to save older Australians from the jobs scrapheap: Anglicare.

Odds are tough

The key culprit in price rises

The key culprit in price rises

The June quarter saw inflation pick up after a flat March quarter.

Price rises

Funds hunt income for retirees

Funds hunt income for retirees

Super funds posted modest gains in September, but are facing challenges to deliver income to ...

Funds challenged