Posts by Melinda Planken
Third Quarter Market Update
In a show of why it’s generally a good idea to invest with a buy and hold strategy in mind, the market has been making a rather impressive recovery since the Brexit triggered shock events throughout the world’s markets. For the three months ending on September 30th, the All Ordinaries gained 5.3% to reach…
Read MoreMuirfield Centrelink Seminar
Earlier today, 25th May, 2016, Muirfield held a public seminar to educate Age Pensioners what the implications will be when Centrelink change the asset thresholds from January 2017. If you would like to review the presentation we have attached a copy here, otherwise, if you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact our office…
Read MoreChanges to Age Pension in 2017
Beginning January 2017 a reduction to the current asset threshold for the Age Pension will be implemented. For many, this will result in the loss of, or reduction to, Centrelink entitlements. To help you understand the impact on your situation, we have broken down the changes below. What are the changes? Centrelink determines your Age…
Read MoreAge Pension FAQ’s
The complexity of Centrelink rules can be overwhelming. As experts in this field, we regularly receive questions and ‘what if’ scenarios to assist clients to make sense of it all. For your benefit, we have put together a list of the most frequently asked questions. What’s the maximum amount of Pension I can receive? Single…
Read MoreCentrelink Changes – January 2016
From January 2016, Centrelink will be changing the way in which they assess Defined Benefit pensions. Melinda breaks down how this might impact Age Pension recipients
Read MoreDisability Support Pension Vs Age Pension
Upon turning Age Pension age, clients who have been in receipt of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) will be asked whether they would like to stay on DSP or transfer to the regular Age Pension. So what is the difference? Should you retain the DSP or move to Age Pension? We’ve broken down the differences and similarities between them to give you a hand deciding what’s best for you.
Read MoreThe myth about super fees
Research suggests that lower super fees have little correlation with fund performance and overall retirement outcomes. To an extent it plays to the age old adage, you get what you pay for. We touch on some of the issues in this brief article.
Read MoreCentrelink Gifting Rules Explained
One of the most common questions we are asked is “how much will Centrelink allow me to gift”. We’ve got a simple explanation to help you understand.
Read MoreAged Care Advice – Food for Thought
Aged Care advice is typically sought when our parents are in urgent need for care, not as a preparatory measure . As a result a number of preventable issues often arise because no prior planning has been undertaken. Click through to read a short piece about Aged Care advice.