Q: I have met many financial planners including 3 independent ones, but they don’t seem to know much and all said different things. They don’t seem to show interest and care for my retirement. I am a 61 year-old female and have no super. I need to do something fast. I am just a piano teacher and financially illiterate. I need help.
Thanks for your email. Unfortunately, we are not permitted to comment on specific set of circumstances. Also, I am not a licensed financial adviser so I’m not permitted to provide advice. We have taken this approach to ensure that our website remains independent of any influence.
We have hundreds of articles on the website and many cover retirement planning, which may provide some background information for you. You may find the following articles helpful, in your search for an adviser:
- THE SOAPBOX: Not the time to quibble (financial advice)
- How many financial advisers operate in Australia?
- Help! How can we find independent investment advice?
- Financial advice for less than $500? You’re dreaming.
- Six dangers when seeking super fund advice
We also have our SuperGuide Directory where advisers can list their services for free. Note that this is a free directory for business listings, and we do not endorse or otherwise recommend the companies that are listing. We advise all users of the directory to conduct due diligence of any service provider’s credentials and experience before appointing a service provider.
You may be find some specialist advisers on this area by visiting the CPA Australia site and clicking on ‘find an accountant’, or by using a similar service on the ICAA site, the SPAA site, or the FPA site.
You may also wish to chat to the Financial Information Service which is a free government-funded service that helps Australians with retirement planning. They don’t sell anything and are part of Centrelink. You don’t have to receive Centrelink benefits to use this service. You can meet face-to-face with an officer and also attend free seminars (click on this link for more information).
You may also find useful my latest book which is called Super Freedom (a woman’s guide to superannuation) (Wrightbooks $32.95), which has been written with women like yourself in mind. You can find more information about this book by clicking here.
