SuperGuide – Superannuation and retirement planning information

Despite a despondent October performance, super funds are up a healthy 10.3% so far this year with only six weeks to go.

The Trump effect on markets, Under-18s missing out on super, Cbus slammed for claims delays, Retirement attitudes changing.

Asking how much money you need to retire is like putting the cart before the horse. In reality it’s a trade-off, between the lifestyle you want, how early you want to retire and how confident you want to be that your money won’t run out.

Retirees often regard the government-mandated minimum withdrawal rates for their super pension as a default maximum, so how are these rates set and should you consider withdrawing more?

After a major overhaul of its fund offerings and member services, Aware Super has been awarded the best overall fund by the two major ratings groups, SuperRatings and Chant West.

UniSuper’s focus on member services as well as superior returns has earned it SuperRatings’ latest award for the top retirement offering.

It’s been a long time coming, but more super funds are now, or soon will be, offering retirement products that reduce the risk of outliving your savings. Here’s what’s on offer.

New lifetime income products mean you may not need $595,000 to retire comfortably, or $690,000 for couples, as the ASFA Retirement Standard suggests.

One way to lower your costs as an SMSF trustee, if you have a head for numbers and infinite patience, is to lodge your SMSF accounts yourself.