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Superannuation and retirement planning information

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Your independent expert on super and retirement planning

Learn how much super is enough, what are the top performing super funds, how to run an SMSF and much more. Includes hundreds of strategies, how-to guides, checklists, tips, and case studies, plus calculators, quizzes and a monthly newsletter.

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Retirement cost of living: How much does a comfortable lifestyle cost?

February 18, 2020

Video: Choosing a pension fund

SMSF investment strategy health checklist

Video: Introduction to Aged Care

Super and pension funds with the lowest fees

3 reasons the TPD insurance in your super might be junk

4 strategies to help fix your total super balance problem

10 steps to buying a commercial property and leasing it to your SMSF

What’s really driving the performance of industry funds?

Is $1 million in super enough to retire on?

How much super do I need to retire on $100,000 a year?

How much super do I need to retire?

What financial advisers wish you knew

Saving for retirement outside super

Sustainable investment: Gaining support, growing returns

Location the missing ingredient in retirement planning

How do tax-deductible superannuation contributions work?

Best performing super funds over 10 calendar years (to December 2019)

Super fund performance over 27 calendar years (to December 2019)

How long you can expect to live, and what it means for your super

10 hidden perks that make your super account even better

How super works

Includes super for beginners, must-know facts, the latest super and retirement changes, super rates and thresholds, super strategies, how-to guides, Q&As, tips and quizzes.

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Making super contributions

Learn how much your employer must pay into your super fund, how much you can contribute, salary sacrificing, tax-deductible contributions, contributions caps and strategies.

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Super fund performance

Discover the best-performing super funds, latest investment returns, a guide to super investing, investment choice, fees, insurance options and how to compare super funds.

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Super and tax

Find out how super is taxed when you contribute and when you retire, how super tax affects SMSFs and the tax implications for death benefits.

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SMSFs

This section helps anyone running or considering a self-managed super fund, and includes SMSFs for beginners, costs, administration, compliance, investment, pensions, borrowing and checklists.

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Planning for retirement

Helps answer questions such as how much super is enough, when can you retire, how long will you live, will you get the Age Pension, how can you set up a retirement plan, and how to obtain financial advice.

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Accessing super

Learn the legal ways to withdraw your super, your preservation age, the types of super benefits you can choose, how divorce affects your super, leaving Australia, or accessing super early.

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In retirement

Covers retirement phase topics such as how to take a super lump or start a super pension, working in retirement, the Age Pension and CSHC, and what happens to super benefits when someone dies.

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Popular sections

  • Calculators and Reckoners

  • Checklists

  • How-to guides

  • Newsletter

  • Quizzes

  • Super strategies

Popular topics

  • Age Pension

  • Best performing super funds

  • Death benefits

  • How much super do I need?

  • Taking a super pension

  • Working in retirement

Recent articles

  • Deeming rates for the Age Pension income test February 20, 2020
  • ‘I will euthanise myself before I go into aged care’: How aged care is failing LGBTI+ people February 19, 2020
  • Super to income Reckoner February 18, 2020
  • Retirement cost of living: How much does a comfortable lifestyle cost? February 18, 2020
  • Monthly super fund performance Reckoner: Monthly returns for 5 investment categories February 18, 2020
  • Super fund performance: Monthly returns to January 2020 February 18, 2020
  • Income from super Reckoner February 18, 2020
  • Starting an SMSF pension checklist February 17, 2020
  • Super news for February 2020 February 17, 2020
  • Find an Australian independent financial adviser February 17, 2020

See all recent articles

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All information on SuperGuide.com.au is intended only as a general information guide. It is important to seek professional accredited financial advice when considering whether the information is suitable to your personal circumstances.

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About SuperGuide

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  • How super works
    • How super works: A Super Guide
    • Latest super and retirement changes
      • Superannuation news
      • Super rates and thresholds
      • Super rules: Your guide for 2018/2019
      • Latest Age Pension changes
      • Federal Budget and superannuation
      • Royal Commission into Banking and Superannuation and Financial Services
      • Superannuation Reviews
    • Super for beginners
      • How super works: A beginners guide to superannuation
      • Age-based superannuation guide
      • Super tips and strategies
      • Superannuation investment for beginners
      • SMSFs for beginners
      • Finding lost super
      • Super Guide for women
    • Super rates and thresholds
    • Superannuation strategies
      • Super housekeeping strategies
      • Super contributions strategies
      • Super investment strategies
      • Age-based super strategies
      • Retirement strategies
    • Superannuation Guarantee rules
      • Superannuation Guarantee rules: An introduction
      • Simple guide to SG
      • SG for employers
      • Non-payment of SG
      • Salary sacrificing and SG
      • Tax-deductible super contributions
    • Comparing super funds
      • Types of super funds
      • What is MySuper?
      • Comparing super funds in 7 steps
      • Choosing a super fund (fund choice)
      • Completing a Standard Choice Form
      • Investment performance
      • Super fees and charges
      • Insurance and super
      • Considering an SMSF
    • How-to Super Guides
    • Super Quizzes
    • Superannuation Q&As
  • Making super contributions
    • Making super contributions: A Super Guide
    • Contributions strategies
    • 2018/2019 Contributions Guides
      • Concessional (before-tax) contributions
      • Non-concessional (after-tax) contributions
      • Co-contributions
    • Super contributions caps
      • Concessional (before-tax) contributions cap
      • Catch-up concessional contributions
      • Non-concessional (after-tax) contributions cap
      • Bring-forward rule
      • Total superannuation balance and super contributions
    • Superannuation Guarantee (SG)
      • Simple guide to SG
      • SG for employers
      • Non-payment of SG
      • Salary sacrificing and SG
      • Tax-deductible super contributions and SG
    • Salary sacrifice and super
    • Tax-deductible super contributions
    • Spouse contributions
    • Total superannuation balance
    • Contributions tax
    • Excess contributions
  • Super fund performance
    • Super fund performance: A Super Guide
    • Superannuation investment for beginners
      • How super investing works
      • Benchmarking your super fund
      • What is your risk profile?
      • Choosing an investment option
      • Changing investment options
      • Responsible investing
      • Retirement investment options
    • Superannuation investment strategies
      • Choosing an investment option
      • Responsible investing
      • SMSF investment
      • Types of super investments
      • Listed or unlisted investments
      • Franked dividends
      • Investing in retirement
      • Super and borrowing
    • Latest super fund performance
      • Latest monthly results
      • Latest financial year results
      • Latest calendar year results
      • Investment performance Reckoners
    • Best performing super funds
    • Best performing pension funds
    • Investment performance Reckoners
      • Annual super fund performance Reckoner
      • Monthly super fund performance Reckoner
      • Asset Sector Performance Reckoner
    • Choosing an investment option
      • Should you change?
      • What is your risk profile?
      • Benchmarking your super fund
      • Buy/sell spread costs
      • Responsible investing
      • Changing investment options
      • Retirement investment options
      • SMSF guide to hedging
      • SMSF investment
    • SMSF investment
    • Super fees and charges
      • Types of super fees
      • Super funds with the lowest fees
      • Buy/sell spread costs
      • SMSF costs
      • Super taxes
      • Insurance premiums
      • Consolidating super saves fees
    • Insurance and super
      • Insurance through your super fund
      • Cheapest life insurance and TPD
      • Cheapest income protection
      • SMSFs and insurance
  • Super and tax
    • Super and tax: A Super Guide
    • Super and tax for beginners
    • Australian income tax rates and thresholds
      • Australian income tax rates
      • Low and Middle Income Tax Offset (LMITO)
      • Low Income Tax Offset (LITO)
      • Senior Australians & Pensioners Tax Offset (SAPTO)
      • Super rates and thresholds
      • Super tax rates for under-60s
      • Super tax rates for over-60s
      • Franked dividends (franking credits)
    • Contributions tax
      • How super is taxed
      • Division 293 tax
      • Low Income Superannuation Tax Offset (LISTO)
      • Excess contributions tax
    • Investment income tax (earnings tax)
      • How super is taxed
      • Capital gains tax and super
      • Franked dividends (franking credits)
      • Superannuation contributions tax
    • Retirement phase
      • How super is taxed
      • Transfer balance cap
      • Minimum pension payment rules
      • Superannuation benefit payments tax
      • SMSF pensions
      • Transition-to-retirement pensions
    • Superannuation benefit payments tax
    • Superannuation death benefits
  • SMSFs
    • SMSFs: A Super Guide
    • SMSFs for beginners
      • What is an SMSF?
      • Types of super funds
      • Is an SMSF right for you?
      • Enough super for an SMSF?
      • What type of people have SMSFs?
      • Setting up an SMSF
      • SMSF trustee declaration
      • Quiz: SMSFs for beginners
    • SMSF costs
      • What are typical SMSF fees?
      • Enough super for SMSF costs?
      • DIY (low-cost) SMSFs
      • SMSF ATO supervisory levy
      • SMSF audit fees
      • SMSF investment
      • Obtaining financial advice
      • SMSF penalties
    • SMSF administration and compliance
      • SMSF administration
      • SMSF compliance
      • DIY (low-cost) SMSFs
      • SMSF providers
      • Setting up an SMSF
      • SMSF reporting and record-keeping
      • SMSFs and accountants
      • SMSF audits
      • SMSF administrative penalties
    • SMSF investment
      • Creating an SMSF investment strategy (including samples)
      • SMSF asset allocation
      • Super investment strategies
      • Types of super investments
      • Asset Sector Performance Reckoner
      • SMSF investment rules
      • Franked dividends
      • SMSF borrowing rules
    • SMSF pensions
      • Retirement phase (formerly pension phase)
      • Types of super benefits
      • Starting an SMSF pension
      • Minimum super pension payments
      • Transition-to-retirement pensions
      • $1.6 million transfer balance cap
      • Actuarial certificates
    • SMSF borrowing
    • SMSF Q & As
  • Planning for retirement
    • Planning for retirement: A Super Guide
    • Retirement planning for beginners
      • How to plan for your retirement
      • When should you retire?
      • How long will you live?
      • How much super will you need?
      • What is retirement phase?
      • Is $1 million enough?
      • Retirement Calculators and Reckoners
    • What age can I retire?
    • Age-based Super Guide
    • How long will I live?
    • How much super is enough?
      • How much super do I need to retire?
      • Retiring on $60,000 a year
      • Retiring on $80,000 a year
      • Retiring on $100,000 a year
      • $1 million retirement
      • $1.6 million retirement
      • Retirement Calculators and Reckoners
    • $1.6 million transfer balance cap
    • Types of super benefits
      • Taking a lump sum
      • Taking a super pension
      • SMSF pensions
      • Superannuation benefit payments tax
    • Age Pension
    • Obtaining financial advice
    • Retirement Calculators and Reckoners
      • Age Pension calculator
      • Annual Minimum Pension Payment Calculator
      • Income from super Reckoner
      • Super to Income Reckoner
      • Retirement age calculator
      • Super fees and returns calculator
  • Accessing super
    • Accessing super: A Super Guide
    • When can I access my super?
    • Definition of retirement
    • Reaching preservation age
    • Turning 65 and super
    • Types of super benefits
      • Taking a super lump sum
      • Taking a super pension
      • SMSF pensions
      • Superannuation benefit payments tax
    • Accessing super early
      • All conditions of release explained
      • Preservation age
      • Severe financial hardship
      • Compassionate grounds
      • Terminal illness
      • Permanent incapacity
      • Claiming insurance from super
      • Death
    • Divorce and super
    • Insurance and super
    • Temporary resident departing Australia
  • In retirement
    • In retirement: A Super Guide
    • Retirement Calculators and Reckoners
      • Income from super Reckoner
      • Super to income Reckoner
      • Retirement age Reckoner
      • Age Pension calculator
      • Annual Minimum Pension Payment Calculator
    • Retirement phase (formerly called Pension phase)
      • How super is taxed
      • Types of super benefits
      • Transfer balance cap
      • Minimum pension payments rules
      • Franked dividends
      • Superannuation benefit payments tax
      • SMSF pensions
      • Transition-to-retirement pensions
    • Obtaining financial advice
    • Taking a super lump sum
    • Taking a super pension
      • Retirement phase
      • Types of super pensions
      • SMSF pensions
      • Transfer balance cap
      • Minimum super pension payments
      • Transition-to-retirement pensions
      • Defined benefit funds
      • Annuities
    • Age Pension rules
      • Latest Age Pension rates
      • Am I eligible for the Age Pension?
      • Age Pension age
      • How is the Age Pension assessed?
      • How do I apply for the Age Pension?
      • Age Pension assets test
      • Age Pension income test
      • Age Pension deeming rules
    • Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
    • Working in retirement
      • Turning 65 and super
      • Over-65s work test
      • Transition-to-retirement pensions
      • Age-based Super Guide
      • Age pension age
    • Life expectancy and super
    • Aged care
    • Estate planning
    • Superannuation death benefits
  • Saved articles

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