Articles by
Barbara Drury

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MySuper funds: What they are and who offers them
Default MySuper funds have been undergoing a makeover in recent years, with performance under the microscope and fees falling.
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How do I transfer a UK pension to an Australian super fund?
It can make sense to bring your UK pension funds home to Australia, but the process is far from straightforward. We explain how it’s done.
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What are lifecycle super funds, and how do they perform?
Lifecycle funds are designed to reduce risk as you near retirement without sacrificing returns; recent research shows many do just that but you need to know what to look for.
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Which SMSF expenses are tax deductible?
The expenses associated with running your own super fund can add up, so it’s important to understand which expenses you can, and can’t, claim as a tax deduction.
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Pension fund performance: Monthly returns to July 2025
Despite rising trade and geopolitical tensions, pension funds finished the financial year with another positive performance in June.
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Super fund performance reckoner: Monthly returns for 5 investment categories
In our reckoner below you can view the median monthly investment returns for 5 superannuation investment options going back to January 2016.
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Super fund performance: Monthly returns to July 2025
Super funds navigated wave after wave of uncertainty to deliver an extraordinary return of 10.5% in the year to June 30.
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Age Pension calculator (September 2025 update)
Our Age Pension calculator gives you an estimate of your potential Age Pension entitlements based on your situation, assets and income.
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Age Pension assets test rules (from September 2025)
This article details the rules and limits of the Age Pension assets test (how much your savings and other assets are worth), which is one half of the means test (along with the income test) that determines how much Age Pension you could be eligible for.
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Age Pension rates (September 2025 to March 2026)
Age Pension rates are rising again. Check the latest rates for singles, couples and transitional pensions and learn what you may be entitled to.
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Age Pension income test rules (from September 2025)
A common question for those nearing or in retirement is “How much can a pensioner earn before it affects the pension?”.
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Deeming rates (2025-26) and calculator for the Age Pension income test
On 20 August 2025 the government announced the first change to deeming rates since 1 May 2020 when rates were frozen at artificially low levels during COVID.
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My retirement diary (Part 6): Light at the end of the tunnel
In the final instalment of my retirement diary, I review my progress and set the date.
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What age should I retire?
There are no hard and fast rules around when you can retire, but there are practical issues to consider and money is just one of them.
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How to plan your spending through the 3 stages of retirement
Far from being one long holiday, retirement tends to be a tale in three acts, with different spending patterns along the way.
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Financial advice: What are the risks and benefits?
Quality, affordable advice can make an enormous difference to your retirement outcomes, but it pays to know how to sort the good from the bad and downright ugly practices.
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My retirement diary (Part 5): The psychology of retirement
With so much focus on having enough savings to retire, it’s easy to forget what it’s all for – living!
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Super fund mergers: What does it mean for members?
If your fund is involved in a merger, don’t panic. You could end up better off, but you do need to make sure your new fund is still a good fit.