The first (and most important) thing we do with our clients is to develop a big-picture strategy that is aimed at meeting their retirement goals sooner, more easily and with less stress. This strategy considers all aspects of your financial affairs so that they can be optimised in the lead up to retirement.

For many, retirement planning isn’t actually about stopping work, but instead about knowing that there is enough money available that they can pursue other interests. This may mean working less, switching jobs, or unpaid work, for example. It is important that you have a personalised financial plan in place that considers your priorities on this front, whatever they are.

As clients’ approach or enter retirement, we help them to understand and maximise their various income sources, such as investment incomes, pensions and annuities. Often we work with clients to explore generation of passive income to support their lifestyle goals, which can involve revised investment strategies to support a new stage of life.

During retirement, investment strategies need to strike the right balance between income needs and longevity needs – it is important to not only have enough money, but for that money to last for an appropriate amount of time. We help to identify appropriate investment strategies for clients, and to diversify their portfolios adequately to manage risk and maximise outcomes.

Most people don’t want to spend their retirement years with complexity in their lives. We work with clients to find a solution that meets their needs on this front, which often includes investment strategies that provide the required returns, without the hassle/headaches of unnecessary complexity.

Many clients come to us wanting an investment strategy after selling a business or property. We specialise in working with our clients after these asset sales, or other liquidity events, to ensure that the proceeds can be optimised to support their retirement priorities.

Clients planning for retirement are often in the position of needing or wanting to support their adult children (and their children), as well as their own elderly parents. We work with clients to balance their priorities of supporting family whilst also achieving their own personal financial and lifestyle objectives.

Clients often want advice regarding the level of lifestyle they can afford in retirement. We work with clients to help maximise their financial position to enjoy retirement, and to understand their retirement budget in detail.

We provide advice around all aspects of superannuation as our clients plan for retirement, including when to move to pension phase, choice of fund, and how to maximise benefits. Of course, for clients who are still a way off retiring, we work with them to determine how much should be contributed to superannuation to support a comfortable retirement in the years ahead.

For clients who are starting to prepare for retirement in the coming 5-10 years, we help to develop transition to retirement strategies. The priority is typically maximising wealth for retirement. Taking into account our clients’ priorities and risk tolerance, we determine the appropriate strategies, including consideration of superannuation contribution plans and investment structures.

Estate planning is important to ensure your beneficiaries are looked after. Key priorities often include how to protect assets, and how to ensure a smooth transfer of wealth when the time comes. We consider the financial aspects of your estate planning, but often also project manage the entire estate planning process on behalf of our clients by working with an appropriate Solicitor to ensure both financial and legal aspects are considered.

Another key priority for clients at this stage of life is ensuring that money can be earned in the most tax efficient way. It is important to ensure that investments are structured appropriately to optimise your portfolio’s after-tax returns. Our approach ensures that clients take advantage of a range of opportunities to minimise unnecessary taxes and risks within their portfolio.

As you get close to retirement age, the need for personal insurance must be weighed up against the cost of the insurance. We provide advice to clients regarding what (if any) personal insurance is relevant to their situation. As independent advisers who receive no commission, including on insurance products, we are well placed to provide advice that best supports your interests.