$700,000 to retire comfortably as a couple? For plenty of Australians that number sounds either reassuring or impossible, and the truth depends on the assumptions hiding underneath it. We break down the ASFA Retirement Standard and translate it into the everyday costs retirees actually face, from groceries and utilities to cars, holidays, and the difference between a modest retirement and a comfortable one. 

We also tackle the question people ask when they’re over work: what if I want to retire at 60, not 67? We talk through the “gap years” before the Age Pension kicks in, and the practical ways to fund them, including easing into retirement, using a transition to retirement pension, or drawing on super earlier with a clear plan. Along the way we cover the boring-but-critical foundations like clearing debt, creating surplus cash flow, and building two buckets of wealth inside and outside superannuation. 

Listener questions take us into the details that can save you real money: tax-deductible concessional contributions, what’s actually refundable for low-income earners, and whether it makes sense to live off cash first and preserve super. We also dig into the big emotional one: property and retirement planning, including when holding an investment property helps, when selling and contributing to super might improve long-term income, and why SMSF property borrowing can be complicated with small balances. 

If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with someone planning retirement, and leave us a review so more Australians can find the show. What’s the one decision you’re stuck on right now: your retirement age, your super balance, or your property plan?

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