46 articles
Strategies, guides and expert commentary on building and protecting your financial future.
View our Financial Planning service →An account-based pension turns your super into a regular retirement income. How the minimum drawdown rates work, why the payments are tax-free from 60, the $2.1 million transfer balance cap, and what makes the balance last.
Read article →The ASFA Retirement Standard puts a dollar figure on a comfortable and a modest retirement. Here are the current numbers, what sits behind them, and how to read them for your own plan.
When can you get to your super, and how much can you take? A plain guide to preservation age, conditions of release, transition to retirement and the tax on withdrawals.
Selling the family home can free up capital and top up your super through the downsizer contribution. Here's what downsizing really frees up, the costs that eat into it, and the Age Pension catch.
Most large super funds give members advice at no extra cost, and a lot of it is very good. It's also bounded, for reasons that have nothing to do with quality. Here's where the line sits, how to tell which side of it your question falls on, and what the proposed advice reforms would change.
Australians are living longer, but not all of those extra years are healthy ones. Here's why retirement plans built only around life expectancy miss the years that matter most financially.
Most people set their super up once and never look at it again. A short annual review of fees, insurance, investment option and consolidation can be worth tens of thousands of dollars by retirement.
Aged care fees now run on two different systems depending on entry date. Here's what the basic daily fee, hotelling contribution and non-clinical care contribution cost, how the family home is assessed, and when to get advice before signing a resident agreement.
Supporting adult children and ageing parents at the same time puts your own retirement at the back of the queue. Here's how to structure support for both without quietly running down your own super.
Most Australians who have changed jobs a few times have super sitting somewhere they've forgotten. Finding it takes about ten minutes through myGov. Deciding whether to consolidate it takes a little more thought.
TPD insurance pays a lump sum if illness or injury stops you working again. Whether it pays depends almost entirely on which definition your policy uses, and most people don't know which one they have.
A defined benefit fund pays a lump sum or a pension set by a formula (often a generous one), not by an account balance. These schemes are often confusing to members and inexperienced advisors, with variations in how the money is taxed, how much of it counts against the caps, what happens when you die, and which retirement decisions can never be undone.
A genuine redundancy payment is partly tax free, and the tax-free slice grows with every completed year of service. Here's how the limit is calculated, how the balance is taxed, and what the payout means for super and the year's tax return.
Goals, position, cash flow, strategy, protection, structure, investment, estate. Here's what each part of a financial plan involves, and why the order you work through them matters more than the products you end up holding.
An index fund buys the whole market and charges very little for it. Here's how index investing works, how ETFs differ, and why an ASX-only index fund is less diversified than owning 200 companies suggests.
An investment bond pays tax on its own earnings at 30% and, held for ten years, pays out with nothing to declare. Division 296 and the legislated CGT changes have narrowed what super and personally held investments do better.
Rising prices and the Budget's negative gearing and CGT changes have shifted how parents can help adult children into a home. Here are the practical ways to help, and how to do each one without creating a family problem.
Australians reported $2.18 billion in scam losses in 2025 (ACCC), up 7.8% on 2024. Investment scams alone accounted for $838 million. Take our 8-question quiz to test what you'd spot.
The three questions that tell you whether you're on track for the retirement you actually want, and the practical steps to close the gap if you're not.
Brisbane's economy has its own character, and good advice reflects that. Here's what a local financial planner actually does, what it costs, when it's worth seeing one, and how a Newstead-based team with national depth behind it works day to day.
The question every Australian eventually asks. ASFA benchmarks, the rule of 25, what a couple really needs, retiring early at 50 or 55, and how the Age Pension changes the maths.
Median and target super balances by decade, from your 30s to your 60s, plus what to do if you're behind. Australian 2026 benchmarks.
Your 50s are the decade with the highest impact on how well you retire. Ten things worth getting right now, from super catch-up to estate planning.
The government has confirmed testamentary discretionary trusts will keep their tax-advantaged status. Here's what that means, why these structures are one of the most powerful estate planning tools available, and who should consider one.
Trauma insurance pays a lump sum on serious illness like cancer, heart attack or stroke. Here's what it covers, how it differs from income protection and TPD, and a real client story showing why it matters.
Your super doesn't automatically flow to your estate or follow your will. Here's who can receive it, how it's taxed, and the strategies that can reduce the tax burden on your loved ones.
Division 296 adds an extra layer of tax to superannuation balances above $3 million from 1 July 2026. Here's what it means, who it affects, and why the year to 30 June 2027 is the window to plan.
Salary sacrificing into super is one of the most tax-effective strategies available to Australian employees. Here's what can be sacrificed, what the tax saving looks like at different incomes, and the traps that catch people out.
The 2026 budget left SMSF capital gains tax rules untouched while reforming individual CGT from 1 July 2027. How SMSF CGT works and why the gap is widening.
Debt recycling isn't a single strategy. It has variations from plain vanilla to property-with-a-trust. A guide to the main approaches and where each one fits.
The 2026–27 Budget represents a meaningful shift in Australia's tax system, with a focus on improving housing affordability, rebalancing tax concessions, and cost-of-living relief.
With interest rates at elevated levels, achieving financial success may seem challenging. However, there are strategies that remain effective regardless of market conditions. One such strategy is Debt Recycling.
With the start of a new year, many of us take time to reflect on what we've achieved and what we want the year ahead to look like. Whether you're running a busi
With more than $4 trillion in superannuation, scammers see it as a goldmine. ASIC has warned of a rise in pushy sales tactics and false promises. Here's how to keep your nest egg safe.
Share markets at home and abroad posted strong returns last quarter. Discover what's shaping investment markets and what it means for you.
Dr Riley Moynes' TEDx research identifies four distinct psychological phases most people experience in retirement. Worth understanding before you reach that milestone.
Research from Russell Investments shows professional financial guidance boosts confidence, clarity and results. 89% of advised clients feel more confident about their finances.
Global share markets delivered robust returns in 2024–25, driven by falling inflation, central bank rate cuts, and surprising economic resilience. Here's what it means for investors.
Debt recycling is one of the most powerful wealth-building strategies available to Australian homeowners, yet it's widely misunderstood. This guide explains how it works, who it suits, and the risks you need to understand.
Australia's Super Guarantee (SG) rate is 12% and stays there. From 1 July 2026 it's paid every payday, on a broader earnings base called Qualifying Earnings. See the full SG rate history, what changes for employees and employers under Payday Super, and how to keep salary sacrifice inside the concessional cap.
Income protection and total and permanent disability cover both protect you if you can't work, but they work in completely different ways. Getting the right mix is one of the most important financial decisions you can make.
AGS Financial Group is pleased to welcome experienced Sydney-based financial planner Frank Martino to the AGS family, effective 3 February 2025.
A surprising number of Australians don't have a valid will — and those who do often lack the other documents that complete an effective estate plan. Here's what you actually need and why each document matters.
The debate between property and shares dominates dinner table conversations about investing. The honest answer is that the question itself is usually the wrong one. Here's how to think about it properly.
How much does a financial planner cost in Australia? Typically $3,000–$8,000 for a full plan, or $300–$600/hour advice-only. Here's what each fee model covers.
Worked in the UK? Take action now on National Insurance to enhance your State Pension entitlements.
Book a free initial consultation with an AGS adviser. No obligation, just an honest conversation.
— Get started
Book a free initial discussion with an AGS adviser. No obligation, no jargon, just a clear picture of where you are and how we can help.
