Keeping you informed and up to date.

The Federal Budget this week has announced that from 1 July 2025, the Age Pension qualifying age will continue to rise by six months every two years, from the qualifying age of 67 years that will apply by that time, to gradually reach a qualifying age of 70 years by 1 July 2035. Check out…

Join Olivia on Nine News tonight talking about the impact on the Federal Budget.  Headline story with Laurie Oakes and Ross Greenwood.       To read more about the budget changes click here Olivia Maragna is the co-founder of Aspire Retire Financial Services and was awarded the Australian 2012 AFA Adviser of the Year. Olivia’s advice is general in…

There is $18 billion dollars of lost super in Australia. Ever wondered how much lost super is in your post code?  Check out your suburb below Postcode State No. of accounts Value of   accounts Average Balance 4000 QLD 2,617 $17,150,478.85 $6,553.49 4001 QLD 774 $4,240,050.11 $5,478.10 4002 QLD 15 $158,481.02 $10,565.40 4003 QLD 5 $525,446.09…

The sobering fact is that women are still not paid equally to their male counterparts, women’s super balances are falling way behind men’s and nine out of 10 Australian women don’t have enough super to fund their retirement. With 40 per cent less super than men, it’s no surprise that women are 2.5 times more…

Identity theft is a growing problem in Australia, with estimates that it costs over $1.5 billion a year. While we see regular warnings regarding email scams and the potential damage they can do, there are several other less advanced but no less effective means for thieves to steal your identity. Your details are on everything…

There is $18 billion dollars of lost super in Australia. Ever wondered how much lost super is in your post code?  Check out your suburb below Postcode State No. of accounts Value of   accounts Average Balance 1000 NSW 9 $38,043.40 $4,227.04 1001 NSW 41 $3,137.31 $76.52 1005 NSW 1 $24,173.07 $24,173.07 1006 NSW 1 $420.72…

There is $18 billion dollars of lost super in Australia. Ever wondered how much lost super is in your post code?  Check out your suburb below Postcode State No. of accounts Value of   accounts Average Balance 200 ACT 26 $655,672.53 $25,218.17 211 ACT 1 $2,844.10 $2,844.10 214 ACT 5 $17,386.87 $3,477.37 219 ACT 1 $1,119.44…

The phrase ‘time poor’ is used freely nowadays to describe our busy lives. However, if you’re a successful executive, your workload alone can mean finding time to manage your own financial affairs can be seriously challenging. Having a strong income is undoubtedly a huge benefit in terms of living today, but executives often don’t realise…

A new change in the way that superannuation pensions are treated by Centrelink is coming!   Expected to start on January 1, 2015, the change has the potential to affect up to 28 per cent of full age pensioners and 69 per cent of part-pensioners who are income tested under Centrelink’s Age Pensions rules, saving the…

Australia’s population will both grow strongly and become older according to research released by the Government.  Such slow but profound shifts in the nature of a society do not elicit the same scrutiny as immediate policy issues. The preferable time to contemplate the implications is while these near-inevitable trends are still in their infancy. Population…

Self managed super funds (SMSFs) are growing at a rapid pace in Australia, with latest statistics from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) revealing that there are more than 509,000 SMSFs with nearly 964,000 members. These numbers have continued to trend in an upwards direction, increasing from June 2012 when there were nearly 476,000 SMSFs and…

Olivia Maragna has won the inaugural Money Management/Super Review Women in Finance Services Awards’ Financial Planner of the Year Award. Now in the tenth year of owning and running her own practice, Aspire Retire, Maragna started her career in accounting and worked in large accounting and wealth management firms before founding Aspire Retire. This business…