Retirement planning Sydney

Yes, our Sydney retirement advisors can calculate how much super you need by looking closely at your financial situation, your current retirement savings, and the kind of lifestyle you want in retirement. We then show you how different strategies can help you make informed decisions so you can achieve your retirement goals and feel confident that you’ll have enough to ensure a comfortable retirement.

Once we’ve covered the basics, we’ll explore the details that make every client’s plan unique. For some people, this might mean balancing their super with property income or business sale proceeds. For others, it might be about adjusting contributions in the last few working years to build a stronger balance. Our job is to make planning for retirement straightforward and practical, without overwhelming you with jargon.

To give you a clearer picture, we break the process down into the key factors that shape your ideal retirement:

• We assess your expected living expenses and lifestyle goals so that your retirement plan reflects how you actually want to live.
  
  
• We project how long your super and other assets are likely to last under different market conditions.
  
  
• We explain how government support, like the Age Pension, can supplement your savings.
  
  
• We outline strategies to manage tax effectively so you keep more of your money working for you.
  
  

By combining this analysis with ongoing reviews, our Sydney financial advisors make sure your retirement strategy keeps pace with changes in your life and the broader economy.

Yes, our Sydney retirement advisors can guide you through the choice to downsize by acting as a retirement consultant who takes the time to understand your personal circumstances, long-term retirement expenses, and vision for your future lifestyle. It is important to choose a path that fits both your finances and your well-being at your retirement age.

Benefits of downsizing

• Selling a larger home can free up capital that strengthens superannuation or investment balances.
• A smaller property often reduces maintenance costs, utilities, and other ongoing retirement expenses.
• Downsizer contributions may allow you to put more into super, boosting tax efficiency.

Considerations before downsizing

• The emotional cost of leaving a long-held family home can be significant.
• Transaction costs such as stamp duty and moving expenses may reduce the net benefit.
• Relocating could disrupt established routines or support networks.

Because every decision involves trade-offs, we design a plan that is tailored to your needs. That way, you can feel confident your property choice supports both your financial security and the retirement lifestyle you want to build.

Tax planning plays a central role in retirement, and sound financial advice helps you structure your super, investments, and income in a way that minimises tax while still meeting your lifestyle goals. Without clear planning advice, many people risk paying more tax than necessary or missing opportunities that can make a significant difference to their long-term retirement outcomes.

Because retirement often involves complex financial decisions, the strategies are rarely one-size-fits-all. A planning specialist will look at how your super is taxed before and after you retire, whether to keep certain assets inside super, and how to draw income tax-effectively. When making an investment decision, tax can be just as important as the choice of asset, because it shapes how much you actually keep in your pocket.

Beyond super, tax planning also applies to property sales and business exits. If you are a business owner, for example, you may be eligible for concessions that significantly reduce the capital gains tax on a sale. The same principle applies to personal investments, where the timing of a disposal can affect how much tax you pay. By working with an advisor who understands the financial services industry, you can structure these events in a way that preserves more of your wealth for retirement.

At the same time, every financial product you use comes with obligations. A financial services guide sets out how advice is provided, and a product disclosure statement explains the risks, costs, and benefits of an investment. Reviewing these documents in detail is part of ensuring that your investments meet both regulatory requirements and your personal objectives. This careful approach means you not only stay compliant but also maximise the tax advantages available to you in retirement.

Our Sydney retirement advisors specialise in helping business owners transition from running a company to enjoying life after a sale. We’re experienced financial professionals who understand both the technical tax rules and the personal side of stepping away from a business. The goal is to create a comprehensive retirement plan that protects your wealth, supports financial independence, and helps you secure your future.

Here is how we typically approach it:

1. Preparing for the sale:
   We review your personal and business finances early so that the transaction is structured to minimise tax and set you up for success.
2. Managing capital gains tax:
   We guide you through concessions such as the ATO’s small business retirement exemption, which can significantly reduce the tax payable when you sell.
3. Investing the proceeds:
   Once the sale is complete, we provide tailored solutions to help you invest the proceeds wisely, ensuring your investments meet both your income needs and long-term growth objectives.
4. Planning your lifestyle:
   For some, a sale may open the door to early retirement; for others, it might mean funding a new venture or supporting the next generation. We design strategies that help you achieve the lifestyle you want.
5. Succession and family considerations:
   We work with you to manage wealth transfer, protect assets, and maintain family harmony as part of your overall retirement strategy.

By combining these steps, we aim to maximise your retirement outcomes and provide peace of mind that the wealth you’ve built through your business continues to support the next chapter of your life.

As you get closer to finishing work, market risk matters more because you’ve got less time to recover if there’s a downturn. Our Sydney retirement advisors focus on investing for retirement in a way that lines up with your stage of the retirement journey. We look at your financial goals and make sure the strategy is achievable, so you can move into retirement with confidence.

A lot of people carry around ideas about risk that don’t really hold up in practice. Here are a few we often hear:

Yes, we do this all the time. A lot of retirees in Sydney want to know how they can hold on to their investments and still qualify for the Age Pension. The rules are complicated, but when you get personalised financial advice that’s based on your unique circumstances, it becomes a lot clearer. Our role is to give advice to clients that’s genuinely in their best interests, and to line it up with their long-term retirement aspirations.

People usually come in with the same set of questions, so let’s run through a few.

“What happens if I’ve got too much in super?”

The Age Pension is means-tested, so yes, your super balance matters. But how you draw it down makes a difference, too. When you consult with a financial advisor, you can see options for structuring your income so you don’t accidentally lock yourself out of support.

“Will my investments cut my payment back to nothing?”

Not necessarily. Some assets are counted more heavily than others, and the thresholds shift depending on whether you’re single or part of a couple. We break that down for you so you can make informed decisions about what to keep, what to shift, and how to plan ahead.

“Isn’t all of this just general advice?”

There’s plenty of general advice floating around, but it won’t tell you how the rules hit your specific situation. That’s why tailored planning advice matters — we look at your numbers, your goals, and the way you want to live, then map out the options that fit.

In the end, it’s about making the system work for you. The advice provided isn’t cookie-cutter — it’s practical guidance that helps you balance investments and entitlements so you get the most out of retirement.

The way we handle this is by making sure every client gets a plan that can move with them. Our Sydney retirement advisors create a personalised strategy that’s built around your needs and goals, not just a fixed template. That way, if life throws up surprises, you’ve got room to adjust and still secure your financial future.

Take one client we worked with recently. They came in saying they want to retire at 62. We set out a path that made sense for their savings, investments, and lifestyle. Two years later, there was a health issue that meant they needed to slow down earlier than expected. Because the plan wasn’t rigid, we were able to rebalance their investments, bring forward part of their super drawdown, and map out options for part-time work. What could have been a stressful moment turned into a manageable shift — they’re still on track for a fulfilling retirement, just on a slightly different timeline.

That’s the real value of professional advice. It isn’t about predicting every twist and turn; it’s about having a plan that can bend without breaking. When you work with wealth management advisors in Sydney, you get strategies that evolve as your circumstances do. And if you’re not sure when to begin, the best answer is simple: start planning today.

The difference comes down to focus. A general planner can give you broad advice, but our Sydney retirement advisors work every day with people preparing for their retirement years. That means the strategies we suggest are designed to personalise your plan, maximise your options, and protect your financial future.

Think about it this way. A general planner might look at your financial needs today and suggest products that seem to fit. By contrast, our financial advisors in Sydney build a comprehensive retirement plan that considers how your income, investments, and superannuation need to support you for decades.

Another difference is the lens we use. We’re not just looking at returns — we’re mapping out how those choices shape your retirement lifestyle. That means working backwards from what you want your life to look like, and then structuring the money to get you there.

Finally, the way we deliver advice is practical. We slow things down before making any decision, so you know how each option affects your retirement dreams. The aim is simple: to help you achieve your dream retirement with confidence.