he age pension is a great benefit that is almost essential to ensuring that many elderly Australians do not live in poverty. The pension in essence allows them to receive a constant income to cover the basic essentials of life throughout retirement.

It’s almost July already, and while the calendar year is half over, the 2014/2015 financial year is only just about to start. So, now is a great time to review your situation and make some changes to make the most of the next 12 months of the financial calendar. Here are some tips that should help you to improve your financial situation.

The Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) sector is the fastest growing part of the superannuation industry as many Australians are choosing the ‘do-it-yourself’ route of an SMSF rather than your more traditional personal superannuation accounts and platforms. If you are considering a SMSF there are a few things to consider…. Is my balance high enough?

Temporary Budget Repair Levy There was a lot of speculation before the budget was announced about the Government’s plan to have a short term levy to help fund some of the budget deficit. The levy has been announced as a 2% charge on taxable income over $180,000. While this will only affect a minority of Australians, it could affect some people who sell investment properties and have a once off significant capital gain and assessable income.

Two weeks ago, I attended a medicate specialist appointment with a neurologist to discuss a CT scan of my brain and check everything was ok.

I have 2 young boys aged 4 and 6 years old and some days they are the best of friends, and other times they can be the worlds worst enemies. Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder what happened on these bad days!