Articles

Realise Your Dream

The Realise Your Dream blogs are written by Peter Kelly and Mark Teale.

Peter provides technical advice to financial advisers and accountants on superannuation, retirement planning and estate planning. He also has extensive knowledge in all aspects of self-managed superannuation funds and is a regular presenter at conferences, seminars and workshops. He is Manager; Technical Advice with Centrepoint Alliance Limited.

Mark has a great deal of experience, having worked for the Department of Social Security and Centrelink as a Financial Information Service Officer and Regional Manager for close to 25 years and for the last 15 years, he has worked for Centrepoint Alliance as Research, Paraplanning and Product Manager. He now works alongside PK as a Manager; Technical Advice part of the Centrepoint Technical team.

Naturally, his specialties lay in the areas of Aged Care, Centrelink and Veteran's Affairs and pushing people to realise that you are never too old to set yourself a challenge yourself.

22 October, 2020

The bane of my life

Anyone who knows me will know that I absolutely detest telemarketers – those people who phone me the very moment I sit down in front of my TV at the end of a long day at the office, to catch up on the latest from my favourite YouTube channels. I...

14 October, 2020

What is the Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card?

I am often asked what the Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card CSHC) is, what the benefits are for a card holder, and how to apply? The CSHC entitles you to access medications listed under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme at a cheaper rate. bulk-billed doctor visits if offered by your doctor), and...

07 October, 2020

Thoughts on the Federal Budget 2020-21

As has been my practice for more years than I care to remember, the night the Federal Budget is brought down will see me glued to my computer screen for more hours than any reasonable person would consider healthy. No, I am not watching the Treasurer’s budget speech online. I...

30 September, 2020

Unexpected expenses - be prepared

In preparing for my retirement, I have been very conscious of the need to understand exactly what my ongoing living expenses will be. What are the absolute necessary costs I have? Where might I be able to cut some costs? For example, will I really need a takeaway coffee every...

23 September, 2020

COVID Crunch time

Back in March 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic first came to Australian shores and the country went into lockdown, the Federal Government introduced a generous economic stimulus package that was designed to help business and individuals alike to weather the downturn. Terms like JobKeeper, JobSeeker and Coronavirus supplement became part...

09 September, 2020

Maximising non-concessional super contributions

One question that comes across my desk on an almost daily basis is “how much can my client contribute to super?” Of course, the answer to this question is not that simple as there are many moving parts that need to be considered. Things like: What type of contribution is...