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3 September 2026
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Australians are used to hearing dire warnings that they don't have enough saved for a comfortable retirement. Yet most people need to save a lot less than you might think — as long as they meet an important condition.
The Grattan Institute argues that superannuation has moved so far beyond the purpose of providing income in retirement that the super tax breaks will do little more than boost the inheritances of wealthy people.
Super counts for only 20% of the wealth of Australians. For retirement incomes, most younger people today will still receive most of their income from the age pension when they retire in three decades’ time.
Most Australians are comfortable in retirement provided they own their homes. We’re failing retirees who rent but we also need to include more of the family home in the pension assets test.
Grattan has released a response to the above Mercer critique, with this short summary of their position and the longer paper attached. The coming retirement review will need to cope with such diversity of opinions.
Economic growth and interest rates affect housing prices, but political decisions around zoning, migration, and taxes are also strong influences. Overall, the current climate suggests a much slower growth in house prices.
Conventional wisdom encourages retirees to preserve superannuation. But if those likely to qualify for the Age Pension later in life spend a little more today, it may deliver higher lifetime income and a more stable retirement.
The ban on borrowing to buy residential property inside a self-managed super fund was framed as closing a loophole for the wealthy. Yet ATO data suggests its effects may be felt more heavily on members with moderate balances.
What if investment success depends less on picking the right assets and more on understanding the decisions of other investors? A principle borrowed from game theory offers a different perspective on markets.
Gold is back in the headlines but investors may be asking the wrong question. Before deciding where prices are headed next, it's worth considering whether the investment you choose will deliver the outcome you're actually seeking.
For decades, investors looked the other way as government debt ballooned. But a reckoning may be beginning. Bond markets are stirring and the consequences could reach far beyond markets into everyday life.
A little-known corner of the property market may be quietly benefiting from powerful demographic and healthcare trends. Could this specialised sector offer investors something increasingly difficult to find: enduring demand?
Is retirement really an identity crisis, or is something else at play? New insights challenge conventional thinking and reveal why some retirees struggle to fully embrace life after work.