3 September 2026

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Why have Australian living standards 'fallen' and how do we fix it?Will you run out of money in retirement?Four options for an income investor’s next dollar The investment that sidesteps the new tax traps Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 672 with weekend update

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Home / Author: Deborah Ralston

Deborah Ralston

Ralston responds on super balances of older Australians

Many retirees lack the knowledge and confidence to spend their savings, resulting in a lesser quality of retirement. There is also poor understanding about access to health, aged care, tax benefits and concessions.

Deborah Ralston
21 April 2021
24

Ralston on accessing equity in the family home

A member of the Retirement Income Review explains the focus on home equity. For homeowners at retirement, homes represent three to four times as much wealth as superannuation, but the average age at which mortgages are paid out has increased from 52 to 62.

Deborah Ralston
31 March 2021
17

Designing a world-class post-retirement system

Australia has an opportunity to build a world-class decumulation system that gives individuals security and flexibility in retirement, but it's different from the accumulation phase (republished from 2013).

Deborah Ralston
23 October 2019
1

Labor franking policy will change behaviour

Labor thinks disallowing excess franking will generate billions of dollars of additional revenues, but there is growing evidence that behaviour changes will severely limit the amount raised.

Deborah Ralston
23 January 2019
65

Three key retirement factors other than super

Retirement planning is more than superannuation. No use having lots of money if health is poor, and eventually, most of us will face the need for aged care. And don't ignore home equity release when cash is needed.

Deborah Ralston, Jeremy Duffield
27 October 2016
2

Superannuation and the budget (written pre-budget)

The quality of life for retirees and future tax-payers will rest on achieving a fiscal balance between supporting the aspiration of more self-reliant retirees and the continuation of a strong social safety net.

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Latest Updates

Retirement

Why spending more in early retirement can improve lifetime income

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.

David Knox
2 September 2026

SMSF strategies

Who really loses from the SMSF borrowing ban?

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.

Dr Ruchith Dissanayake, Dr Ama Samarasinghe
2 September 2026

Investment strategies

The investing rule that explains the next market crash

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.

Shani Jayamanne
2 September 2026

Investment strategies

Gold: should you own the metal or the miners?

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.

David Tuckwell
2 September 2026

Fixed interest

Global bonds markets are hiccupping

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.

Michael Collins
2 September 2026

Property

Why investors are looking beyond traditional property sectors

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?

Steve Bennett, Sasanka Liyanage
2 September 2026

Retirement

Retirement in reality - 6 months in

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.

Dr Joanne Earl
2 September 2026

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