Meet Brett and Kylie* – a couple in their early-mid 60s, who recently sold their small business to retire.

When Brett and Kylie first contacted us for advice, they had just sold their small business. They had a very clear goal: to enjoy a happy and comfortable retirement, and to spend the kids’ inheritance!

They also wanted to:

• Maintain their great quality of life in retirement – they don’t want to run out of money or feel that they need to skimp and save during this phase of life
• Remove some of the administrative burden – despite commencing retirement, they felt busier than ever, and wanted to leverage the help of a trusted professional
• Offload their commercial property investment, which was adding to the admin load, and transition their wealth into investments that are easier to manage
• Gain clarity regarding how their finances are arranged, and have the confidence to make the right financial decisions for this new phase of life

As Financial Advisers, we work with each client to develop a strategy that supports their goals. Given Brett and Kylie’s priorities, we built a plan for them that included:

• An impactful and diversified investment strategy that reflected their desire for simplicity, whilst also being effective and recognising their risk appetite
• A change to their superannuation structure, not only reducing costs, but significantly lowering the time and complexity involved in managing it
• Maximised opportunities for tax efficiencies within their superannuation
• A reviewed Estate Plan (in conjunction with their solicitor)

Importantly, through our work together, we were able to instil in Brett and Kylie the essential knowledge and confidence they needed to enjoy their retirement without money worries.

From a wealth perspective, the key highlights of Brett and Kylie’s tailored financial plan include:

• We failed to help these clients spend their kids inheritance!
• Instead, these clients have a projected improvement in their usable asset position of $1,500,000 at the age of ~90 (on top of their home). This is in stark contrast to the trajectory they were on when they first contacted us, which would have seen them running out of money in their earlier 80s, resulting in the need to curb spending or downsize their home, neither of which they wanted to do.
• A $13,000 per annum tax saving as a result of using the superannuation system to its fullest. Given their life expectancies, this represents roughly $200,000 savings on tax.
• Lower tax on the eventual inheritance of their adult children, as a result of the changes to their Estate Plan and careful management of superannuation components

However as always, our role as Financial Advisers goes beyond just the money. Seeing Brett and Kylie enjoy a boost in their confidence, and gain peace of mind, is very rewarding. These clients are now comfortable knowing that they can live the life they want, whilst maintaining a solid financial cushion and not having to worry about spending money. Often we meet with clients who are so used to having to save and accumulate money, they are very reluctant to then spend the money in retirement. Part of our job is to give clients the confidence they are financially secure so they can enjoy their money. Brett and Kylie have also freed up valuable time and mental space, and have renewed enthusiasm for this next chapter.

If you want to understand how independent financial advice can help you achieve your goals in retirement, please don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule a cost and obligation free conversation with our of our Advisers. We’d be delighted to help.

* Client name changed to protect confidentiality

Any information in this article is general in nature and does not consider any of your personal objectives, financial situation and needs. It is as intended, to be of a general nature only and NOT a recommendation to you. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek personal advice from a registered financial adviser.