When we hear the phrase peer pressure , most of us picture a playground dare or a group of teenagers urging someone to do something reckless. It feels loud, obvious, and easy to spot. The truth is that peer pressure does not disappear when you grow up. It grows up with you. As an adult, peer pressure rarely shouts. It whispers. It appears when everyone around you seems to be hitting milestones on a timeline you never agreed to, when coworkers normalise burnout and call it amb

When you think about building wealth, you may picture investments, property and superannuation. But there’s another critical element: insurance. It’s the silent partner in your financial strategy, quietly working behind the scenes to protect everything you’ve built. Strategic asset allocation is the hallmark of a robust wealth plan, using diverse holdings to build long-term financial success. Yet, defending a portfolio against unforeseen events and ensuring a smooth estate tr

How your super is affected if your marriage or relationship breaks down. Overview If your relationship with your spouse ends, you should be aware of what can happen to the super entitlements of you both. The Family Court and super-splitting laws generally enable super interests (accounts in super funds) or super payments (pensions or annuities) to be split by agreement or court order if a relationship breaks down. There are options for splitting super depending on whether you

The Federal Government increased the Age Pension from 20 March 2026, alongside a gradual rise in deeming rates. Advocacy group COTA Australia says the pension boost will offer relief, but warns updated deeming assumptions may not reflect the realities facing all older Australians. From 20 March 2026, around 2.5 million Australians receiving the Age Pension saw an increase to their payments. At the same time, the Federal Government confirmed that deeming rates will rise by 0.5

Discover ways to answer the common question ‘How much do I need to retire? Learn about retirement costs How much retirement costs depends on what you want out of retirement, and your individual needs and circumstances. The lifestyle you want may look different to another person's, so your living costs will be different. For example, you might prioritise travel, whilst your friends want to stay close to the grandchildren at home. However, there are ways to get an overview of w

If you are trying to get ahead financially, it can sometimes feel harder than it should be. You budget, you plan, and you do your best, yet real progress in paying down debt and building significant savings can feel painfully slow. While managing expenses is important, there is another side of the equation that often makes the biggest difference. Increasing how much you earn. There is only so much you can financially cut back before it starts to affect your quality of life. Y

Stopping work is a big shift – especially when you haven’t planned for it. Why you might face a sudden retirement Only one-third of Australians retire because they’ve reached retirement age. For many, retirement happens earlier than they expect due to events outside their control. These can include: Job loss or redundancy: some people are forced to retire when they lose their job and can’t find another, or if their business closes Caring responsibilities: people may stop w

How investors are being duped by unscrupulous operators In late December the Australian Securities & Investments Commission issued a warning to investors on so-called ‘pump and dump’ operators – unscrupulous actors who start rumours about small cap securities to inflate the share price in the hope of making a quick profit. ASIC noted there had been a notable rise in reports to it by concerned investors. “ASIC is warning the public to be vigilant about widespread, coordinated

Tax Office data shows fewer people used its super scheme in 2024-25 Introduced in 2018, the home downsizer scheme allows eligible Australians aged 55 and older to contribute up to $300,000 from the sale of their home into superannuation, outside of normal annual contribution caps. The idea was simple: improve retirement incomes while freeing up larger homes for younger families. For eligible couples, up to $600,000 can be taken from their total home proceeds and split equally

Superannuation tax rules are changing again and there are implications for those with very large balances as well as those on lower incomes. In a nutshell, the new plans include: more targeted tax rules for people with very large super balances extra support for low-income earners who contribute to super indexation (automatic increases) to make sure the tax thresholds keep up with inflation the removal of the proposed tax on unrealised gains The new super tax rules will begin