$80,000 a year, tax-free, just to live “comfortably” after work? That headline number can feel like a punch in the guts, especially when you open your super statement and realise you’re not close. We sit down with superannuation specialist Marco Millardo to break down what sits behind the ASFA Retirement Standard, why the cost of a comfortable retirement is rising with inflation, and how those annual spending targets translate into the lump sums people talk about (around $730,000 for couples and $630,000 for singles under common assumptions).

From there, we get practical. We walk through how to build a retirement budget that actually matches your life, using your current spending as the base, then checking it against tools on the ASFA site and the government’s MoneySmart calculators. We also talk about the “retirement spending curve”: why the first five to ten years can be the biggest spending window, why many retirees underspend out of fear, and how planning in stages can reduce anxiety without cutting joy.

We answer listener questions on transition to retirement, including the 10% annual draw cap and the easy-to-miss tax detail that it’s not automatically in a tax-free environment. We also tackle the big issues that change everything: renting versus owning, mortgage pay-down versus investing, aged care and nursing home costs, and how the age pension can affect the gap you need to fund.

If you’re 50+ and doing the mental maths right now, this is a calm, numbers-based reset. Subscribe, share with someone who’s planning their retirement, and leave us a review so more Australians can find the help they need.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Your super balance drops in a fortnight and suddenly every headline feels louder. We sit with that gut-level anxiety and break down what’s actually happening when markets wobble, whether it’s conflict-driven fear, tech disruption, or the messy overlap of both. Then we slow the whole thing down and rebuild the decision-making from first principles: markets fall sometimes, recoveries can arrive quickly, and your time horizon matters more than today’s number on the screen.

We talk practical investor strategy for market volatility without pretending there’s one perfect move. We walk through what a “balanced” portfolio tends to experience versus an all-shares approach, why diversification across cash, term deposits, bonds and other defensive assets can soften the ride, and how an all-weather portfolio is designed to behave when things go bad. If you’re using a super fund option, we explain what you’re relying on the fund to do. If you’re advised, we outline what your adviser should already have built in.

From there we lay out three clear pathways when you feel uneasy: hold tight with quality holdings, reduce risk by selling the weakest positions in stages, or upgrade portfolio quality while staying invested. A caller shares a smarter way to review performance across 12 months and five years, plus how dollar cost averaging can turn volatility into a calmer contribution plan. We also cover sequencing risk for people approaching retirement, and finish with a crucial superannuation question about nominated beneficiaries, estates, and the tax treatment of death benefits.

If this helped you think more clearly about your next move, subscribe, share it with a mate who’s stressing about their super, and leave a review. What’s the one rule you wish you’d learned earlier about investing through market shocks?

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Total control over your super sounds empowering, right up until you realise you are also the trustee, the compliance manager and the last line of defence against mistakes. We sit down with superannuation specialist Marco Millardo to unpack what self-managed super funds (SMSFs) really are, why Australians set them up, and why plenty of people later decide to wind them down.

We talk through the practical stuff most brochures skip: typical set-up and running costs, why fixed admin and audit fees can hurt smaller balances, and how SMSF insurance often lacks the buying power of group cover in an industry fund. We also dig into the unglamorous reality of being responsible for every decision and every signature, plus the growing risk of scams and illegal early access when you control the bank account.

Listener questions take us into the tricky corners: rolling an SMSF into another fund, managing “lumpy” assets like property, paying expenses correctly, and coping with minimum pension drawdown rules as you age. Marco also explains why defined benefit super funds can be worth their weight in gold, what to think about before giving one up, how SMSF borrowing works via an LRBA, and the tax traps that can hit adult children through non-dependent death benefit tax.

If you are weighing up an SMSF, already running one, or wondering when it is time to simplify, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a mate who loves spreadsheets, and leave us a review with your biggest SMSF question.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Retirement can feel like a single scary number, but the real work is more practical: knowing what you own, how it earns (or doesn’t), and how you will turn it into income you can actually live on. We walk through the “review phase” of a Transition to Retirement plan and why superannuation is only part of the picture. Alongside your super balance, we look at investment assets like shares, cash, term deposits and property, then stress-test them for liquidity, costs, and whether they make sense once pay slips stop.

We also zoom out to the structures that quietly shape your financial life in Australia. If you have a trust, a company, or an SMSF, we talk about when those structures are still useful and when they are just extra complexity you may want to wind down before retirement. From there, the conversation turns to estate planning: wills, powers of attorney, and super beneficiary nominations. We explain the difference between binding and non-binding nominations, and why super and trusts can sit outside your estate unless the paperwork is set up properly.

Listener questions take us into the rules people trip over most: when you can access super (including the preservation age around 60 and the “magic” of 65), how a TTR pension works with its 10% annual draw limit, and why the ATO doesn’t want TTR used like an ATM. We also tackle the uncomfortable but important topic of adult children inheriting super, the taxable component, and how a recontribution strategy can reduce potential tax over time. If you want clearer retirement planning, fewer surprises, and smarter super decisions, hit play, then subscribe, share with a mate, and leave us a review. What part of retirement planning are you reviewing first?

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Hiring a financial adviser can feel like handing your future to a stranger, especially when you’re already under pressure from a big life change. We talk through the moments that commonly push people to seek advice, from starting a family to receiving an inheritance, but the biggest trigger is approaching retirement. What surprised us is how much this timeline has shifted: more Australians are starting retirement planning in their 40s and 50s because the real work happens over decades, not in a last-minute scramble.

We also get practical about what financial advisers actually do. Yes, there’s superannuation advice, investing and retirement planning, but there’s also budgeting, debt management, life insurance, and the role of an adviser as an objective sounding board when family emotions are running hot. We share how to find the right fit, including referrals, the Financial Advice Association directory, and the checks you can do before you meet: Google their name, read client testimonials, and confirm qualifications and registration on the ASIC Financial Advisers Register. We also explain what a good first meeting should look like, and why it should start with your values, goals, and the life you want to live.

Then we tackle the sticky questions listeners always ask: what advice costs and why, plus clear super rules around concessional and non-concessional contributions, the $1.9m total super balance limit moving to $2m from July, work tests after 65, contribution cut-offs around 75, and deadlines like making sure money lands in your fund before 30 June. We finish with a grounded take on high growth investing in retirement and how to think about volatility. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a mate who’s putting this off, and leave us a review so more Australians can find the show.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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The ATO is waving a big flag at tax time, and it’s not just about rental property deductions and work-related expenses anymore. We dig into the areas that trip up real people: capital gains tax on shares, the fast-growing crypto tax footprint, and why “surely they won’t know” is no longer a strategy when data matching is this strong. If you’ve bought, sold, swapped, or simply forgotten what you did over the year, we walk through the mindset and the record-keeping that makes your numbers easier to defend and your return easier to lodge.

We also get stuck into a mid-year portfolio clean up. Markets have been stronger than the mood music suggests, which is exactly why it’s worth reviewing what you own and why. We talk through the psychology that pushes us to sell winners for a quick win while clinging to losers out of pride, plus how capital losses can be useful if you genuinely need to exit a position. Then we spell out the wash sale problem in plain language: if you sell purely to manufacture a loss and buy back straight away, the ATO may treat it as a no-go.

From listener questions we move through real-world examples and decisions: how ETFs work compared with managed funds, why fees and simplicity matter, and how “more return” almost always means “more risk”. Finally, we tackle a classic superannuation dilemma: moving to cash because a recession feels close, then watching markets jump without you. That’s sequencing risk, and it’s brutal, so we explain how a sensible asset allocation can keep you invested without forcing you to predict the future. If this helped, follow the podcast, share it with a mate who’s stressing about tax time, and leave us a review. What money decision are you second-guessing right now?

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Interest rates don’t jump from near zero to around 4% without consequences and when they do, investors start asking the same urgent question: what breaks first? We talk through the shockwaves from the Silicon Valley Bank deposit run and why governments move fast to protect confidence in the banking system. Then we bring it back home to Australia, where our banks are more tightly regulated and better capitalised, but we’re still tied to global markets and the mood of investors worldwide.

From there, we get practical. We tackle the classic dilemma of whether to pay down your mortgage or invest, especially when rates may be nearing a peak and share markets could stay bumpy for months. We also unpack why bond markets can look “deeply worried” even when equities seem oddly calm, and what that mismatch might mean if you’re nearing retirement and need a more defensive investing approach.

Listener questions take us into real-world choices: using salary sacrificing to manage tax brackets, putting an inheritance into a term deposit, and weighing bank shares with attractive yields against the certainty of a 4% to 4.5% term deposit rate. We also share a straightforward way for younger investors to build exposure to diversified ETFs by averaging in over time, rather than trying to pick the perfect day to buy.

If you found this helpful, subscribe so you don’t miss the next chat, share it with a mate who’s weighing up term deposits versus shares, and leave a review to help more Australians find the show.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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Retirement doesn’t sneak up all at once, then politely wait for you to be ready. One day you realise your “someday” plan needs actual numbers, and that’s where a retirement plan audit earns its keep. We walk through how we go from a retirement vision to a realistic retirement budget, then work backwards to check if you’re on track, using practical tools like the ASFA Retirement Standard and the retirement calculators on major super fund websites.

We also talk about the limits of most online superannuation calculators, especially if you’ve got assets outside super like shares, cash, term deposits, or investment property. From there we get into the real-world decisions people face: how to avoid having all your eggs in one basket, how to respond if you feel behind at 50 or 60, and why tiny savings hacks rarely move the needle compared to the bigger levers like contributions, time in the market, and your retirement date.

The conversation goes deeper into the risks retirees actually worry about, including illness and medical costs that Medicare may not cover. We explain why liquidity matters, how a cash buffer and lower-volatility assets can stabilise a portfolio, and what to watch for with Centrelink and the Age Pension, including what counts as an asset, how home contents are valued, and the five-year gifting rule that can catch families off guard. If you want clearer next steps for retirement planning in Australia, hit subscribe, share this with someone who’s avoiding their numbers, and leave us a review with the question you want answered next.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg

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