For many Australians, the pre-retirement years can feel like a juggling act — wanting to slow down, enjoy life, and give back to family, all while making sure the financial pieces fit neatly together.
That was the case for Louise, a 67-year-old still working full-time but hoping to retire at 70. She’d built a comfortable life — owning both her home and an investment property — but her super balance was low after using part of it to reduce debt a few years earlier.
Her dream? To retire debt-free, enjoy her lifestyle, and still help her adult children take their first steps into the property market.
Finding the Right Balance
Like many parents, Louise wanted to be generous with her children, but not at the cost of her own financial security. She wanted to understand what she could give — and when — without putting herself under pressure later.
Our first step was to look at the full picture: her property values, her income, her debt, and her super. From there, we developed a plan that would allow her to meet all her goals — becoming debt-free, strengthening her retirement savings, and gifting money to her kids — in a smart, strategic way.
The Plan in Action
Here’s what we recommended for Louise:
- Continue salary-packaging debt repayments for the next few years to make the most of tax benefits, instead of paying everything off straight away.
- Use the proceeds from selling her investment property to make a downsizer contribution to super (since it had once been her principal place of residence).
- Make additional non-concessional (NCC) and catch-up concessional contributions over the next few years to boost her super in a tax-effective way.
- Gift money to her children now, with confidence that she’d still have enough set aside to fund her retirement comfortably.
With these steps in place, Louise could see how everything fit together — and she loved knowing that her decisions today would set her up beautifully for tomorrow.
The Outcome
With her plan in motion, Louise can now look forward to her retirement with confidence. She’s reducing her debt efficiently, rebuilding her super, and still giving her kids the helping hand she’d hoped for.
By the time she retires at 70, she’ll be debt-free, financially secure, and even positioned to receive a part Age Pension once her gifted funds fall outside the Centrelink assessment period.
That combination of foresight and flexibility gives her what every retiree hopes for — peace of mind.
A Slice of Insight
Louise’s story is a reminder that the right advice can open doors you didn’t even know were there. By talking through her goals and exploring all the available strategies, she found a way to achieve everything she wanted — without compromise.
There are so many moving parts to pre-retirement planning — from super and property to gifting and Centrelink — that getting professional guidance can make all the difference. If you’re in your 60s and wondering how to get the mix just right, we’re here to help. With the right recipe for your financial future, retirement really can feel like a piece of cake.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Goldsworthy Private Wealth Pty Ltd ABN 24 657 947 101 as an Authorised Representative and
Credit Representative of Akumin Financial Planning Pty Limited, Australian Financial Services Licensee and Australian Credit Licensee. This information has been composed based on our understanding of the relevant legislation at the time of writing. While every care has been taken, Goldsworthy Private Wealth Pty Ltd makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of the contents. The information is of a general nature only and has been prepared without consideration of your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making any decisions, you should consider the appropriateness for your personal investment objectives, financial situation or individual needs. We recommend you see a financial adviser, registered tax agent or legal adviser before making any decisions based on this information.
