Markets just crashed — should I switch my super to cash? The downturn decision that can make or break your retirement
Panic-switching super to cash after a crash locks in losses and misses the rebound.
Monthly economic update — July 2026: oil surges, long bond yields hit multi-year highs, rates hold steady
Inflation eased in the US and Australia through June — but oil jumped 23% in a month, the US 30-year Treasury yield hit a 19-year high, and four live risks sit underneath the calm surface.
Tax depreciation for retiree landlords: Division 40, Division 43, and the deduction many investors leave on the table
Depreciation is the most commonly under-claimed deduction on retiree-owned rental property.
International shares for Australian retirees: why diversification beyond ASX matters
The ASX is only 2% of global markets — franking credits don't justify full concentration.
Investment property in retirement: hold or sell, and what the analysis actually involves
Holding or selling investment property in retirement hinges on Centrelink, CGT, cash flow, and age.
Portfolio rebalancing in retirement: why, when, and how to restore target allocation
Regular rebalancing restores target allocation and reduces sequencing risk in retirement.
Tax loss harvesting for retirees: strategic loss realisation in personal-name portfolios
Tax loss harvesting offsets realised gains with losses, saving real tax for personal-name investors.
Tax on investments outside super in retirement: franking credits, CGT, and the SAPTO threshold most retirees underuse
SAPTO, franking credits and the CGT discount can make substantial non-super investment income tax-free.
Property without the tenants: how A-REITs work as a retirement income holding — and the trap behind the yield
A-REITs pay attractive yields, but the units are growth assets whose capital can fall sharply.
Bonds explained: the "safe" part of your portfolio, why it can still fall, and the role it plays in retirement
Bond prices move opposite to interest rates, so even "safe" bonds can fall in value.
"Balanced" doesn't mean what you think: how to choose your super investment option — and why the label can mislead you
Super option labels like "Balanced" aren't standardised — always check the actual asset mix.
Private credit funds and the high-yield pitch: what retirees need to see behind the "stable income"
A private credit fund's attractive yield pays for default risk and locked-up liquidity, not safety.
Should gold be in your retirement portfolio? A balanced look at the asset that pays no income
Gold pays no income, so a retiree allocation should usually stay small.
Whose name should the investments be in? A quiet but valuable retiree question
Whose name investments are held in can quietly save thousands in tax each year.
Bonus shares, returns of capital, and share consolidations: the "minor" corporate actions that trip up retiree cost bases
Bonus shares and capital returns quietly adjust your cost base, not your tax bill.
Too many eggs in one basket: concentration risk in retirement, and how to diversify without a tax disaster
Don't let a big CGT bill trap you in a concentrated stock position.
Investing for your grandchildren: the structures that work — and the tax trap to avoid
Investing in a grandchild's name usually triggers a costly minor's tax trap.
"Never touch the capital"? The case for total-return thinking in retirement
Chasing dividend income in retirement often means more risk, not more safety.
Capital losses die with you: the "use it or lose it" tax asset retirees overlook
Unused capital losses vanish at death, so use them against gains while you can.
Downsizing and owning two homes at once: the CGT six-month overlap rule
Buying before selling is fine — CGT exempts both homes for up to six months.
When a company you hold spins off a business: demergers and CGT relief for retiree shareholders
Demerger shares aren't free — never use a nil cost base when you sell.
When a company you hold asks for more money: rights issues and Share Purchase Plans for retiree investors
Rights issues ask you for cash, and selling rights is a taxable event too.
When your shares get taken over: cash, scrip, and the rollover decision for retiree investors
A takeover forces a CGT event, but rollover isn't always the smarter choice.
CGT event E4: tax-deferred distributions from managed funds and the cost base reduction trap
Tax-deferred trust distributions quietly erode your cost base until gains become immediate.
The 45-day holding period rule for franking credits: when retiree investors lose entitlement
Retirees who trade shares short-term around dividend dates risk losing franking credit refunds entirely.
Hybrid securities for retirees: tax treatment, conversion events, and the APRA phase-out
APRA's bank hybrid phase-out forces retirees to plan a managed exit from AT1 securities.
Land tax for retiree property investors: state thresholds, trust surcharges, and the foreign owner trap
Victoria's 2024 threshold cut turned land tax into a real cost for retiree trusts.
Life insurance policy tax treatment for retirees: surrender, maturity, and death proceeds
Surrendering a personally-held life policy is CGT-exempt for the original beneficial owner.
Vacant Residential Land Tax (Victoria): what the state-wide expansion means for retirees with holiday homes
Victoria's vacant land tax now applies statewide, but the four-week holiday-home exemption still helps.
CGT indexation method vs the 50% discount: the choice for retirees disposing of pre-1999 assets
For pre-1999 assets, the 50% discount now almost always beats the frozen indexation method.
CGT timing for retirees selling assets: contract date, settlement date, conditional contracts, and earn-outs
The contract date, not settlement, decides which year a capital gain is taxed.
Mixed-purpose loans, line-of-credit facilities, and interest deductibility into retirement
Repayments on a mixed-purpose loan never reduce the deductible investment share.
The small business CGT 15-year exemption: timing the sale of your business for retirement
Selling a 15-year-old business at 55+ in connection with retirement can mean zero CGT.
Small Business Restructure Rollover (Subdivision 328-G): pre-retirement business restructuring without CGT
Restructuring into a company resets the 15-year clock on your shares — but not on the business assets underneath.
Capital protected investment loans and the Division 247 split: why the deductibility marketing isn't quite the full story
Only part of a capital protected loan's interest is deductible — the rest is capitalised.
The CGT 50% discount and the 12-month holding rule: timing capital gains for retirees across personal and super structures
The CGT discount rate differs by structure, and the 12-month rule decides eligibility.
Insurance bonds: the 10-year tax rule, the 125% contribution cap, and when the structure makes sense for retirees
Insurance bond growth becomes tax-free after 10 years, but only for high-rate investors.
Negative gearing wind-down before retirement: when and how to deleverage investment property and margin loans before pension phase
The tax shield from negative gearing collapses once salary income stops in retirement.
Wash sale rules and retiree tax-loss harvesting: Part IVA risk when crystallising losses on assets you intend to repurchase
Repurchasing the same asset after a tax-loss sale risks Part IVA anti-avoidance action.
The AMIT regime: how ETF and managed fund distributions are taxed for retirees, and why cost base tracking matters
AMIT investors are taxed on attributed income, not cash received, and cost base shifts each year.
The 2022 off-market share buyback reform: why one of the best franking-credit refund opportunities for retirees was closed off
The 2022 reform ended franking-credit cash refunds from off-market share buybacks.
CGT timing in retirement: parcel selection on shares vs whole-asset disposal on property
Shares let you choose which parcel to sell; property forces the whole gain into one year.
Dividend reinvestment plans in retirement: when to opt in, when to take cash
DRP compounds holdings automatically, but retirement is the moment to reconsider the default.
Share trader vs share investor: the ATO classification for active retiree market participants
The ATO decides trader vs investor status by activity pattern, not taxpayer preference.
Listed Investment Companies and LITs in retirement: stable dividends, professional management, and the discount-to-NTA question
LICs offer dividend smoothing and a CGT discount pass-through, but carry discount-to-NTA risk.
Pre-retirement risk profile reassessment: tolerance, capacity, requirement, and the gap between them
Risk tolerance, capacity, and requirement often disagree, and reconciling them sets the retirement glide path.
Bond ladders in retirement: predictable income, manageable risk, simple in concept
Staggered bond maturities give retirees predictable cash flow independent of equity markets.
The cash buffer in retirement: how much, where, and the refill discipline that makes it work
A cash buffer's real value is letting the rest of the portfolio ride out a bear market.
ETFs in retirement portfolios: low-cost diversification for Australian retirees
Index ETFs deliver broad market exposure at a fraction of actively managed fund costs.
Term deposits and fixed interest for retirees: the defensive portfolio layer
Fixed interest provides retirees with the defensive layer that reduces volatility and supports reliable income.
Franking credits for retirees: why refundable imputation matters most for low-tax investors
Retirees in pension-phase super receive franking credits as cash refunds — boosting the effective yield.
Inflation hedging in retirement portfolios: asset classes, trade-offs, and construction
Equities, TIBs, real assets, and CPI-linked annuities are the toolkit for beating inflation in retirement.
Investment bonds for retirees: a tax-effective structure when super capacity is exhausted
Investment bonds offer a 30% tax rate for retirees whose super capacity is already exhausted.
Investment platform choice in retirement: super pension, wrap, broker, or SMSF?
Most retirees benefit from a combination of super pension, wrap, and broker accounts.
Treasury Indexed Bonds: direct inflation protection for retirees with long horizons
Treasury Indexed Bonds provide guaranteed real returns above CPI, protecting purchasing power across long retirements.
Direct shares, managed funds, and ETFs: how to hold investments in retirement
Direct shares, ETFs, and managed funds each offer different trade-offs for retirement investors.
Retirement-phase asset allocation: why over-conservative often means under-resourced
An over-conservative retirement portfolio trades short-term comfort for long-term purchasing power erosion and longevity risk.
Hedged or unhedged international shares in retirement: the currency decision retirees rarely make deliberately
Most retirees never deliberately choose between hedged and unhedged international shares — but they should.
The pre-retirement glide path: how to derisk a portfolio without overreacting to age
Too aggressive before retirement risks a ruinous drawdown; too defensive sacrifices 25 years of growth.
Market volatility and the retired investor
When you’re drawing an income rather than earning one, market falls feel different. Here’s how to keep your head — and your plan.