Financial Planning, Superannuation, Budget Sarah Haines Financial Planning, Superannuation, Budget Sarah Haines

Federal Budget 2025-26 Analysis

Much of the 2025 Federal Budget was already known, after a volley of pre-election spruiking for votes. But Treasurer Jim Chalmers had one surprise up his sleeve - $17 billion in tax cuts. The first round of cuts will kick in on 1 July 2026 and second round on 1 July 2027, saving the average earner $536 each year when fully implemented.

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Big change ahead for Aged Care

The number of Australians aged over 65 is expected to more than double in the next 40 years while the number of people aged over 85 is predicted to triple in that time.i

Aged care funding and services have seen major changes in the years since the 2021 report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and this year is no exception.

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Crypto assets

Crypto-assets (crypto) include assets described as coins, tokens or sometimes cryptocurrencies. They digitally represent your ownership of a valuable thing or rights to something. They may or may not be backed by physical assets.

Crypto is a high-risk investment. The value of crypto is very volatile, often fluctuating by huge amounts within a short period.

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Retiring with debt? Experts explain downsizing, using super for your mortgage, and pension eligibility

About 36% of homeowners still have a mortgage when they retire, up from 23% a decade ago.

This increase in mortgage debt is due to soaring property prices, changes in retirement ages and easy access to drawdown equity loans (where you use your home as security to get a loan, which can be used to fund travel, medical costs and other expenses)

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Financial Planning, Superannuation Sarah Haines Financial Planning, Superannuation Sarah Haines

Forget forgetting - simple ways to improve your memory

We’ve all heard the old saying ‘an elephant never forgets’- but unlike elephants, we humans certainly don’t have flawless recall. Forgetting where you left your keys or the name of the person you met last week, is all too familiar. Memory lapses happen to the best of us, but there are ways to sharpen your memory and boost brainpower.

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