The saying goes that money can’t buy happiness, but new science has proven that old adage wrong. While research shows it doesn’t take much money to improve your mood, it does need to be spent on just the right thing. 

Over the course of the last three decades there has been continual change regarding the rules governing superannuation. Some of the most significant changes have come from the proposed measures released in the 2016 Federal Budget, many of which took effect on 1 July 2017.

In one of our recent articles posted on 14th September, we explored similarities between retirement planning and marathon running. One of the take-home messages that we touched on was that retirement planning doesn’t cease on the day that you retire – it’s simply a transition to the next phase of your life.

This month marks 10 years since a little-known bank in northern England became a worldwide brand for all the wrong reasons.

Retirement planning can be quite similar to running a marathon - preparation, flexibility and perseverance are the key!

Life can throw some curveballs after 50 – transitioning into retirement can be daunting, coping with children leaving home and friends leaving town can be isolating and our health can start to deteriorate. So how can we look after our wellbeing in the face of these challenges?

It's Financial Planning Week! "Live your Dream" is the FPA's theme for 2017. New research links living your dream life with financial planning. Australians who are living their dream are planners - they believe in their ability to create the life they want and they are not afraid to ask for help or seek advice!

In taking the nation's collective pulse on financial related behaviours and beliefs, the FPA Live the Dream report has uncovered some fascinating insights into how Aussies are living out their dreams and what it takes to succeed.

To be a successful investor over the long term, we believe it is critical to understand, and hopefully overcome, common human cognitive or psychological biases that often lead to poor decisions and investment mistakes.

The first five biases of confirmation, information, loss aversion, incentive-caused, and oversimplification tendency were discussed in part one posted on the 15th of June 2017.

Recent studies are showing that taking time for silence restores the nervous system, helps sustain energy, and conditions our minds to be more adaptive and responsive to the complex environments in which so many of us now live, work, and lead.

The past decade has seen an explosion in economic research designed to uncover what truly makes us happy. While scientists attach electrodes to measure pleasure and pain, economists conduct their research with statistics and surveys.

Is your present self aligned with your future self? Although, this question may seem a little philosophical, it’s an important one to consider, as it may prompt you to evaluate whether you are engaged with not only your existing financial situation, but also your proposed financial situation in the future and the relationship between the two. 

To be a successful investor over the long term, we believe it is critical to understand, and hopefully overcome, common human cognitive or psychological biases that often lead to poor decisions and investment mistakes.

Imagine spending a lifetime acquiring habits that offer the promise of a longer, happier and more fulfilling life. Then imagine that to have that fulfilling life, you suddenly must abandon all those habits.

Soaring property prices, the new pension rules and the desire to lead an active, comfortable retirement are driving demand for equity release solutions.