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Showing 61 - 70 of 93 results for "Means Test"

Age Pension to rise to 70 by 2035

MARK SMITH, JAMES FERNYHOUGH  |  FRIDAY, 2 MAY 2014
... anachronism in the context of contemporary Australia." The commission also recommended that property be included in the means test: "The commission considers that a proportion of the value of the principal residence should be included in the means test ...

Think tank calls to end super tax concessions

MARK SMITH  |  TUESDAY, 22 APR 2014
Australia's superannuation tax concession is too generous towards the wealthy and should be scrapped before it becomes an expensive drag on the country's finances, according to new research from the Australia Institute. The think tank said that tax ...

FSC lobbies against super "7 year gap"

LAURA MILLAN  |  WEDNESDAY, 16 APR 2014
The Financial Services Council (FSC) chief executive John Brogden has asked for superannuation access age to be lifted, to close the "seven year gap" with the pension age. "There is a 7 year gap between the age you can access your superannuation and ...

Retiree 4pct drawdown limits too high

ALEX DUNNIN  |  TUESDAY, 11 MAR 2014
New research released by the Financial Services Institute of Australia (Finsia) reveals that the standard 4% retirement income drawdown may be too high and inadvertently result in retirement funds running out too quickly. The research is detailed in ...

Aged care likely to cost more after July 1

LAURA MILLAN  |  MONDAY, 17 FEB 2014
... which means that the agreements will continue to be valid even after the new legislation comes in. Atkinson said that means test for aged care will be "considerably harsher" after July 1, including the value of the family home up to $144,500 in the assets ...

Advisers should review aged care strategies ahead of reform

AAP  |  MONDAY, 25 NOV 2013
Financial advisers are encouraged to review their clients' aged care strategies ahead of the July 1, 2014 reforms to ensure that the approach taken maximises cash flow and capital preservation. "There are a number of strategies that need to be considered ...

Pension rule changes to benefit 740,000

MARK SMITH  |  MONDAY, 28 OCT 2013
More than 740,000 Australian pensioners will have extra money in their pockets as a result of the lowering of the social security deeming rates from 4 November 2013, Minister for Social Services Kevin Andrew said. The deeming rate will decrease to 2% ...

Government must lift annuities impediments: ASFA

JAMES FERNYHOUGH  |  WEDNESDAY, 9 OCT 2013
... of pension and annuity products "to reflect the special characteristics of such products." ASFA also recommended a means test be applied by Centrelink exempting deferred annuities from the asset and income tests during the period prior to payment, and ...

Cut welfare, give savings to defence: UK minister

ALEX DUNNIN  |  TUESDAY, 13 AUG 2013
In a possible warning of political arguments Australia may confront in coming decades when the national budget faces mounting aged care and pension costs, a leading UK government minister has proposed cutting welfare and diverting the savings to the ...

Budget 2013-14 wrap up

ALEX DUNNIN  |  WEDNESDAY, 15 MAY 2013
The headlines for the sector are that the superannuation changes announced on 5 April 2013 have been confirmed, the Medicare levy will increase by 0.5% from next year to offset the cost of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), some future tax ...