When you finally retire.. It should be to relax and do all the things you never had time to do during your busy career. Perhaps a few rounds of golf, or taking a trip.. You want ease of mind knowing that your finances are in good order.

Whether the pension is enough or not depends on your lifestyle and expectations. Take the time to work out what you want to achieve during your golden years. Take into account that the current fortnightly pension is around $1300 per couple, $907 if you are single.

Is that enough? If not, then now is the time to start investing for your retirement. Increasing what will be available to you when you stop working. So:

Leverage What You’ve Already Got

It doesn’t matter how much you save. If you are taking money from a bank account to pay for your lifestyle… Then you will find your options limited. It’s far more enjoyable to have investments that increase in value, provide cash flow and enable you to live life the way you want. To do this, you should use your existing resources to build an investment portfolio. Using your retirement age as a target. Take note of all the tools at your disposal. Including savings and equity and then benchmark this against how much money you require.

Start Now

Investing is always something that is put off for another day. After all, what difference does a day or a week make? But a week becomes a month and a month becomes a year. Before you know it a decade has flown past. That delay can prove very costly. By starting your investment journey as soon as possible.. You can give yourself the best possible chance of having the retirement you want.

Become an Investment Professional

Build your wealth consistently and sustainably using the expertise of those around you, your own knowledge, and genuine accountability. This means not only taking responsibility for your retirement, and the legacy you will leave your children, but also measuring your success, making changes where required, and improving your portfolio.

One way to improve your investment portfolio is through property investing. To build a robust portfolio that will continue to grow in value through numerous cycles, the focus must be placed on the properties themselves. By leveraging financials, and failing to invest as wisely as possible, many thousands of dollars can be lost, and investment journeys lengthened. Take your time, look at your investable capital as a resource to be allocated, and strategically purchase the property that is most likely to help you achieve your investment goals.  We recommend investing in properties under 500k that are positively geared.

Your Pension Becomes ‘Cream’

If you can build a portfolio that covers your day-to-day expenses, then the payment from the government can be considered “cream.” This additional sum can pay for overseas trips, dinners out and flights for the grandchildren to visit you. Importantly, it also offers a buffer in the event the unexpected should happen, and you require emergency money. Many hard-working Australians have found themselves in an untenable position because they don’t have enough savings to cover costs when something terrible happens.

Whether or not the Australian pension is enough for you to survive on, you and your family will only benefit from having more money available during your golden years. By putting aside a little bit of time every month, and committing to growing your personal wealth, your retirement could be the best time of your life.