Peter White Financial Planning logo
    02 9238 2246info@peterwhitefp.com.auVisit Main Website
    All Services

    Retirement Planning

    Overview

    Retirement planning in Australia is more complex than most people anticipate, and the consequences of getting it wrong are difficult to reverse. Peter White Financial Planning provides independent retirement planning advice from Level 57, 25 Martin Place, Sydney CBD. Peter holds a Master of Applied Finance, has 25 years of experience in financial services including 14 years as a Senior Financial Adviser, and is a member of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers. His practice does not receive product commissions, does not charge asset-based fees, and is not restricted by any dealer group.

    Details

    Fewer than 2% of Australian financial advisers can legally call themselves independent. For clients planning retirement, this matters. Most retirement advice is shaped, consciously or otherwise, by the products an adviser is permitted or incentivised to recommend. Peter White's advice is shaped by one thing: the client's situation.

    Additional Information

    Superannuation is the foundation of most retirement plans and the area where the greatest gains are available in the years before retirement. Peter advises on fund selection and consolidation, contribution optimisation, insurance within super, and the tax treatment of different contribution types. For clients approaching retirement, the sequencing of contributions, the use of catch-up provisions, and the timing of the transition into pension phase all require careful planning.

    More About This Service

    Transition to retirement is a specific strategy available to those who have reached their preservation age but have not yet retired. It allows access to a pension income stream while continuing to work, which can be used to reduce hours, salary sacrifice more aggressively, or simply improve cash flow. Whether the strategy is appropriate depends on individual circumstances and requires analysis of the tax position, the super balance, and the employment situation.

    Further Details

    Pension phase structuring determines how retirement savings are drawn down and what tax rate applies to investment earnings and income. The difference between an account-based pension, a term allocated pension, and an annuity involves trade-offs between flexibility, certainty, and tax efficiency. Getting this decision right at the point of retirement matters for the decades that follow.

    Overview

    The interaction between superannuation and the Age Pension is frequently misunderstood. The assets test and income test thresholds change periodically, and the way different asset structures are assessed can significantly affect entitlements. Peter coordinates retirement income planning with Age Pension eligibility so that clients draw down their assets in a sequence that preserves entitlements wherever possible.

    Details

    Peter White Financial Planning is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Independent Financial Advisers Australia, AFSL 464629. Advice can be provided as a one-off engagement or through an ongoing advisory relationship.

    Visit Main Website Contact Us

    Your Questions Answered

    Frequently Asked Questions

    The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia estimates that a couple seeking a comfortable retirement requires approximately $690,000 in superannuation at the point of retirement, in addition to any Age Pension entitlement. For a single person, that figure is around $595,000. These are benchmarks, not prescriptions. The amount any individual needs depends on their desired lifestyle, housing situation, health, longevity expectations, and what they will receive from the Age Pension. Peter White builds retirement projections based on actual client circumstances rather than applying a generic formula.

    The most impactful planning typically occurs in the decade before retirement, when superannuation balances are at their highest and contribution strategies, tax structuring, and transition planning have the most leverage. That said, planning at any stage is better than none. Peter White works with clients at all life stages, including those within five years of stopping work who need to act quickly on a specific set of decisions.

    Peter White Financial Planning provides independent retirement planning advice from Level 57, 25 Martin Place, Sydney CBD. Peter is a member of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers, does not receive commissions, and does not charge asset-based fees. Advice is structured around the client's retirement goals, not around product placement.

    An independent financial adviser has no commercial relationship with product providers and is not restricted by a licensee's approved product list. Fewer than 2% of Australian advisers meet this definition. Most operate under a restricted licence, meaning their recommendations are constrained by the products their dealer group permits them to recommend, or they receive commissions that create a structural conflict of interest. Peter White receives no commissions and is not aligned with any dealer group.

    At retirement, a superannuation accumulation account can be converted to an account-based pension, which changes the tax treatment of investment earnings from 15% to zero, and allows income to be drawn as needed within minimum annual drawdown requirements. The timing, amount, and structure of this transition carry significant long-term financial consequences. Peter White advises on how to make this transition in a way that optimises tax, preserves capital, and coordinates with any Age Pension entitlement.