In late 2024, Ben and Sally found themselves at a crossroads.

Ben, 59, had just been made redundant after a long and successful career as a senior operations manager earning $350,000 per year including bonuses. Sally, 60, had already stepped away from the workforce. The couple had worked hard, paid off their mortgage, built healthy investment portfolios, and accumulated $1.3 million in combined super savings under advice.

But now the big question loomed: Is it time to retire for good? And if so, will our money really last the distance—possibly 30 years or more?

They weren’t looking to live extravagantly. But they did want to maintain their lifestyle, support their family where possible, and have confidence that they wouldn’t need to worry about money later on. That uncertainty is what brought them to Lighthouse Financial Group.

The Challenge

After his redundancy, Ben took on part-time consulting work for a few months. But both he and Sally agreed: the time was right to move into full retirement. They had reached a stage of life where time and freedom mattered more than income.

Still, there were important questions to answer:

• Could they draw a reliable, tax-effective income stream from their super and investments?
• Would their retirement savings actually last?
• What was the best way to invest their capital now that they were no longer accumulating wealth, but drawing it down?

They also wanted to explore the possibility of gifting money to their daughter to help with a house deposit—but without risking their own long-term security.

Without a clear and coordinated plan, there was a risk they could miss out on important tax benefits, or structure things in a way that didn’t serve them in the long run.

Our Advice Strategy

We started by stepping back and reviewing the full picture—super, investments, redundancy entitlements, lifestyle goals, and family priorities. From there, we put in place a tailored retirement strategy:

• Contributions strategy: From Ben’s redundancy payout, we recommended Sally make a $120,000 non-concessional contribution to super to balance their respective account sizes. This not only ensured more even retirement income, but also supported longer-term estate planning. Ben also contributed $30,000 and claimed a personal tax deduction, saving $9,270 in tax.
• Super consolidation: Sally’s investment portfolio and multiple super accounts were consolidated into a single, low-cost platform. This simplified administration, improved transparency, and created flexibility for drawdowns.
• Transition to retirement phase: We converted their super into account-based pensions, allowing them to begin drawing regular, tax-free income to support their lifestyle—without triggering unnecessary CGT or disruptions to their investment strategy.
• Investment strategy: Their super pensions were invested in diversified, cost-effective portfolios tailored to their risk tolerance and income needs. These were managed through Lighthouse’s in-house investment committee and regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with market conditions and goals.
• Estate planning: We recommended nominating each other as auto-reversionary beneficiaries on their pensions. This ensured a smooth continuation of income if one spouse passed away. We also coordinated with their solicitor to update their Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney.
• Long-term forecasting: Finally, we ran in-depth cashflow projections to show exactly how long their assets were likely to last—factoring in tax, inflation, Centrelink, potential downsizing, and lifestyle spending. This gave Ben and Sally the data they needed to move forward with confidence.

“Knowing we had a clear plan and realistic projections gave us so much peace of mind.”

Results: Confidence, Clarity and Control

• They were able to draw a reliable, tax-free income from their super to meet their $100,000 per year living expenses.
• Their investments were diversified and structured for longevity, not just performance.
• They had a clear strategy to gift $105,000 to their daughter for a house deposit without compromising their own future.
• They had clarity on their long-term position, backed by detailed modelling and expert advice.
• Their estate planning, tax and investment structures were streamlined and aligned to their goals.

Final Thought

Ben and Sally had done the hard work of building wealth. But it was strategic advice that turned that wealth into a clear path forward.

With Lighthouse’s help, they weren’t just financially ready for retirement—they were emotionally ready too. And that, in the end, made all the difference.

If you’re approaching retirement and wondering whether you’ve done enough, now is the time to get advice.

Contact us to book a confidential retirement strategy session.

Lighthouse Financial Group Pty Ltd, Authorised Representative 000287794 ABN 221 13 759 952 is a corporate authorised representative of Fortnum Private Wealth Ltd ABN 54 139 889 535 AFSL 357 306. The information contained within this article does not consider your personal circumstances and is of a general nature only. You should not act on it without first obtaining professional financial advice specific to your circumstances.