Q: It sounds stupid, but I am just being retired from work due to ill health, and I have no idea what I am supposed to do with my superannuation. I also do not understand money and investment talk as I have been a day-to-day battler all my life. I believe I have about $90,000 coming and do not want to lose it like others I know.
A: Firstly, this is not a stupid question – in fact, it is a very good one. The majority of Australians have no idea about how to properly manage money and superannuation and other investments, particularly where circumstances have changed in an unexpected way such as early retirement due to ill-health.
I suggest you approach an adviser at one of the industry superannuation funds, who may be able to give you recommendations at a low cost. It is important to try to get some advice to ensure that you can access all your entitlements, including social security benefits. How you go about investing these funds will depend upon your other assets and income and you should also be making appointment to talk to someone at Centrelink to understand your entitlements.
Otherwise you could have a look at moneysmart.gov.au, which has a number of calculators you could use to get a view of your potential retirement income and budget. Moneysmart is a service run by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, so is independent of any particular financial services provider.