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One of the age-old questions in relation to retirement is “How much will I need in super to support myself for the rest of my life?”. It’s a difficult one to answer as everyone’s circumstances are different

You’ll probably have a good idea how much you already have in super (and if you don’t, it’s a good idea to find out). However, working out how much you’ll need and whether you can afford the life you want when you eventually stop work, can be a little more challenging.

Working towards the right superannuation target for you

Because Australia has an ageing population, many people can now expect to live well into their 80s, 90s and beyond, so planning to have enough money past your life expectancy may mean you’re less likely to run out of money. If the average person retires around age 67 but lives until their late 80’s, that means they’ll have to plan for at least 20+ years of retirement, remembering that they may live even longer.

How much money you’ll need in your retirement is about more than how much money you’ll need to live on. It’s also about some of the other big money items that you might need to cater for. Some of these may include:

  • Whether you’ve paid off your mortgage or not, or will some of your super need to help you pay off your home
  • If you don’t own your own home, will you need to rent and cover this expense throughout your retirement years
  • What other assets you have
  • Will you qualify for the Age Pension, and when if you don’t qualify immediately
  • Do you want to travel regularly, or are planning major renovations to your home
  • What are your medical needs and will you have any big expenses to cater for
  • Will you need to purchase a new car now or some time in the future
  • How long you might live in retirement – whilst no one knows the answer to this question, your family history and your current health status may be key indicators.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s worth thinking about what some of those big money items might be that are relevant to you, so that you can cater for them.

The other key determinant for how much money you’ll need for retirement is your lifestyle, as well as what other assets outside super you have to support you. This could include investments, other property you may own and any cash reserves

To help you with this, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has developed a retirement standard that estimates how much money you may need, depending on the lifestyle most relevant for you.

Below is an overview of the ASFA standards, and they estimate that for a couple looking for a comfortable retirement lifestyle at age 67, they’ll need to have at least $690,000 in accumulated savings, and for a single person, they would need at least $595,000 today. These calculations assume that a partial Age Pension would be received from the Government

 

 

For you, the calculation might be different and here is a link to the MoneySmart budget planner. Completing a budget planner is an important step that may highlight information relevant to you, to base your calculations on. This easy to use tool will help you identify:

  • How you spend your money
  • Customise your spend on essentials as well as life’s pleasures, so you can calculate what your annual requirements are.

You can also refer to the MoneySmart Retirement Planner calculator. This calculator can help you find out

  • What your income is likely to be when you retire from your super and the Age Pension. (Note: it’s a good idea to have your superannuation details handy when you’re using this tool. You can refer to your latest superannuation statement or access your superannuation details via your MyGov account).
  • How contributions, investment options, fees and your retirement age will impact your retirement income
  • How working part-time or taking a career break from work may impact your superannuation balance

Once you’ve completed these, you’ll have a better idea on how much money you’ll need annually in retirement, which will help you determine whether your current superannuation projections will deliver what you need. If there’s a shortfall, you can work on what you need to do to meet that shortfall.

How regularly should I monitor my super account?

It’s fair to say that the closer you get to retirement, the more important your superannuation balance becomes and deciding whether you’ll have enough money to support your lifestyle. Whilst it’s different for everyone, it’s a good idea to check your account balance and your funds’ performance at least annually.

Make sure you’re comfortable that your superannuation is tracking well towards what you’ll need in retirement. You may not know what’ll happen in the future, but it’s always better to make sure you’ve done everything you can to prepare for it. If you’re unsure what to look for or if you have questions, you don’t have to go it alone. Reach out to your super fund or speak to your financial adviser. If you don’t have a financial planner, reach out to the Financial Advice Association Australia , who can help put you in contact with one

What you need to know

Any advice on this website is provided by Resolution Life Australasia Limited ABN 84 079 300 379, AFSL No. 233671 (Resolution Life), and is general advice and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs, as well as the relevant product disclosure statement and/or policy document, available from Resolution Life at resolutionlife.com.au or by calling 133 731, before making a decision on whether to acquire, or continue to hold, the product. 

The Target Market Determinations (TMDs) for our financial products (where applicable) can be found at Target Market Determinations (TMDs). The TMDs describe the key features and attributes of an applicable product that affect whether it is likely to be consistent with the objectives, financial situation and needs of consumers in the target market.

Resolution Life is part of the Resolution Life Group and can be contacted via contact us or by calling the phone number mentioned above.