Financial Clarifications

Hello

We have formulated a retirement plan based on what we have and it will involve the Aged Pension. I will qualify, but my wife still has three years to go.

My dilemma is that I need guidance through the Centrelink quagmire so we can finalise the implementation of the plan.

 

Are there services that can help? If so, where can I find them, please?

5 comments

 

We found our Bank had a financial Planner and were very helpful to us over several years now.  Husband kept working till he was 72.

 

We found Centrelink very helpful when we were coming up to retirement age and we also used a financial adviser who was also very helpful. Mind you, when we used our local Centrelink it had a staff of about 45 and it now has a staff of less than 10 so they may not have the time to sit and discuss individual cases.

I went to Centrelink to ask for help to fill in the forms for the Commonwealth senior health care card I was told that they were not trained to do that what are they paid for?

 

I had very similar problems at my local Centrelink office. They couldn't answer all my questions and gave me wrong information. I too wonder what they were paid for. I noticed a lot of empty workstations and those that were manned tried to look busy. In the end I gave up and booked an appointment to see one of their financial advisors. Weeks went by and then I got  call to say he was double booked but we did discuss my problem and he acknowledged that I was given dud information. Suggested I drop my forms in with the information as I saw being correct. The cards were subsequently approved. Talking with local Federal MP was also a waste of time. Here too I wondered what they are paid for; unseated at the next election but the replacement is even worse.

Sad that these services are so unhelpful ... all the best with your quest Arowmaker and others.

 

If they had a Universal Pension like we used to and like other countries have,

then we could disperse with overpaid Centrelink staff whose sole job is to reduce pension for the elderly.

 

5 comments



To make a comment, please register or login

Preview your comment