Lifestyle Issue 15 February 2009

WHAT YOU’LL NEED IN RETIREMENT

The pension is now $24,481 for a couple. And we all know what a wonderful lifestyle the pension can provide!

The Australian Association of Superannuation Funds and Westpac have just released their research showing that a couple – as at September 2008 – would need $50,561 (after tax) for a comfortable lifestyle in retirement.

On a 5% yield, you’ll need $1,000,000 in investment assets (excluding your family home) to generate an income of $50,000. If you think that you’ll need $65,000 before tax, you’ll need assets of $1,300,000

If you don’t have at least $1,000,000 in inflation protected assets, just hit the reply key to this email and talk to me – Bernard Kelly. At least I’ll be able to help you explore your options.



AUSTRALIAN HOUSING WILL EXCEL: IMF

The International Monetary Fund has confidence that the Australian housing market will “fare much better than other countries” and that the “fundamental drivers” of house prices is “strong immigration flows, and the other is the interest rate.”

From the Sydney Morning Herald 2 February 2009 (“Australian housing a survivor on the world stage”)


THE BENEFITS OF RETIRING LATER

Deferring the drawdown of retirement assets by just four years increases a person’s eventual monthly income – for life – by 33 percent, says Steven Sass, coauthor of Working Longer: The Solution to the Retirement Income Challenge (Brookings Institution Press, 2008).

And an eight year delay can produce a 75 percent monthly bonus, he says.

Many people actually want to work longer than their parents did, and even longer than they expected, for the continued social engagement and connection as well as the continued income.

Even more promising, a slew of surveys show that as many as half of all baby boomers want to “give back” in their encore careers, in schools, community organizations, environmental efforts, and troubled spots at home and abroad.

These major structural changes in working lives have been building for decades; the economic crisis, which has wrecked many retirement plans, is accelerating this shift and increasing its urgency.

Acknowlegments: encore.org

I'm Bernard Kelly

http://www.retirelaughing.com/

MANY SENIORS PLAN TO START A BUSINESS

In France, an association of seniors reported on the results of two surveys of respondents age 50+ years and their attitude to starting a business.

The first is a quantitative survey conducted by the institute IFoP

The second was more qualitative in its approach.

Both studies show that almost one fifth of the population in their 50s plan to engage in entrepreneurship.

Eighteen percent of the 50-64 cohort plan to create a business.

Among these entrepreneurs, 38% have a specific project and are 63% say they want to establish a business within two years.

PROFITABLE HOBBY – DISTILLING SNAPPS

In 1992, Michael and Alla Ward moved from Tasmania for a change of climate and lifestyle.

They found a property on Tamborine Mountain, Queensland.

This property had abundant fruit trees, but found that they had too much fruit for a four person family.

With all this fruit, Alla began using her grandmother’s recipes to brew distinct flavoured snapps as a hobby.

This hobby has now blossomed into the Tamborine Mountain Distillery.

For a continuing flow of detailed case studies, go to our membership site: www.hobbiesforprofit.com


PROFITABLE HOBBY – TEE SHIRTS

This is a profitable hobby that you can operate from your garage, and take the product to weekend markets.

The key to success with this venture is appealing logos on the tee-shirts, and a bold pricing strategy.

I’m told that two appealing logos are – for toddlers “Give Peas A Chance” and for middle aged males “I Have My Faults, But Being Wrong Isn’t One Of Them”.


For a continuing flow of detailed case studies, go to our membership site: www.hobbiesforprofit.com