The Golden Times

Articles

Uncertainty over abstract artist’s will sparks legal battle

1 day ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes

A bitter NSW Supreme Court row over a Sydney abstract artist’s $24 million bequest of real estate, art and cash highlights the importance of keeping a will that accurately reflects your final wishes, according to lawyers. Mimi Milka Berger, who died aged 86, had made several wills during her final years, including one that had been torn apart and then painstakingly put back together with sticking tape.
Cost of dental care forcing seniors to delay treatment: ADA

1 week ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Nicholas Way |Duncan Hughes

Nearly two-thirds of Australians aged 65 and over are delaying seeking dental treatment, according to a new research study by the Australian Dental Association (ADA). The annual ADA study, based on a survey of 25,000 people, found that affordability was the main reason, with 64 per cent of over-65s delaying dental trips in the past year because they couldn’t afford it.
Exempt employment income from age pension income test: NSA

1 week ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Nicholas Way |Duncan Hughes

Senior Australians should have any employment income exempted from the age pension income test to simplify the pension system and encourage more older people to remain in the workforce if they need or want to. That’s a key recommendation of the National Seniors Association (NSA) in its pre-Budget submission that chef executive officer Chris Grice says is an important element of the organisation’s lobbying of all political parties before the May 3 federal election.
Don’t be The Idiot – take the time to read the classics | The Golden Times

1 week ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | David Murphy |Duncan Hughes |Nicholas Way

I bought The Idiot for $1.03. A bargain price, you’ll have to agree, for a masterpiece of Russian literature. Yes, all 1,635,000 or so of Dostoevsky’s words have been downloaded to my Kindle ready for my edification. It’s not his longest book, with The Brothers Karamazov holding that distinction, but a few years ago I read Crime and Punishment and enjoyed it greatly. Yes, part of my reading penchant in retirement is delving into the classics, and it’s been a gratifying experience.
Massive intergenerational wealth transfer comes with tax pitfalls

1 week ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes |Nicholas Way

Tax liabilities are the biggest concern for beneficiaries of an estimated $3.5 trillion to $5 trillion windfall from the intergenerational wealth transfer, according to analysis from Fidelity International, a global fund manager. Australia does not have an inheritance tax, but there are myriad potential capital gains and income tax traps for those receiving cash, property, shares, superannuation or other assets.
Retirement is a time to brush up on those conversational skills

2 weeks ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Jon Glass

Retirement is your gift of time, an opportunity to reflect on yourself and your relationships beyond the noise, distraction and hurly burly of work. Here is a way to use that gift – think about the conversations you have with friends and family now you’re retired, and time is no longer your master. Another point is worth making.
Pensioners could face $43,000 slug in residential aged-care costs

2 weeks ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes

A typical aged pensioner could face $43,000 a year in residential aged care (RAD) costs under sweeping changes being introduced by the Federal Government to ease soaring welfare costs. A pensioner splitting their $1 million home between a $750,000 RAD and $250,000 in savings will face a $28,000 annual increase in means-tested fees and a $15,000 a year retention charge from their lump-sum deposit.
New breed of debt securities emerging to replace $40b in bank hybrids

3 weeks ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes |Nicholas Way

A new generation of local and international fixed-interest products are being developed to replace the popular hybrid securities offered by large banks that are being phased out because of regulator concerns about risk, according to asset managers. But the flow of alternative local and international corporate hybrid bonds “remains in its infancy” and needs to “develop and mature, despite encouraging growth fuelled by investor demand”, they claim.
Melbourne property prices poised for take-off: REA Group

3 weeks ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Nicholas Way |Duncan Hughes

Self-funded retirees with a penchant for residential housing investment should sit up and take notice – the Melbourne real estate market is poised for a strong recovery, according to Anne Flaherty, senior economist for the global digital business, REA Group (ASX:REA). Addressing investors at a Trilogy Funds event in Melbourne, she told them that, in her opinion, Melbourne was ready to see a recovery this year with its value proposition “extremely strong right now”.
Fisher & Paykel in rude health, no thanks to the White House

3 weeks ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Jamie Nemtsas |Nicholas Way |Duncan Hughes

For Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (ASX:FPH), it was all going so swimmingly. A strong first half saw the New Zealand-based medical-device maker post a stellar 18 per cent jump in operating revenue to $NZ951 million ($865 million) for the six months to September 30, 2024, while net profit after tax (NPAT) rocketed 43 per cent to $NZ153 million ($139 million) compared with the corresponding period last year.