Michael McGowan - Financial Planning

15/10/2026

Who gets your super when you die?

Your super doesn’t automatically go to the people named in your will.

It’s worth checking who you’ve nominated to receive it and whether that nomination is valid.

Log in to your super fund and check your death benefit nomination.

14/10/2026

One of the most rewarding parts of my work is helping people feel more confident about their financial decisions.

13/10/2026

How we saved a client $52,000 in tax using super.

Case study: one client's situation. Contribution caps and rules have changed since.

General advice only. It doesn't consider your objectives, financial situation or needs.

12/10/2026

What's the retirement age in Australia?

*This video is not a list of all conditions of release for super; it focuses on accessing super after retiring.

General advice only. It doesn't consider your objectives, financial situation or needs.

05/10/2026

Just ticked over two years since starting Canvas Wealth.

A big reason for starting the business was having a bit more control over my time.

Turns out starting your own business mostly means working all the time. Still working on that one.

Plenty still to do, but moving in the right direction.

Thanks to everyone who’s supported the business so far. And to this lot for putting up with me working all the time.

19/05/2026

It never feels great when you open your account and see your balance has dropped.

But it's important to remember...

The best days in the market often come right after the worst ones.

Miss just a handful of those days
and your returns can look completely different.

That’s why reacting in times like this can do more harm than good.

13/05/2026

“How much do I need to retire?”

It’s one of the most common questions I get asked.

Most people are searching for a magic number.

$1 million.
$2 million.
Whatever the figure is, they assume once they hit it, they’ll feel secure.

For me, you should start with a different question:

“What do I actually want retirement to look like?”

Someone wanting overseas travel every year will need a very different plan to someone happy living a quieter lifestyle closer to home.

After that, you look at:

What assets and resources do you already have?

And how can you invest the money so it lasts as long as possible?

For many people, the early years of retirement are the most expensive, as travel and big life experiences are ticked off.

Later on, spending often slows down naturally.

That’s why retirement planning is rarely as simple as picking a number and hoping it works.

The same balance can look very different depending on the lifestyle someone wants and how they invest their money.

If you need help planning your retirement, I’m happy to have a chat.

10/08/2025

You want to help.

Maybe it’s your kids trying to buy a house.

Maybe the grandkids need support with school or just life in general.

You say yes because you love them.

But the question you need to ask yourself, in the words of 80’s rock band Moving Pictures, is:

“What about me?”

What does this mean for your retirement?

Barbados to Byron?

Caribbean to Caboolture?

Maybe not.

It can be tricky working out what you can give away without leaving yourself short down the track.

This actually comes up a lot.

People feel torn between wanting to be generous and making sure they’ve got enough for themselves.

Setting a boundary that still feels supportive.

It sounds easy and maybe with small amounts it can be.

But what if they need help with something big? Checked property prices lately?

You don’t have to say no.

But you do want to say yes in a way that keeps your future safe too.

If this has been on your mind lately, it might be worth chatting through.

14/07/2025

“Markets are too high… we’ll wait.”

Remember back in April markets dropped quite a bit? (ASX dipped to 7,667.80).

The ASX has climbed to 8,580.10. That’s almost a 12% gain from the April low.

Is it safer to invest now?

The reality is, the longer you sit on the sidelines, the more you risk missing out.

The risk isn’t just markets falling.

It’s missing growth, losing time, and retiring with less.

📌 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠, 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠, 𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.

14/05/2025

Every time Trump’s name pops up in the news, someone asks me the same question:
“Is now a bad time to invest?”

Lots of people in their 50s are finally getting around to sorting their finances, only to be hit with headlines about Trump and market uncertainty.

I shared some thoughts on how to approach investing in times like this, especially if retirement’s not far off.

Here’s the piece I contributed to for Adviser Ratings.
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With the kids out of the house and retirement approaching, James from Caboolture is finally focusing on his finances. But Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency has rattled markets, and his unpredictable economic stance is creating fresh uncertainty. Should Australians like James invest amid...