KGB Financial Planning Pty Ltd

Meet the real Balkan Dad — my dad, Boris. ❤️ Happy Father’s Day to the best dad and my very first financial planner!

The real person who taught me about money, how to be a handyman, an engineer, a gardener — you name it, Dad could do it! But most importantly, you taught me about hard work, love, resilience and always being there for family. Happy Father’s FatherAndDaughter LifeLessons FinancialPlanning Love

An offset account is a separate bank account linked to your home loan, where the balance reduces the amount of interest you pay. A redraw account is extra money you’ve paid into your loan that may be available for you to withdraw later, depending on your loan terms. An offset is an asset and must be disclosed.
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If you are leaving your super to adult children, it’s important to understand that tax of up to 17% can apply when they receive your super benefit. For couples, there may also be situations where you consider structuring your super to maximise the surviving partner’s Centrelink benefits, while also planning for what happens to the remaining super when both partners have passed away.

The key is looking ahead and considering strategies that may help minimise the tax your adult children could pay.

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The deeming changes are coming, for many pensioners, the increase in pension may be very modest.

Financial assets are still counted as income under the deeming rules, which can reduce the benefits of the increase.

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If your bank account earns 0% interest Centrelink will still count it as if it's paying you income. They count the balance and assume interesr from it when assessing your benefits.

That’s because Centrelink uses deeming rules, rather than the actual interest you receive.

So a 0% interest account doesn’t necessarily mean 0% income for Centrelink purposes.

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When I send my clients back to their estate planning lawyer… 😂

Life changes, laws change, assets change—and your estate plan needs to keep up. Don't forget to do your POAs too.

It’s not the most exciting part of financial planning… but it’s really important. ❤️

Future you (and your family) will thank you!

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From 20 September 2026, the deeming rates are increasing by another 0.5%.
Your financial assets may be assessed as generating more income even if your investments are not actually earning more.

That could mean a reduction in your Centrelink payments.

With deeming rates changing, it’s important to understand how the new rates could affect your retirement income and Centrelink

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Did you know that if you sell your principal home you have 2 years and have the money excluded under the assets test.

For example, a couple sells their home for $1.2 million and is waiting to purchase another $1.2 million home.

During the qualifying period, the $1.2 million can be deemed at the lower 1.25% rate.

That means:
$1.2m × 1.25% = $15,000 deemed income p.a.

That’s $576.92 per fortnight.

For a couple, this could mean an estimated Age Pension reduction of only around $90 per fortnight, rather than the much larger reduction that could occur under the standard deeming rates.

Get the rules right before making decisions that could affect your retirement income.

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Did you know your land that is attached to your house may count towards the Centrelink Age Pension assets test? if you own more than 2 hectares, you may have issues.Under the Extended Land Use Test, more land may be exempt if you meet specific rules, including the 20-year requirement. Know the rules before retirement