Calm Wealth

Credit Union SA is proud to offer you Calm Wealth.

We are proud to offer you the services of our financial planning partner Calm Wealth. A Calm Wealth financial adviser provides you with valuable assistance in planning for your future and managing your wealth. The benefits of financial advice are numerous and far greater than simply recommending where to invest.

Calm Wealth has been helping Australians reach their financial goals for over 30 years in Adelaide and is focussed on providing financial advice to the customer-owned banking sector including credit unions and mutual banks.

A Calm Wealth financial planner will develop a plan specifically for you - one that’s tailored to your needs and circumstances, to help you achieve your goals.

Financial planning is about helping you plan for a future lifestyle that is as good as it can possibly be.

No matter your age, the advice of a professional financial planner is crucial in helping you achieve your financial goals by developing a strategy specifically for you.

A financial planner can help you:

• define your financial and lifestyle goals
• understand your current financial situation and personal circumstances to see what opportunities you have
• build a financial plan with written, measurable outcomes
• stay on track through ongoing progress reviews.

Areas a financial planner typically focuses on are:

• making the most of your super
• managing your money tax-effectively
• selecting investments based on your risk profile
• structuring your finances wisely, especially following a redundancy or after receiving an inheritance
• planning for your transition to retirement
• maximising your Centrelink benefits
• ensuring you have appropriate personal insurance cover to protect your family
• providing aged care advice for you or a loved one.

Retirement planning

Retirement is a time of life for you to relax and do the things you’ve always wanted to do, and careful planning can help ensure you are financially comfortable.

If you’re worried that your savings, super and investments won’t meet the retirement you want to make an appointment with a Calm Wealth financial planner. Planning ahead can assist you in making the most of what you have and help you achieve financial security, reduce uncertainty and enjoy your retirement.

Planning ahead can assist you in making the most of what you have and help you to achieve financial security, reduce uncertainty and enjoy your retirement. There are many different options available to help fund your retirement, including taking your super as a cash lump sum, purchasing an income stream product to give you a regular income or a combination of both.

Prior to retirement, there are some important questions you need to ask yourself, including:

• What do you want to do in retirement?
• How much money will you need to do it?
• Do you need a regular income?
• Where will this income come from?
• When can you retire?
• How and when will you be able to access your super?
• What Government support will you be eligible to receive?

Superannuation

Your superannuation is an extremely important investment because it is likely to be your main source of income in retirement. Also, it is the most tax-effective way to save for retirement, so it pays to look after it. Calm Wealth can advise you on all the things you need to consider and superannuation strategies.

Your employer’s compulsory 10% superannuation guarantee contributions from 1 July 2021 are unlikely to give you a comfortable retirement. But, if you start contributing more to your super now you can make more of your retirement later.

Super tax advantages

Superannuation is the most tax-effective way to save for your future. Your contributions are taxed at only 15% which is much lower than most peoples’ marginal tax rates.

A financial planner can help you:

• choose an appropriate super fund with the features you need
• select the appropriate investment mix depending on your risk profile and investment timeframe
• boost your super by making the most of the contributions limits, tax-benefits and government incentives
• transition your super to a pension once you retire.

Redundancy

In today’s economic environment, being made redundant can become an unexpected reality. We all have a lifestyle to maintain, some with dependants, and many with financial commitments such as mortgages, personal loans, and other obligations that require us to generate an income. If your source of income suddenly ceases, it could have a dramatic impact on your financial wellbeing and even serious consequences depending on your personal circumstances. Regardless of your current situation and future intentions, you will need to make some important decisions about your finances. This includes any redundancy or employee termination payments that you may be entitled to, your expenses, and how you can structure your affairs tax-effectively.

How a financial planner can help

Redundancy and early retirement involve important financial decisions that can only be made with consideration given to your personal circumstances.

A financial planner can help you by:

• assessing your financial position and your ability to meet your financial commitments
• identifying any employer payments that you may be entitled to
• understanding how redundancy affects your superannuation
• identifying any Government assistance you may be entitled to
• understanding/assessing your personal insurance
• planning the way forward.

Aged Care

As we get older, it becomes more and more difficult to live independently – whether it’s because of illness, disability, reduced mobility, isolation or the problems associated with maintaining a large property. While moving in with family may be a viable option, there are alternative accommodation options that not only allow a level of independence to be maintained, but also provide varying levels of care if required.

A Calm Wealth financial planner can help you access the right information so you can make an informed decision which ultimately gives you peace of mind.

They can help you understand:

• the implications to your age pension entitlements,
• the aged care costs you will be charged,
• the impact on your estate and the passing of your wealth to the next generation.

A Calm Wealth financial planner can help you access the right information so you can make an informed decision which ultimately gives you peace of mind.

Insurance

Building your wealth is important and so is protecting it. What would your family do if something happened to you? Illness, injury and death can have a huge impact on your family and your finances.

Most of us insure our car and home, but what about your most valuable assets - your life and your ability to earn an income? Make sure you look after your loved ones and protect them against these risks.

How a financial planner can help you

A Calm Wealth financial planner can help you identify the type and the appropriate level of insurance for your and your family’s circumstances.

Risk and return

With greater risk, there is the opportunity for greater returns. Different types of investments, or asset classes, have greater risk and the possibility of higher returns. There are four main asset classes:

• Shares (also known as equities)
• Property
• Fixed interest
• Cash.

Each asset class has individual characteristics and carries a different level of risk and return to suit a range of investor types.

Minimising risk

While risk is an unavoidable part of investing, there are steps you can take to minimise your exposure to unintended risk through diversification and where possible, making longer-term investments.

What type of investor are you?

Understanding what type of investor you are, and therefore what types of investments are appropriate to you, is all about your personal circumstances and your attitude towards investment risk.

How a financial planner can help you

A financial planner can help you understand your risk profile and build a portfolio of investments that matches your risk profile and your investment objectives.