What You Should Ask Your Adviser About Retirement—Our Transparent Answers to the Top 5

Most people nearing retirement ask one question: “Are we going to be okay?” Not “How do I beat the market?” Just, will the money last, and can I stop working?

That’s the conversation we have every week. People want permission and a plan. They want to retire with confidence, spend safely, and enjoy the life they’ve worked for.

If you’re looking for an adviser, here are the five questions that actually matter.

Big Question 1: What do you actually do—and how does it improve my life?

Not all financial planners work the same way. Some focus on people under 40. Some are generalists working across all ages and wealth brackets. Some specialise in one area.

For people approaching retirement or already there, the right adviser starts with what you value and the lifestyle you want. Then they build a plan that shows what you can safely spend, when you can retire, and how to adapt when life changes.

Specifically:

• Calculate your safe spending number (how much is enough for you).
• Map your retirement income plan: super-to-account-based pension, cash buffers, bucket strategies, drawdown rules, and risk levels.
• Optimise super contributions, transition to retirement strategies, and pension commencement.
• Manage tax: contribution strategies, tax-free/taxable components, and minimising tax on income and estate.
• Guide you through Centrelink and Age Pension eligibility, asset tests, deeming, and structuring to maximise entitlements.
• Manage investment risk: reduce sequencing risk, set an evidence-based portfolio, and guide you through volatility.
• Provide ongoing reviews and support so your plan adjusts as rules, markets, or life changes.

What this means in real life:

• Permission to retire: Many discover they can retire earlier than they thought, or shift to lower-stress work, without risking their future.
• Spending confidence: Clear, safe-spending ranges and buffers so you don’t underspend your best years.
• Warm-hand gifting: Help your kids when it matters most while knowing you’ll still be okay.
• No regrets: Look back and say, “Wow, What a ride,” without money worries.
• You get permission to maximise your experiences and memories in your most active years of retirement.

Big Question 2: How do I choose the right financial adviser?

Three things matter: specialisation, fees, and process.

Specialisation:

Find someone who spends 100% of their time advising pre-retirees and retirees. You want depth in retirement planning, not someone who does a bit of everything.

Fees:

Understand how they charge. Ask about initial and ongoing fees and what’s included. Look for flat fixed fees, not a percentage of assets under management. The cheapest option can be the most expensive if it misses key strategies.

Process:

Ask how they calculate your safe spending number, manage sequencing risk, and coordinate super, tax, and Centrelink. In your first meeting, ask:

• Are you licensed and listed on the ASIC Financial Adviser Register?
• How are you paid? Do you receive any remuneration from products or investments you recommend?
• How will you help me turn my super into reliable, tax-efficient income?
• How do you approach Centrelink and Age Pension optimization?
• What’s your investment philosophy, especially around sequencing risk?
• How often will we meet, and what reporting and updates will I receive?

Compare advisers side-by-side on scope (tax, Centrelink, drawdown strategy), frequency of reviews, and depth of retirement modeling. Not just on price.

Avoid advisers who lead with investments or promise high returns. It’s a sign they’re solving the wrong problem.

In our retirement base camp to retirement summit and beyond framework, our role is to guide you to a confident and safe retirement. Helping you live the best life full of experiences and memories with the money you have. In other words, live a retirement without regrets.

We don’t lead with products or performance chasing. We lead with calm and clarity. We measure success by your ability to live a good life without money stress, not by headlines. Simplicity, evidence, and transparency drive everything we do.

We’re retirement specialists with over two decades of experience walking the retirement journey side by side with clients. We invest to fund your life, build safety guardrails to keep you steady, and stay by your side to adjust as life ebbs and flows without locking you in.

Big Question 3: Can I trust this adviser?

Yes, it can feel like a leap of faith. But here’s what to look for.

Conflicts:

Ask if they accept payments from products. Ask for a clear explanation of how they’re paid and whether advice is product agnostic. No commission or hidden incentive should come between you and their recommendation.

We operate a fixed fee model and don’t accept or receive payments from product providers. While we can’t call ourselves independent due to a technicality, we are agnostic towards products. Any product recommendation is driven by your strategy and what’s the best fit for your retirement roadmap.

Best Interest Duty:

In Australia, licensed financial advisers must act in your best interest. It’s the law. Ask how they document that for you. Every recommendation should be backed up by research and show how you’ll be better off.

Whether that’s better tax outcomes, taking less investment risk and still having enough, Centrelink strategies, investment recommendations, or product recommendations, every recommendation is in your best interest.

Qualifications:

Look for an adviser on the ASIC Financial Adviser Register with relevant degrees, Certified Financial Planner credentials, and years of experience working with pre-retirees and retirees.

I’m fully qualified with over two decades of experience working with pre-retirees and retirees.

I’m listed on the Financial Adviser Register. I’m a Certified Financial Planner and have held this designation since 2004.

I have a Bachelor of Commerce and completed the Certified Financial Planner program. I complete well over 40 hours of professional development every year, immersing myself in everything retirement related. This gives me the insights that matter so I can guide clients in the best way possible to live their best life in retirement.

Who they typically work with:

Choose someone who specialises in retirement planning for people like you; super-to-pension strategies, tax-efficient income, and Centrelink. Specialists make few mistakes and move faster.

We work with people 1 to 7 years out from retirement who’ve built up super and maybe have an investment property or other assets. If you’re asking, “Will we be okay?“, “Will we have enough for retirement?”, “When can I retire?“, and you want to feel safe and confident as you transition into retirement, that’s our bread and butter.

Transparency test:

A trustworthy adviser welcomes questions, gives fee disclosure, explains pros and cons, and never rushes you.

The reason someone may have had a bad experience is the advice has been driven by a conflict of interest, either benefiting from a product they’re recommending or charging a fee to manage your money.

We have no conflicts, no interests in any products, and no desire to charge a fee based on assets under management. Yes, we charge a fixed fee for the work and complexity. We’re there solely to guide you through retirement so you can sit there at the end in your rocking chair reflecting on life saying, “Wow, what a ride.” Not proud of the money you’ve accumulated, but proud of the life you’ve lived.

Big Question 4: Do I actually need a financial adviser?

If you’re within seven years of retirement, the stakes are high. The biggest risks now aren’t stock picking. They’re taxes, sequencing risk, poor drawdown strategies, not maximizing super rules, and missing Centrelink and Age Pension opportunities.

Probably the biggest risk you’re facing is not spending enough in your early years of retirement on experiences and memories while you’re fit and able. Those are the regrets that will cost you more than any financial mistake.

A good adviser will provide value beyond investments:

• Turn super into reliable, safe income you won’t outlive.
• Minimise lifetime tax (contributions, re-contributions, pension design, capital gains tax).
• Reduce sequencing risk as you transition from accumulation to pension.
• Coordinate spouse strategies, transition to retirement, and timing of retirement.
• Optimise Age Pension benefits and manage deeming and assessable assets.
• Is advice only for the wealthy? 

No. Many Australians get the most value from advice right at retirement because structural decisions, once-off and irreversible, matter more than marginal outperformance.

Most will need advice at some point in their retirement planning. Whether that’s professional judgment on your numbers or help navigating a complex transition so you can confidently step into retirement. 

Everyone has blind spots because they’ve never been retired before. Most of your life is built around saving and investing. Retirement is a different mindset. It’s about spending and decumulating at a safe rate. It requires a completely different skill set.

Good advice is time-intensive: strategy design, modeling retirement income, Centrelink optimisation, tax analysis, investment oversight, and regular reviews.

The real question isn’t “What does it cost?” It’s “What’s the value after tax, mistakes avoided, stress reduced, and a life not lived well?“

If a tailored retirement income plan will reduce your tax, increase your Age Pension entitlements, improve your drawdown strategy, and keep you invested through volatility, the benefits will likely outweigh the fee.

Financial advice is not cheap, and I’ll be honest, that may put some people off getting advice.

But the cost of getting it wrong can be far worse. I’ve personally seen bad mistakes cost people hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Fixed fees are transparent. You know what you’re paying and what you’re getting. A percentage-based fee can grow, and it ties your adviser’s interests to the size of your portfolio, not to the quality of your plan.

Our fixed fee to get you to retirement base camp ranges from $10,000 to $7,000 depending on complexity.  We only work with people where there is a mulitple times return on their investment. You’re free from there to implement on your own.

If you want help implementing the advice and a guide by your side to navigate retirement safely and with confidence, we charge a fixed fee for the ongoing retirement base camp to retirement summit and beyond service.

Many clients say, “It’s like having a sounding board for making the right decisions.” That’s the point. You have clarity, safety, and someone who understands your situation.

These are the big and important questions we answer:

• Will I be okay? We’ll model and show you your safe spending range and build buffers to account for life’s surprises and the safe payment of income when markets drop to preserve your capital.
• Can I retire safely? We model dates, cash flows, and contingencies so you can choose your retirement timing with confidence.
• Am I making costly mistakes? Everyone has blind spots they’re unaware of. We audit super, tax, Centrelink if applicable, and investments to find gaps and fix them.
• How do I turn my super into reliable income? With an evidence-based drawdown strategy that balances growth, income, and capital growth.
• How do I structure everything? We explore the different structures and recommend the one which suits your specific circumstances.

Big Question 5: What happens after we start working together?

You’re not alone in this. You get a guide by your side.

We start with a Retirement Feasibility Assessment. We model your cash flow, tax scenarios, and Age Pension options so you can make confident decisions based on numbers, not hope.

From there, most clients meet every six months to review the plan, model with current data, review strategies, and adjust as life changes. Between meetings, we’re here to answer questions and provide support.

The main questions we answer:

• Are we going to be okay?
• When can we retire?
• How much can we safely spend?
• How much investment risk do I need to take?
• How do I structure it tax-effectively?
• How long will my money last?
• How do I minimize estate taxes?
• What if I want to help my kids out; how much can I help them?
• How do I turn my assets into tax-effective income in retirement?
• What are all my options? 

The bottom line:

At the end of it, you sit back and say, “Wow, what a ride.” That’s success. Not the market performance. The life you get to live.

Your Next Step Towards More Clarity, Confidence, and Control Over Your Retirement

I hold a few 20-minute Retirement Clarity Calls each week for people 1–7 years from retirement who want to move from “I think I have enough” to “I know I have enough.”

If that sounds like you, let’s talk. Book a free 20-minute Retirement Clarity Call by clicking here . No jargon, no judgment — just an honest conversation about where you are, what worries you, and what’s at stake if you wait.

You can book your Retirement Clarity Call by clicking here or by scanning the QR code below which will take you to my booking page.

Glenn Doherty – CFP – Financial Planner | Retirement Planning Specialist |Retirement Planning Made Simple for over 55’s within 7 years of retirement

We work with people in Adelaide and around Australia virtually via zoom!

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