Having access to a lot of research in the female financial field, we know the issues facing women and their financial wellbeing can be wide and varied. The good news is there are plenty of things you can do about it – but you need to be prepared and ready to make some small changes. To give you a better idea of the sort of people we can help, please take a look at the following scenarios.
Are you like Fran?
Fran is a Property Manager in commercial Real Estate. While she earns good money, her take home pay is still about $20,000 less than her male counterparts, so her contributions to super are not as good as they could be. Then there are the skiing holidays in Canada that have become a bit of a tradition and provided some much-needed downtime.
With her partner Steve, who works in hospitality, they have been paying off their house and taking control of their finances. While the value of their house is on the up – it is the only investment they have.
In the back of Fran’s mind is the knowledge that, at some point, she wants to jump off the corporate treadmill and take time out to have a family. Fran and Steve want to know that they are in a good position financially before Fran stops work and have a plan in place for her time away from the workforce.
Potential Issues
- Earning less
- Less super at retirement
- Time out of the workforce
Are you like Sarah?
Sarah has always worked in retail and loves the way she can connect with her customers. With husband Trent, a self-employed electrician, they have paid off a large proportion of their humble beach house and when Trent’s business was doing well enough they decided it was time to start a family.
Sarah’s current employer was more than happy to offer her part time work, rather than lose her completely, and this suited Sarah too as it gave her the flexibility she needed to care for her son Josh. Now that Josh has started school, Sarah has continued to work part time so she can be there for drop offs and pick ups – and Sarah and Trent have started to think about giving Josh a little playmate.
Potential Issues
- Earning less
- Less super at retirement
- Time out of the workforce
Are you like Heather?
Over the years Heather has worked in a number of different office jobs and she has also taken some time off to raise her two girls. She has made some financial sacrifices along the way to make sure she was putting some money away for ‘the unknown’ as she calls it.
Heather is incredibly organised and thrifty and she makes most of the financial decisions around the house, but needs some help putting a structure in place to have a comfortable retirement and enjoy the fruits of all her hard work. After all, retirement is only a few years away.
With the help of Keith’s salary as an engineer, they have all but paid off the house and Heather is looking forward to a time when she can put her feet up and still have enough put aside to take the occasional cruise. If Keith plays his cards right – and does something about his snoring – she may even invite him to come with her.
Potential Issues
- Preparing for a tax effective retirement
- Unsure of rules that they can take advantage of.
Are you like Beverley?
Beverley was 53 when she suddenly found herself living alone following the death of her husband Frank. She gave up her career in nursing when the kids came along and before Frank had started to go downhill, he had handled all of their finances.
Now financially unsure, and with the kids moved out, Bev needs a guiding hand to turn her assets, savings and Frank’s insurance pay out into a source of long term income. She also needs advice around dealing with Centrelink and making sure she can still get the pension.
Potential Issues
- Not being involved in financial decision making
- Unaware of options available
- Frightened of making the wrong choice.
Each client we meet has different circumstances and needs. It can be a complicated world and events and issues will come up in life when they’re least expected – but being prepared can make a world of difference. There are many strategies, both personal and financial, that can be implemented to help on the path to financial wellbeing. Let’s take the first step. We know, we help.
Case studies reflect real life scenarios but names have been altered for privacy purposes.