If you were lucky enough to be employed through local government or water authorities before 1994 you may have a Vision Super Defined Benefit (DB) account. A DB account is very different to the accumulation accounts we see today in that your retirement balance is formulated based on an equation, rather than investment returns.

Vision Super member Rod and his wife Deb, share their journey through working life towards retirement with the help of Vision Super. Here is their story.

We often hear that we’ll need one million dollars in super before we’re able to think about retiring comfortably. And while it’s a lovely round number, it’s also completely wrong. There’s certainly no one-size-fits-all when it comes to knowing how much you’ll need in retirement, and there’s a bit of legwork involved in figuring out how much you need.

Imagining your retirement can be exciting, even if it’s a long way off. Who doesn’t want more time to spend on hobbies, travel and with friends and family? If you’re in the know, you’re already aware – it’s important to have a plan if you want to hit your retirement goals. What you might not realise is that your plans need a bit of risk management built in if you’re going to get there.

Early in 2017, News Corp and Industry Super Funds did a study to try and see whether Aussies are ready for retirement . Spoiler alert: we're not. Only 21% of workers think they'll have no financial worries in retirement¹.

The kids have flown the nest and you’re rattling around in the family home. What do you do with all those spare rooms because you don’t really feel like renting them out on Airbnb. You might even wonder whether you’ve got too much house and not enough super.

Now, you’ve got a chance to change that. Thanks to a government initiative (announced as part of the May 2017 Budget) if you’re 65 or over you can sell your house and put the money into super.

The rising costs of living mean we’re being forced to spend more on essentials each year. The ABS 2017 Household Expenditure Survey shows that we’re spending $190 more per week than six years ago.