![Don't get a system that is too large for your needs.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/z/v/d/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gpe8af.png/1465888412747.jpg)
Planning
![Don't get a system that is too large for your needs.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/z/v/d/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gpe8af.png/1465888412747.jpg)
Why it pays to read the fine print of insurance forms
![Young women in traditional dress in Seville. Spain is notorious for theft.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/f/r/1/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpfquj.png/1465511124958.jpg)
Knowing your policy inclusions can save a lot of time and angst.
What parents owe their children
![Your children may not even want the investment property you buy for them.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/n/m/5/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpelaj.png/1465428099104.jpg)
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
The Aussie family that saves $60,000 a year
![Jasmine and Aaron Boothey of Adelaide and their children, daughter Blair (5) and son Hamish (2).](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/e/f/3/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gpefoe.png/1465972519868.jpg)
Consumerism is the norm for many Australians but not for Jasmine and Aaron Boothey who save two-thirds of their take-home pay.
Your questions: how much can we spend in retirement?
![A reader worries about whether they will be comfortable in retirement – or have to ration their Vegemite.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/9/f/t/w/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp9fvw.png/1464824666437.jpg)
Financial expert George Cochrane answers questions from readers.
It's what you do with super that counts
![Many people don't start planning for retirement until they reach their 50s.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/i/2/9/1/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp8kwj.png/1465228928174.jpg)
Don't leave it too late to build a retirement plan.
How to make sure your heirs get theirs
![There are strategies to preserve your superannuation for the purposes of leaving a legacy.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/j/9/t/w/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp7nwu.png/1464651189036.jpg)
You can control, through a valid will, where all the money you amass in your lifetime ultimately goes. But many people don't appreciate that this does not necessarily apply to superannuation.
Where will 'new economy' jobs come from?
![Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is a fan of modern technology and innovation.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/z/v/o/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp29c8.png/1464667486995.jpg)
There's probably more anxiety than usual about where future jobs will come from.
What Mount Everest's Sherpas can teach us about money
![Phurba Tashi in Jennifer Peedom's documentary about the 2014 Everest disaster, Sherpa.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/h/w/c/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp3nv2.png/1464157519413.jpg)
How many of us take time to consider how much money is enough?
Is retirement all it's cracked up to be?
![Happiness in retirement is about making time for whatever your floats your boat.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/1/g/q/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gp1gfy.png/1464052918258.jpg)
A happy retirement is not just about your finances, it's also about how you spend your time.
Can I claim my Australian pension overseas?
![A reader wants to know what would happen to their Australian pension if they moved home to the UK.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/h/w/i/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.goynon.png/1463621189314.jpg)
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
What to do if you win the lottery
![If you win the lottery, give it time to sink in before you make big decisions.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/p/v/a/e/image.related.landscape.120x80.goy944.png/1464135307757.jpg)
Many people dream of a life-changing windfall, but stories are legion of lottery winners or inheritors who have squandered fortunes.
Full coverage for the slippery slope
![Ski trips have a lot of upfront cost, and the price of medical treatment can be high.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/u/r/i/e/image.related.landscape.120x80.gouqwv.png/1463488047462.jpg)
Chances are travel insurance for domestic ski holidays is not on most to-do lists.
Millennials 'shell out' for their Baby Boomer parents
![Thousands of baby boomers and Gen Ys are engaged in loving, reciprocal relationships in the private sphere.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/5/r/n/b/image.related.landscape.120x80.gowlg4.png/1463534217284.jpg)
The real divide is not between Generation Y and their Baby Boomer parents, but between haves and have-nots.
The three-bucket approach to lasting super
![Asset allocation is important in retirement if you're going to make your savings last.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/s/j/0/d/image.related.landscape.120x80.gouumv.png/1463530000581.jpg)
Once you get to retirement, how do you ensure your money lasts?
2017 deadline for age pensioners looms
![The tightening of eligibility for the age pension occurs on January 1, 2017, but the thresholds are not yet known.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/a/w/p/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.gotk7n.png/1463713304609.jpg)
Financial expert George Cochrane answers questions from readers.
How much super you'll really need
![The difference between a comfortable and a modest retirement is vast.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/d/q/l/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.goqk8s.png/1463737547157.jpg)
There's a lot of discussion – and disagreement – about the size of the lump sum you will need at retirement.
How to fund a creative career
![Circus Oz unicyclist and trapeze artists Kyle Raftery and April Dawson are taking care of their personal finances.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/n/t/5/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gomi8i.png/1462926642701.jpg)
Living the creative life is one filled with riches but rarely of the financial kind.
The six basic money personalities
![Understanding your money personality can help you achieve financial security.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/v/s/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gomv87.png/1462606290773.jpg)
One way to approach your financial life is to first understand yourself: what drives you? Take our quiz to find out.
Mums – fit your own oxygen masks first
![Mothers often put their children's needs ahead of their own.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/f/t/e/image.related.landscape.120x80.gomfyu.png/1462685227966.jpg)
This Mother's Day, I would encourage all mums to reframe the way they think about helping their kids and others that they love.
Retirement transition scheme hobbled in budget
![The transition-to-retirement scheme helps older workers build their retirement nest eggs at the time they need it most.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/1/a/f/image.related.landscape.120x80.gom1or.png/1462372810766.jpg)
Financial expert Mark Bouris gives his verdict on whether the transition-to-retirement (TTR) scheme is still worthwhile.
Why doesn't Centrelink reduce paperwork?
![Too much mess can lower your productivity - but so can not enough clutter.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/5/7/t/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.gokwdk.png/1462350016534.jpg)
Money expert George Cochrane answers personal finance questions from readers.
The trifecta of health, wealth and happiness
![Financial knowledge, health and happiness are linked.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/2/b/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.1nvpme.png/1462755303839.jpg)
Can money make you happy? It's not about how much you have, but what you do with it.
Budget 2016: 10 changes for families
![The government's childcare package has been postponed until 2018.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/k/4/e/w/image.related.landscape.120x80.gom0jk.png/1464308185003.jpg)
There wasn't much explicitly for working families, but there were a whole bunch of measures that will directly affect them.
How to start planning for retirement
![There are calculators to help you determine how much you need to save for retirement.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/v/p/p/d/image.related.landscape.120x80.goje21.png/1462503145614.jpg)
The upside of headlines screaming "too poor to retire" and persistent talk about more changes to superannuation is that they make you think about the future. And if your kids have left home, you are perfectly positioned to make it a bright one.
How can I use equity in my home?
![Illustration: Michael Mucci](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/k/1/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.gojk0r.png/1462372629739.jpg)
Financial expert Noel Whittaker answers personal finance questions from readers.
Budget, election and possible rate cut mean months of uncertainty
![Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison will have some surprises in Tuesday's budget.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/h/b/e/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.goh92b.png/1461891693848.jpg)
Tuesday's budget is unlikely to resolve uncertainty and lift consumer confidence.
Does real estate preserve capital?
![What is the best way to preserve capital for self-funded retirement?](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/a/w/q/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gobl26.png/1462081342962.jpg)
Financial expert George Cochrane answers personal finance questions from readers.
What Lego taught me about money
![Time spent with Lego sparked a money plan.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/e/4/t/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.goe4pj.png/1461678153439.jpg)
I had a financial epiphany while building a Lego aeroplane with my kids.
How to make the perfect budget
![Ernest Chunge with his wife Fiona Copeman and baby Charles.](/web/20160615122036im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/9/3/7/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.goal1a.png/1461680429070.jpg)
Governments of all persuasions are fond of comparing the federal budget with the humble household budget and exhorting us to live within our means.