Planning
Making sense of solar costs and savings
Kate Cowling For many who made the switch to solar, the financial incentives were as much of a hook as the environmental feel-good factor. Now that they're ending, is solar still worthwhile?
NOEL WHITTAKER
Why it pays to read the fine print of insurance forms
![Young women in traditional dress in Seville. Spain is notorious for theft.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/f/r/1/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpfquj.png/1465511124958.jpg)
Noel Whittaker Knowing your policy inclusions can save a lot of time and angst.
YOUR QUESTIONS
What parents owe their children
![Your children may not even want the investment property you buy for them.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/n/m/5/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpelaj.png/1465428099104.jpg)
George Cochrane Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
EXTREME BUDGETING
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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/e/f/3/4/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gpefoe.png/1466223489391.jpg)
Kate Jones 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
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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/9/f/t/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gp9fvw.png/1464824666437.jpg)
George Cochrane Financial expert George Cochrane answers questions from readers.
BOURIS ON MONEY
It's what you do with super that counts
![Many people don't start planning for retirement until they reach their 50s.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/i/2/9/1/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gp8kwj.png/1465228928174.jpg)
Mark Bouris Don't leave it too late to build a retirement plan.
RETIRE RIGHT
How to make sure your heirs get theirs
![There are strategies to preserve your superannuation for the purposes of leaving a legacy.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/j/9/t/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gp7nwu.png/1464651189036.jpg)
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon 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.
INSIGHT
Where will 'new economy' jobs come from?
![<p>](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/3/7/0/l/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gp29c8.png/1464667486995.jpg)
Clancy Yeates There's probably more anxiety than usual about where future jobs will come from.
MONEY BRAIN
What Mount Everest's Sherpas can teach us about money
![Phurba Tashi in Jennifer Peedom's documentary about the 2014 Everest disaster, Sherpa.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/h/w/c/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gp3nv2.png/1464157519413.jpg)
Catherine Robson How many of us take time to consider how much money is enough?
RETIRE RIGHT
Is retirement all it's cracked up to be?
![Happiness in retirement is about making time for whatever your floats your boat.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/1/g/q/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gp1gfy.png/1464052918258.jpg)
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon A happy retirement is not just about your finances, it's also about how you spend your time.
YOUR QUESTIONS
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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/h/w/i/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.goynon.png/1463621189314.jpg)
George Cochrane 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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/p/v/a/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.goy944.png/1464135307757.jpg)
Sylvia Pennington Many people dream of a life-changing windfall, but stories are legion of lottery winners or inheritors who have squandered fortunes.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Full coverage for the slippery slope
![Ski trips have a lot of upfront cost, and the price of medical treatment can be high.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/u/r/i/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gouqwv.png/1463488047462.jpg)
Leo D'Angelo Fisher Chances are travel insurance for domestic ski holidays is not on most to-do lists.
MIND OVER MONEY
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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/5/r/n/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gowlg4.png/1463534217284.jpg)
Caitlin Fitzsimmons The real divide is not between Generation Y and their Baby Boomer parents, but between haves and have-nots.
RETIRE RIGHT
The three-bucket approach to lasting super
![Asset allocation is important in retirement if you're going to make your savings last.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/s/j/0/d/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gouumv.png/1463530000581.jpg)
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon Once you get to retirement, how do you ensure your money lasts?
YOUR QUESTIONS
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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/a/w/p/i/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gotk7n.png/1463713304609.jpg)
George Cochrane Financial expert George Cochrane answers questions from readers.
RETIRE RIGHT
How much super you'll really need
![The difference between a comfortable and a modest retirement is vast.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/d/q/l/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.goqk8s.png/1463737547157.jpg)
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon 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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/n/t/5/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gomi8i.png/1462926642701.jpg)
Christine Long Living the creative life is one filled with riches but rarely of the financial kind.
BOURIS ON MONEY
The six basic money personalities
![Understanding your money personality can help you achieve financial security.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/v/s/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gomv87.png/1462606290773.jpg)
Mark Bouris One way to approach your financial life is to first understand yourself: what drives you? Take our quiz to find out.
MONEY BRAIN
Mums – fit your own oxygen masks first
![Mothers often put their children's needs ahead of their own.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/f/t/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gomfyu.png/1462685227966.jpg)
Catherine Robson This Mother's Day, I would encourage all mums to reframe the way they think about helping their kids and others that they love.
BUDGET 2016
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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/m/1/a/f/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gom1or.png/1462372810766.jpg)
Mark Bouris Financial expert Mark Bouris gives his verdict on whether the transition-to-retirement (TTR) scheme is still worthwhile.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Why doesn't Centrelink reduce paperwork?
![Too much mess can lower your productivity - but so can not enough clutter.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/5/7/t/6/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gokwdk.png/1462350016534.jpg)
George Cochrane Money expert George Cochrane answers personal finance questions from readers.
MIND OVER MONEY
The trifecta of health, wealth and happiness
![<p>](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/z/o/m/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1nvpme.png/1464942243052.jpg)
Caitlin Fitzsimmons Can money make you happy? It's not about how much you have, but what you do with it.
BUDGET 2016
Budget 2016: 10 changes for families
![The government's childcare package has been postponed until 2018.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/k/4/e/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gom0jk.png/1464308185003.jpg)
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon There wasn't much explicitly for working families, but there were a whole bunch of measures that will directly affect them.
RETIRE RIGHT
How to start planning for retirement
![There are calculators to help you determine how much you need to save for retirement.](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/v/p/p/d/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.goje21.png/1462503145614.jpg)
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon 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.
ASK NOEL
How can I use equity in my home?
![Illustration: Michael Mucci](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/k/1/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gojk0r.png/1462372629739.jpg)
Noel Whittaker 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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/h/b/e/m/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.goh92b.png/1461891693848.jpg)
John Collett Tuesday's budget is unlikely to resolve uncertainty and lift consumer confidence.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Does real estate preserve capital?
![What is the best way to preserve capital for self-funded retirement?](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/a/w/q/v/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gobl26.png/1462081342962.jpg)
George Cochrane Financial expert George Cochrane answers personal finance questions from readers.
MIND OVER MONEY
What Lego taught me about money
![<p>](/web/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/z/o/m/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.goe4pj.png/1464942243052.jpg)
Caitlin Fitzsimmons 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/20160618060620im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/9/3/7/v/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.goal1a.png/1461680429070.jpg)
Barbara Drury Governments of all persuasions are fond of comparing the federal budget with the humble household budget and exhorting us to live within our means.