![GENERIC. PLEASE CREDIT IMAGE: iStockphoto Three presents wrapped in gold and red. Isolated on white Gold and Red ...](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/c/e/w/g/image.related.wideLandscape.940x529.gtamy4.12uqus.png/1483528118496.jpg)
Money features
![You don't have to retire to go on holidays to distant places like Montenegro.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/h/n/5/3/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtd5cq.png/1482098222391.jpg)
Your Questions: when can I afford to retire?
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
![Speak up, and put your hand up.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/r/v/9/j/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtdqyx.png/1482092697795.jpg)
Invest in yourself in 2017
Your ability to earn a salary is a valuable asset and one that should be nurtured over time.
![<P>](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/t/v/y/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtcux8.png/1482095806238.jpg)
The lucky country for investors
Why 2017, like every other year, is shaping up to be a good one.
![The Richie Benaud 50 cent coin.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/l/s/2/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtlrod.png/1483505864219.jpg)
Marvellous: how to get your Richie Benaud 50 cent coin
Next time you have to decide who bats first, use a Richie Benaud 50 cent coin for the toss.
![President-elect Donald Trump's 100-day plan has injected confidence into the sharemarkets.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/c/b/k/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtdodl.png/1483495616731.jpg)
Here's how to best trade the Trump presidency
"Investors are visionaries in some respects – they look beyond the present."
![The state government will still expect stamp duty at full market value.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/3/6/w/k/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtd55x.png/1483410657608.jpg)
Selling property below market value is a tax trap
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
![After the party is over, many of us wake up with a financial hangover.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/c/f/2/r/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtcf7v.png/1481844771491.jpg)
One resolution to rule them all (and another to renounce)
How to set yourself up for a sweeter 2017.
![ETFs give you exposure to a market, without high fees.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/l/i/u/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtdp3h.png/1482095166013.jpg)
Five biggest mistakes people make saving for retirement
Saving for retirement is a multi-decade investing venture, even for those approaching retirement.
![Australia is in the top five countries for life expectancy worldwide and Australians aged 64 now can expect to spend ...](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/q/h/x/v/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtdqya.png/1482094478333.jpg)
Is the trend of running out of money in retirement increasing?
As a nation, we're pretty optimistic. We like to think things will turn out for the best, and if they don't, we usually have a back-up plan to see us through. While it's one of the traits I like most about Australian culture, optimism alone doesn't always cut it.
![Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/2/k/z/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtis3f.png/1483001166467.jpg)
Labor ought to stop pandering to millionaires
Once Labor and the unions stood up for battlers. Now they’re robocalling seeking sympathy for millionaires who want to stay on the pension.
![Investors turned on former market darlings such as Bellamy's Organic.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/b/4/k/2/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtb4c6.png/1482403418125.jpg)
2016: A year of surprises
Things that are always clear in hindsight are never clear at the time. But 2016 has really outdone itself.
![Illustration: Simon Letch](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/a/x/v/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9lmu.png/1482221703895.jpg)
What happens to my health care card when I lose my pension?
Financial expert Noel Whittaker answers readers' questions.
![Charles Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge (played here by Jim Carrey) is the fictional archetype of the miserable rich person.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/a/x/k/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtaxcz.png/1481859309836.jpg)
Rich is a state of mind, not a bank balance
Look no further than the hordes of rich but miserable celebrities and Lotto winners.
![The HotCopper site is a sharemarket forum perhaps better known for spruiking and rampant speculation, rather than ...](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/a/y/f/m/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtay97.png/1481703760215.jpg)
HotCopper is too hot
There is as much hot air in HotCopper's share price as there is in its forums.
![Close to a million retired and contributing defined benefit (DB) members are struggling to understand how the 1 July ...](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/s/1/p/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtcwtp.png/1481864842189.jpg)
How defined benefit members will be affected by super changes
The government's super changes are complex and not easily understood.
![Studies suggest some people are happier giving gifts or treats than they are receiving them.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/x/c/5/l/image.related.landscape.120x80.gtceeo.png/1481976960066.jpg)
Giving is like sex, it makes us human
Want to make someone extraordinarily happy? Give them $5, or $20. But you can't stop there.
![Aged care is destined to have increasing demand, but there may be oversupply.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/2/9/y/z/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9e28.png/1482186413304.jpg)
The hidden danger of investing in aged care
Favourable demand forecasts aren't enough to make money in aged care. Focus on supply.
![The lies we tell ourselves are the most dangerous of all.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/9/d/s/n/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9do6.png/1481575795183.jpg)
The investment lies we tell ourselves
The hardest part of investing is not the balance sheet analysis or ratio calculations. It's the way we use that information.
![Illustration: Simon Letch](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/9/b/2/p/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt99qm.png/1481627900782.jpg)
Can I spread risk by having two super funds?
Financial expert Noel Whittaker answers readers' questions.
![Resilience is a tool on the path to wellbeing not an end in itself.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/s/j/x/4/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt9blb.png/1481576761340.jpg)
Why financial resilience is not an end goal
When it comes to our finances and our businesses we're often told to be resilient. But is simply weathering storms truly living?
![Labor's Andrew Leigh said the complaint figures did not take into account this month's IT system failures.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/o/l/7/6/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt91dx.png/1483073243459.jpg)
Entire ATO website down
The Tax Office ruled out a census-style "denial of service" attack as the reason for the loss of its entire website, saying the massive failure was due to hardware problems "not being caused by any external factors".
![Superannuation is a marital asset that can be split in divorce, but it's still best to make sure your relationship is ...](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/y/m/x/o/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt4y6w.png/1481083328431.jpg)
Can I switch to making super contributions for my wife?
Financial expert George Cochrane answers readers' questions.
![Most pre-retirees don't have enough super.](/web/20170108203338im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/8/1/j/y/image.related.landscape.120x80.gt7wje.png/1481543973256.jpg)
What it would take to replace the age pension
The age pension is more valuable than many people realise.