Planning
WELL HEELED
Surviving the Christmas crunch
Melissa Browne If you're a business owner, Christmas can be a stressful time where you feel like you are simply holding your breath until you reach the end of the year.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Capital gains tax may apply when you split units
![Property in St Kilda has made significant capital gains since the 1980s.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/z/u/l/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glig2x.png/1443789996370.jpg)
George Cochrane We live in combined flats as our permanent place of residence and neither one has ever been rented. We wondered if upon sale of either flat we will have to pay any capital gains tax? A.D.
BOURIS ON MONEY
'Transition to Retirement' the best-kept secret in super
![''Transition to retirement'' lets mature-age workers scale back their hours of work.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/g/w/m/v/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.glednw.png/1449549883383.jpg)
Mark Bouris There's an under-used government policy that allows the benefits of both working and using your super, without totally losing the advantages of either.
What you can learn from the Packers
![Kerry Packer is greeted at Sydney Airport by his children James and Gretel in 1977.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/f/d/j/r/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gleok9.png/1449571366249.jpg)
John Collett How James Packer and his sister Gretel carved up the family fortune and why it's relevant to the rest of us.
INTELLIGENT INVESTOR
The eight big money mistakes of the young
![Schoolies on the Gold Coast: Many money decisions await.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/b/s/e/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gle9wg.png/1449615487446.jpg)
Graham Witcomb The decisions you make in your 20s and 30s can be the difference between financial success or living hand to mouth down the road.
HOME CARE
Part-time care helps older Australians stay at home
![Lisa Slater helps Jack Moulos get ready for an outing.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/7/3/i/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gle91s.png/1449535748933.jpg)
Bina Brown Better Caring matches care workers and community members according to their skills and needs.
MONEY BRAIN
How a financial planner changed Jennifer Byrne's life
![Jennifer Byrne on ABC's The Book Club.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/9/e/2/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl9e9b.png/1449200226704.jpg)
Catherine Robson What drives wealth creation?
ASK NOEL
Plan for age pension changes in 2017
![<p>](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/8/q/i/l/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl8hjb.png/1448509966029.jpg)
Noel Whittaker The age pension is not intended to support those with higher levels of wealth to maintain their capital base.
How women can overcome the retirement savings gap
![Johanna de Ruyter says she used to be a 'Teflon woman' when it came to money.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/7/s/a/t/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl7y1i.png/1449010120006.jpg)
Christine Long Johanna de Ruyter admits her journey with money is still a work-in-progress.
YOUR QUESTIONS
How to know when a family trust has outlived its purpose
![Family trusts outlive their purpose when there are no beneficiaries.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/7/o/2/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl7nlh.png/1448575966231.jpg)
George Cochrane A reader asks George Cochrane if she should wind up her family trust now there are no beneficiaries.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Planning for longer life expectancy
![A baby boy born in Australia today can expect to live past 80. Women live an average of four years longer.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/5/b/9/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl5b38.png/1448236779846.jpg)
Nerida Cole Discussing your wishes with loved ones is just one important factor when planning your finances after age 65.
ASK NOEL
How to make super last a (longer) lifetime
![Watch it grow.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/3/d/z/d/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl3e8l.png/1447968255066.jpg)
Noel Whittaker Our resident personal finance expert answers reader questions.
How to make a granny flat arrangement work for you
![Illustration: Michael Mucci](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/2/u/u/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl1ypg.png/1448419947187.jpg)
Kate Cowling Retirees keen to help their children into the property market and keep the age pension are increasingly looking at granny flat arrangements.
Billionaire's big mistake: dying without a will
![Robert Holmes a Court was surrounded by legal advisers and he still died without a will.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/1/c/v/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl1cxl.png/1448127746504.jpg)
Catherine Robson When billionaire Robert Holmes a Court died aged 53, he did not have a valid will. The result for his family was devastating.
BOURIS ON MONEY
When a double income becomes one
![Families with a new baby often live on one income after the paid parental leave runs out.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/l/1/a/j/d/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gl19qb.png/1447891315841.jpg)
Mark Bouris What happens when your household goes from two incomes to one?
ASK NOEL
Tax deductible renovations
![The cost of renovations for an investment property are deducted off capital gains tax, not income tax.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/e/l/z/o/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkz691.png/1447496301495.jpg)
Noel Whittaker Readers ask Noel Whittaker their financial dilemmas, from the tax deductibility of renovating an investment property to whether to buy their late mother's house.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Your questions
![Now is a good time to sell an apartment in Sydney or Melbourne.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/x/n/z/f/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkwm9m.png/1447391651611.jpg)
A reader wants to know whether their New Zealand Post Office Bonus Bonds and UK Premium Savings Bonds might be worth something.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Seven steps to prepare for retirement
![Your nest egg needs to last into your 90s or beyond.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/z/f/h/x/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkr5w4.png/1450300195281.jpg)
Olivia Maragna While retirement can be exciting, for others it's a time of anxiety with the fear of living beyond the nest egg a reality for many.
BASIC TRAINING
The financial side of shacking up together
![Shacking up together for the first time is exciting, but you need to talk about money first.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/q/8/x/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkq961.png/1446669222394.jpg)
Larissa Ham There are a few hard talks you need to have before you move in with your lover. One involves money.
Positively stupid: Why chirpy Aussies are easily duped
![<i></i>](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/p/x/2/d/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkljgl.png/1446599688974.jpg)
David Wilson Positivity can breed gullibility, so is getting grumpy the secret to not being scammed?
HER MONEY
Will power is looking after loved ones on your terms
![Melbourne dentist Vivian Lee is yet to get around to making a will.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/r/b/k/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gknbgj.png/1447131070307.jpg)
Sally Patten The subject is not a cheery one, but it has to be brought up at some stage.
Young Aussies out of financial control
![Commerce graduate Daniel Wroby didn't hear the term "financial literacy" until he was 23.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/l/p/s/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gklu6o.png/1446314237530.jpg)
Emily Chantiri Twenty-three-year-old Daniel Wroby had never heard the term "financial literacy" until this year. He is not alone.
TIP OF THE WEEK
The insurance we all need but most don't have
![Your ability to produce an income is your most important financial asset.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/d/y/j/0/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkhpyh.png/1445831603884.jpg)
Thabojan Rasiah We all know insurance is something we have "just in case", yet most of us don't insure our biggest asset.
BASIC TRAINING
An intern's guide to self-protection
![Like Lena Dunham's character in hit TV show Girls, many young people start their careers with internships.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/g/n/8/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkef0u.png/1446100251583.jpg)
Larissa Ham How to make sure the main beneficiary of an internship is the person doing the work.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Family finance beyond the wedding
![Save for short-term goals like a wedding.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/e/o/0/v/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkenf7.png/1445486770250.jpg)
George Cochrane Readers ask how they can plan for their own retirement and to invest for their children's futures.
BOURIS ON MONEY
How to pay for your kids' education
![The cost of a child's education includes music and sporting activities, not just school fees.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/e/m/d/f/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gken1v.png/1446693857370.jpg)
Mark Bouris Between private or public school fees and extras such as sport, music and camps, the cost of your children's education can be significant.
Government to open super fund default provision to competition
![The government agrees that industry super funds should lose their default monopoly. Illustration: Rod Clement](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/d/f/9/n/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkchcz.png/1445354653719.jpg)
John Collett The chairman of the financial system inquiry, David Murray, is "very pleased" with the government's decision to immediately start work on a plan to dismantle the Fair Work Commission's role in overseeing how employers and unions negotiate employees' default superannuation fund.
SUPER & FUNDS
Australians pay too much in super fees
![Many retail super funds are grabbing too much money in fees.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/a/s/8/d/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk9oxc.png/1450099539131.jpg)
John Collett The $2 trillion superannuation industry is a gravy train for the financial services industry.
TIP OF THE WEEK
SMSF benefits after you die
![A self-managed super fund can have benefits even after you die.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/n/o/m/a/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkangy.png/1445317389097.jpg)
Michael Hutton A self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) can provide you with excellent estate-planning benefits.
ASSET CHECK
Strong case for joint super
![Joint superannuation accounts could help couples plan for retirement.](https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065745im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/b/k/t/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk8wyy.png/1445078318430.jpg)
Daryl Dixon Proposals to permit joint superannuation accounts have merit, despite industry criticism.