Seven decisions, and what each one came down to.
5.0 from 58+ Google reviews. 16+ years advising pre-retirees and retirees across south east Queensland.
Composite scenarios drawn from real advice. Identities and figures withheld.
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Pre-retirement & retirement planning specialists
Make the rest of your life, the best of your life.
Retirement and superannuation advice for people across south east Queensland, built around the life you actually want next.
16+ years advising
5.0 from 58+ reviews
AQF Level 8
What brings people to us
Where are you right now?
Pick the one that sounds like you.
If this is you
Planning to retire
Work out when you can stop working, how much you'll need to live well, and how to make the money last.
See retirement planning →If this is you
Already retired
Drawdown strategy, Age Pension income and assets tests, and income that keeps pace with spending.
See Age Pension guidance →If this is you
Looking after parents
Aged-care costs, means-tested fees, and the family home decision without the stress of working it out alone.
See aged care planning →If this is you
Growing your super
Contribution strategy, fund consolidation, and making the biggest retirement asset you'll own work harder.
See super advice →Insights
Latest insights
Plain-English writing on retirement, super, the Age Pension and aged care. Written by me, updated when the rules change.
As featured on Empire Legal
“The financial conversations you should be having” with Empire Legal. Watch the conversation
General information only. Not personal financial advice.
A quick thought
When could you retire?
Drag to the age you have in mind.
Working out when you could retire is the first real question. The super simulator runs it in about two minutes.
General information only, not personal advice. This is a simple illustration to an example age of 90 and does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. Your situation will be different.
5.0 stars on Google from 58+ five-star reviews. We've been helping families across Brisbane's south side plan for retirement for over 16 years. We know our clients by name, that's the whole point of being a small practice.
The proof
See for yourself.
Three things you can check before you pick an adviser. Nothing here is our word for it.
01Awarded
Three Best Rated Logan, ten years running.
Listed every year since 2016. A 50-point external review, not a pay-to-appear list.
See the listing →02Fees
Flat fee, agreed upfront.
No commissions. Every cost and referral disclosed on the first page of your advice.
How we're paid →Live Google reviews
Straight from clients.
All 58+ public reviews, live from our Google Business Profile. Nothing filtered, nothing cherry picked.
Meet your adviser
George Iacovou
- AQF Level 8
- AFSL 232706
- AR 434524
“I’ve been doing this since 2009. The work I’m best at sits in the decade before retirement, the choices that shape what your life looks like after work.”
“I’m fee-based, so I’m paid by you, not by the products I recommend.”
“If advice doesn’t add value for your situation, I’ll tell you that.”
How we work
Four steps. Clear at every stage.
The first two are free, so you can decide whether we're the right fit before any money changes hands.
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Step01
Free · 20 minFirst call.
A quick conversation about where you are and what you want to achieve.
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Step02
Free · 60-90 minDiscovery meeting.
We map your goals, current position, and the gaps. Still no charge.
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Step03
Quoted feeYour written plan.
A specific strategy with projections, recommended actions, and a fee you agree before we start.
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Step04
AnnualAnnual reviews.
We check in every year and adjust for changes in your life, the rules, and the markets.
The first two steps are free, no commitment. You're never on the hook until the written plan is on the table.
The question we get most weeks
I’ve read Barefoot and done the work. What comes next?
You’re already ahead of most people. Barefoot gets you organised. The next stage is personal, because these turn on your own numbers, not a general rule.
Book a meeting →
First meeting free. No obligation.
George Iacovou, Principal Adviser
- Super capsHow much to add, and when to stop.
- Retirement dateWhether you can finish work without guessing.
- Income planHow super, investments and the Age Pension fit.
- Clean-upTax, insurance and estate, around your numbers.
- 16+ years advising
- 5.0 Google rating, 58+ reviews
- No commissions on super or investments
01
Pre-retirement timing
Retire at 62, or work until 65?
A steady balance, but no real sense of whether it would last, so the date kept sliding.
The decision
62date set65
What we weighed
Two paths: retire at 62 on a tighter yearly spend, or work two more years and travel with room to spare. Drawing down hard and early we set aside, it exposes the years that matter most.
What changed
A date set, the income drawn from the right accounts in order, three accounts down to one. They stopped second-guessing it.
The hard part here was never the maths. It was getting comfortable that spending the money was allowed.George Iacovou, Principal
02
Self-managed super
Set up an SMSF, or keep it simple?
Super spread across four funds, wondering if an SMSF was the grown-up next step.
The consolidation
Four funds into one
What we weighed
The real cost, admin and responsibility of an SMSF against simply consolidating into one fund. For what they wanted, the SMSF added work without adding much.
What changed
The SMSF idea was shelved. Less admin, lower running cost, a structure that fit the goal.
Sometimes the expert answer is to do less. An SMSF is a good tool, but it was the wrong job here.George Iacovou, Principal
03
Age Pension, income test
Is there an Age Pension here, or not?
Drawing an account-based pension and sure they earned too much to qualify for anything.
What we weighed
We worked the income and assets tests, and how a few holdings were arranged, against leaving everything exactly as it was.
What changed
A few holdings reshaped within the rules, the claim lodged properly. A part Age Pension they had written off, now part of their fortnightly income.
Most people assume they are over the line. It is worth checking before you assume it away.George Iacovou, Principal
04
Business sale
Hold the property in super, or outside?
Sold a business in his late 50s, unsure how to hold a commercial property the right way.
Where it sits
Super
Commercial property
What we weighed
Holding the property inside super against holding it personally, weighing the cost, the contribution limits and the compliance load of each.
What changed
Held inside super through a structure suited to it, with the review set up so compliance is never a year-end scramble.
A business sale is a once-off. You get one clean chance to structure the proceeds well.George Iacovou, Principal
05
Protecting the family
Rely on the default cover, or build your own?
Sole earner, mid 40s, two kids and a mortgage, unsure the default super cover would pay out when it mattered.
The cover stack
Life
TPD
Income
Trauma
What we weighed
Leaning on the default cover against a cover stack sized to his real liabilities, and what each would cost to hold over time.
What changed
Cover sized to clear the mortgage and replace several years of income. If the worst happened, the family keeps the house.
Default cover is a starting point, not a plan. The gap only shows up at the worst possible time.George Iacovou, Principal
06
Life after selling up
Chase the next 12 months, or get the structure right?
Just sold the family home in her early 60s and wanting a plan for the money, not a hot tip.
A long, steady drawdown
Protected through the early years, spread over a long horizon.
What we weighed
A long, steady drawdown across super and outside super against chasing short-term performance, and what each meant if markets fell early.
What changed
She knows what she can spend each year, and a poor early run no longer derails the plan.
The first years of drawdown carry the most risk. Get those right and the rest gets easier.George Iacovou, Principal
07
Age Pension, assets test
Too much to qualify, or worth a proper look?
Just retired and certain her assets put a pension out of reach.
What we weighed
We checked the countable assets against the thresholds, and how a few things were held, rather than taking the assumption at face value.
What changed
Some holdings reviewed and reshaped within the rules, the claim lodged. A part pension she had ruled out, now adding to her income.
Forty years of work earns you a proper look at this, not a guess.George Iacovou, Principal
The first meeting
Weighing the same kind of question?
That is what a first meeting is for. A no-obligation conversation about your situation and what you are deciding. No pressure, no product pitch, and you decide whether to go further.
Free first meeting. Any advice fee is quoted in writing before you go ahead.
Not ready to book? Try the free retirement and super tools.
Composite scenarios; identities and figures withheld. General information only and not personal advice; it does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
Common questions
Before we meet.
The questions people ask first. If yours isn't here, the first meeting is the right place for it.
Book a first meeting★★★★★5.0 from 58+ Google reviews
How to choose a financial adviser →
How much does your advice cost?
The first call is free, and so is the first meeting after it. If we go ahead, a written Statement of Advice is typically $3,300 to $6,600 depending on complexity. Ongoing advice, if you need it, runs from $1,650 a year. Every fee is quoted in writing before you commit.
Is this worth the cost?
Fair question. If your situation is simple (one super fund, home paid off, clear timeline), a good book and a calculator will probably get you most of the way. Where I earn the fee is when the decisions get specific: contribution strategy close to your caps, how super and Age Pension interact after you stop working, tax and insurance choices that depend on your actual numbers. The first meeting helps us work out which category you're in before you commit to advice.
What happens in the first meeting?
An hour in my Springwood office or on Zoom. I ask questions about what you're trying to solve, what you've already done, and what's worrying you. I tell you whether advice is likely to help, how much it would cost if we went ahead, and what the process looks like. If I don't think advice adds value for your situation, I'll tell you that too.
When should I start?
The honest answer is probably yesterday. The advice that saves you the most money tends to be in the five to ten years before you retire, so the earlier we can look at your super, contributions, and income plan, the more moves we have. It's never too late to get a second opinion on what you've built.
What's your connection to Akumin?
I'm an Authorised Representative of Akumin Financial Planning Pty Ltd (AFSL 232706). Akumin is my licensee, which means they hold the Australian Financial Services Licence under which I give advice, and they audit the advice I write. Because I operate under another AFSL, Australian law restricts certain labels. I am fee-based, and I'll walk you through exactly how that works in our first meeting.
How do I know if I need a financial adviser?
Most people don't need one until the decisions get big enough to hurt if they're wrong. That usually means you're within ten years of retirement, you've got enough super to be worth protecting, or you're facing a one-off move like redundancy or an inheritance that'll have permanent consequences.
Fee-based vs commission-based advice, what's the difference?
Commission-based means the adviser gets paid by whichever product company they recommend. Fee-based means you pay me directly, so the recommendation doesn't change based on who's paying a kickback. You see exactly what it costs, and my recommendation stays focused on what works for you.
Fees
What advice costs.
Straight numbers up front. No commissions, no trailing surprises. You know what you'll pay before you commit.
Statement of Advice
From $3,300
A written plan, quoted in dollars before you commit. Typical range $3,300–$6,600.
First meeting
Always free
A no-obligation chat to work out whether advice makes sense for your situation.
How I'm paid
Fee-based
Paid by you, not by product commissions. Authorised Rep of Akumin (AFSL 232706).
General information only. Actual fees depend on your individual needs and are quoted in writing before you commit.
Advice services
What I do for you.
Have I got enough to retire? Should I consolidate my super? Am I eligible for the Age Pension? What about aged care for Mum and Dad? These are the conversations I have every week.
Retirement planning
When to stop, what you'll need, how it lasts.
Superannuation advice
Contribution strategy and fund consolidation.
SMSF strategy
Whether running your own fund fits.
Insurance advice
Life, TPD, income protection, trauma.
Investment advice
Portfolios and tax-effective structures.
Age Pension guidance
Eligibility, asset tests, optimisation.
Aged care planning
Means-tested fees, family home decisions.
Common questions
The questions clients ask most often.
Something else?
Tell us in a quick message and we'll reply.
Local
Your local adviser, here.
Local office, free parking, easy meetings in person or on Zoom. Most clients are within fifteen minutes across Logan and the south side. Kettle's always on.
Shop 1, 50 Chatswood Road, Springwood QLD 4127
Most clients come from
Awards
A decade of award-winning recognition.
Three Best Rated Logan, ten years running since 2016. A 50-point external review, not a pay-to-appear list. National ANZ-OnePath Highest Writer award 2016. AMP Blue Awards for advice quality, 2017 and 2018.
One next step
Let's look at this properly.
The first meeting is free. We'll work out whether advice makes sense for your situation, and tell you if it doesn't.
