The “She’ll Be Right” Retirement Plan

Ask any tradie about their retirement plan and you'll usually get a shrug and a "she'll be right." It's the same attitude that gets you through a rough day on site. Just push through, sort it out later. Problem is, "later" has a sneaky way of turning into never.

Here's the thing about financial planning. It's not like a leaking tap where you can see the problem staring at you. There's no drip, drip, drip warning you that you're behind on super or under-insured. It just quietly builds up in the background until one day you're 45, the knees are shot, and you realise you've got nothing set aside beyond the ute and the tools.

Take Jack, a concreter from Robina. Solid worker, decent money, but every year he told himself he'd "sort the super out" once things settled down. Fifteen years later, things still hadn't settled down (when do they ever?) and he had four different super accounts from four different jobs, all quietly leaking fees, and zero income protection. One bad fall and he'd have been relying on savings that didn't exist.

The tradies who do well aren't the ones who earn the most. They're the ones who put a bit of structure around the money coming in, even if it's just twenty minutes every few months. Consolidating super, checking insurance is actually adequate, having a rough plan for tax time. None of it is exciting. All of it matters.

The risk with "she'll be right" is that it works fine until the one time it doesn't, and by then the options are a lot more limited and a lot more expensive.

You don't need a five-year spreadsheet plan. You need someone to have a proper look and tell you where the gaps are. That's exactly what Sean at Success Planning does, in plain English, no jargon. Get in touch at info@successplanning.com.au and get it sorted before "later" becomes "too late."

This article contains general advice only and does not consider your personal circumstances. Please consult a financial adviser before making decisions.