Financial Adviser Serving Fawkner
We provide retirement-focused financial advice for Fawkner households, covering superannuation, retirement planning, investments, cash flow and personal insurance.
Our office is at The Watermans in Bundoora, east of Fawkner. We can meet you at home, by secure video, or at our Bundoora office. Your first consultation is free.
- Retirement-focused advice
- Home, secure video or office appointments
- First consultation free
- No obligation
How we help Fawkner clients
Retirement planning is different from the financial decisions you make while you are working.
For Fawkner households approaching retirement, we bring your superannuation, investments, spending, insurance and potential Age Pension entitlement into a single plan — and show you what it actually supports.
- Retirement-focused adviceWe specialise in helping people in their fifties and sixties move from building wealth to living on it.
- Based in Bundoora, serving FawknerOur office is at The Watermans in Bundoora, about twenty minutes' drive east of Fawkner. We work with clients across Fawkner, Coburg, Hadfield and Glenroy.
- Clear, evidence-based adviceWe explain the reasoning behind our recommendations, model different scenarios and show you the numbers before you make major decisions.
What changes when you retire
Three things reverse at retirement. None are obvious while you are still earning.
Almost all the financial advice you meet across a working life is about building up: contribute regularly, stay invested, ignore the noise. It is sound advice, and it stops being enough the day you start drawing money out.
Markets falling early on
While you are contributing, a fall can even help — you buy in at lower prices.
Once you are withdrawing, money taken out during a downturn never participates in the recovery.
The tax position changes
Through your working life the concessions are on the way in.
In retirement the focus shifts toward how income is generated and how withdrawals are structured.
Your assets get counted
Everything you hold becomes relevant to what the government will and will not pay you.
The family home is generally exempt, though homeowners and non-homeowners face different thresholds.
Fawkner: Italian roots and newer families
Fawkner is a suburb of many cultures. Almost two in three households speak a language other than English at home, against three in ten across Victoria. Urdu, Italian and Arabic are the most common.
Many older residents came from Italy decades ago, and more people are in their eighties than across Victoria. Newer families have come from Pakistan, Nepal, India and Lebanon, and half of all families are couples with children.
More than a third of homes are owned outright, and most are separate houses.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
Planning in line with your faith and your family
Many people here want their savings to follow their faith. Some super funds offer options screened to Islamic principles, as well as ethical options. They differ a lot in what they hold and what they cost, so we compare them with you.
Many families also support relatives overseas. Money you give away, in Australia or overseas, can count against the Age Pension above certain limits. The rules are on the Services Australia site.
You are welcome to bring family to the meeting. We explain everything in plain English and put it in writing.
What Fawkner households worry about
These come up again and again at this stage. None of them require you to have anything sorted out beforehand.
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I want my super to follow Islamic principles. Is that possible?
Often, yes. Some funds offer options screened to Islamic principles. We check what each one holds, how it is screened and what it costs before you switch.
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We send money to family overseas. Does that affect our pension later?
It can. Gifts above Centrelink's limits count against the Age Pension for five years, wherever the money goes. The rules are on the Services Australia site.
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Mum and Dad are in their eighties and still in the family home. What should we be thinking about?
Their pension, help at home, and what happens to the house if they need care. We can meet with them and you together.
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Our income is modest. Is advice worth it for us?
Often more than people expect. The right fund, the right insurance and the right Age Pension claim add up. The first meeting is free, so you can decide after.
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I have super in three or four places and no idea which is any good.
We check the fees, performance, holdings and insurance in each one, and only combine them where it genuinely helps. Find every account in your name through myGov.
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I don't know who to trust. Everyone seems to be selling something.
Fair. What you can check: our licence on the ASIC register, a fee in writing before any work begins, and no product recommended in a first meeting.
What we do
What we advise on
We provide retirement-focused financial advice for people in their fifties and sixties across Melbourne, covering superannuation, investments, cash flow and personal insurance.
The practice is built around one transition — the shift from building wealth to living on it. That is a different problem from the one you have been solving for thirty years, and it is the only problem we work on.
Superannuation & retirement planning
What you hold, what it costs, and whether it supports the retirement you have in mind
Investment Advice
Portfolios built from your withdrawal timetable rather than a risk questionnaire
Life Insurance Advice
What still needs protecting now, and whether cover belongs inside super or outside it
Cash flow & budgeting
What you actually spend, which is what every retirement projection rests on
Hear From Our Clients
"My husband and I have been with Plan My Wealth since our retirement and have found all those we have had dealings with to be professional and friendly. They make us feel welcome and take the time to explain what we see as complex processes to make it easy to understand and follow. Great team."
"Highly recommend Manny, he was very knowledgeable and took time to explain everything so I could understand, he made me feel like a valued client rather than just a number."
"Working with Manny has been an excellent experience. He's professional, friendly, and takes the time to make complex financial matters easy to understand. His guidance has given me real confidence in managing my finances. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to take control of their financial future."
Financial advice for Fawkner
If you are approaching retirement and are unsure whether your current arrangements will provide the retirement you want, the first step is understanding where you stand. No cost. No obligation. Just an honest conversation about your position and whether advice could be useful.
Fawkner is about twenty minutes from our Bundoora office.
Areas we serve near Fawkner
Fawkner sits in the City of Merri-bek, west of our Bundoora office. We work across it and every suburb around it.
You do not have to travel to us
Wherever you are in Melbourne's north, we can meet three ways.
At your home
We can come to you. For many people approaching retirement it is the simplest option, particularly when the paperwork is already there.
By secure video
Everything runs through cloud-based systems, so a video meeting covers the same planning and modelling as an in-person one.
At the Bundoora office
The Watermans, Level 2, 1/3 Janefield Drive, with parking on site. There if you want it, never required.
Not seeing your suburb? See every area we serve.
Questions answered
Frequently
Asked Questions
Questions Fawkner households ask most often, and a few about how we work. If yours is not here, ask us — the answer usually takes a minute.
Are you actually based in Fawkner?
No. Our office is at The Watermans, Level 2, 1/3 Janefield Drive, Bundoora — east of Fawkner, about twenty minutes away. We can meet at your home, by secure video, or at the office.
We would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise.
Do I have to travel to your Bundoora office?
No. We can meet at your home in Fawkner, by secure video, or at the office — whichever suits you.
Can my super follow Islamic principles?
Often, yes. Some super funds offer options screened to Islamic principles, and others offer ethical options. They are screened in different ways, and fees and returns vary.
We look at what each option actually holds, so you can choose with the facts in front of you.
Does money we send overseas affect the Age Pension?
It can. Centrelink allows gifts of up to $10,000 a financial year and $30,000 over five financial years. Anything above that can be counted as your asset for five years, whether the money stays in Australia or goes overseas. The rules are on the Services Australia site.
We build regular support for family into your budget, so it does not catch you out later.
My partner doesn't work. Can we still build their super?
Often, yes. You may be able to contribute to your partner's super, and if their income is low you may get a tax offset. Details are on the ATO site.
We look at both of your balances, so you retire with enough between you.
Our parents are elderly. Can you help them too?
Yes. We can meet with them and you together, in plain English, and look at their Age Pension, their home and their wishes.
Everyone gets the same information in writing.
Should we downsize from the family home?
That is two questions — whether the move suits you, and whether it improves your financial position. They do not always agree.
Financially, the things to weigh are what the sale would net after costs, where the proceeds would sit, what that does to your Age Pension, and whether any of it can go into super. Downsizer contribution rules are on the ATO site.
Does our Fawkner home count toward the Age Pension?
While you live in it, your home is generally exempt from the assets test. It can still affect the overall outcome, because homeowners and non-homeowners are assessed against different thresholds.
Current thresholds are published by Services Australia.
Do you work with people in Coburg, Pascoe Vale, Hadfield and Glenroy?
Yes, along with Coburg North, Thomastown, Reservoir and Bundoora.
Coburg, Pascoe Vale and Reservoir each have their own page.
We also advise clients across Melbourne and Australia-wide by secure video.
What happens after I get in touch?
We will get back to you within one business day to arrange a time. The first meeting runs about an hour and can take place at your home, at the office, or by video.
If advice would be useful, we send you a written scope and a fixed fee afterwards. Nothing to sign on the day.
What does financial advice cost?
The first meeting is free and carries no obligation. If advice would be useful, we send you a written scope of work and a fixed fee afterwards, and you decide whether to proceed.
Fees are set by the complexity of the work rather than the size of your balance. Our fee arrangements are set out in our Financial Services Guide.
I have several old super accounts. Should I combine them?
Not automatically. Combining accounts can remove duplicate fees and simplify your finances, but closing an account can also cancel insurance held inside it.
We assess each fund first and check the insurance before recommending whether anything should move. You can see every account in your name through myGov.
How do I confirm an adviser is properly licensed?
Search the ASIC Financial Advisers Register by name or authorised representative number. It shows qualifications, licensee and advice history, and it is free to use.
Manny Tran's authorised representative number is 423115.