Financial Adviser Serving Financial Adviser Serving Whittlesea
We provide retirement-focused financial advice for Whittlesea households, covering superannuation, retirement planning, investments, cash flow and personal insurance.
Our office is at The Watermans in Bundoora, south of Whittlesea. 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 Whittlesea clients
Retirement planning is different from the financial decisions you make while you are working.
For Whittlesea 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 WhittleseaOur office is at The Watermans in Bundoora, about thirty minutes' drive south of Whittlesea. We come to your home, or meet by secure video, across Whittlesea, Mernda, Doreen and Yan Yean.
- 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.
Whittlesea: a country town of tradies and long-time families
Whittlesea is a country town on the edge of Melbourne. Most homes are separate houses on bigger blocks, more than four in ten have four or more bedrooms, and more than a quarter of homes have three or more cars.
It is a town of trades. Technicians and trades workers make up more than one in five working residents, almost twice the Victorian rate, and plumbing is one of the top local industries.
More residents are aged 65 and over than across Victoria, and more are in their late eighties. Most families have been here a long time.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
If you’re winding down a trade
Many tradies want to ease off rather than stop. From 60, a transition to retirement pension lets you draw some super while you keep working fewer hours. Moneysmart explains it on its getting your super page.
If you are on the Age Pension and still do some work, the Work Bonus means less of your earnings count against your pension. Details are on the Services Australia site.
If you run your own business, selling the ute, the tools or the client list can have tax consequences. We plan it with you and your accountant.
What Whittlesea 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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My knees won't last another ten years on the tools. Can I ease off?
Often, yes. We work out what fewer days would cost you, and whether drawing some super from 60 can fill the gap.
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I've always been self-employed. How much super is enough?
It depends on what you want to spend and what else you own. If you are behind, you may be able to claim a deduction for contributions you make yourself. The rules are on the ATO site.
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We're out of town. Do you really come to us?
Yes. We come to your home in Whittlesea, or meet by secure video. You never have to drive into Bundoora unless you want to.
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Mum is in her late eighties and still in the family home. What should we plan for?
Help at home, what she can afford, and what happens if she needs care. Help at home is government-funded, with a contribution based on income and assets. Details are on the Department of Health site.
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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 Whittlesea
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.
Whittlesea is about thirty minutes from our Bundoora office.
Areas we serve near Whittlesea
Whittlesea sits at the northern edge of the City of Whittlesea, north 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 Whittlesea 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 Whittlesea?
No. Our office is at The Watermans, Level 2, 1/3 Janefield Drive, Bundoora — south of Whittlesea, about thirty minutes away. We come to your home, or meet by secure video.
We would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise.
Do you come out to Whittlesea?
Yes. We can meet at your home in Whittlesea, by secure video, or at the Bundoora office — whichever suits you. Most people out here choose a home visit or video.
Can I keep working part-time and draw on my super?
Often, yes. From 60, a transition to retirement pension lets you draw some super while you keep working. Moneysmart explains it on its getting your super page.
We check whether it actually leaves you better off, after tax.
Can I still do a few jobs while I'm on the Age Pension?
Yes. The Work Bonus means less of your work income counts under the income test, so you keep more of your pension. Details are on the Services Australia site.
We work out how much you can earn before your pension starts to drop.
I've been self-employed for years. How do I catch up on super?
You may be able to claim a tax deduction for contributions you make yourself, within the yearly cap. If your balance is under $500,000, you may also be able to use unused cap amounts from earlier years. The rules are on the ATO site.
We work out what is worth putting in, alongside your accountant.
How do we pay for help at home for an older parent?
Government-funded help at home comes through the Support at Home program. The person getting help pays a contribution based on their income, assets and pension status. Details are on the Department of Health site.
We include the likely cost in the plan, so it is not a surprise.
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 Whittlesea 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 Mernda, Doreen, Yan Yean and Humevale?
Yes, along with Wollert, South Morang, Eden Park and Bundoora.
Mernda, Doreen, Wollert and South Morang 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.