Financial Adviser Serving Carlton North
We provide retirement-focused financial advice for Carlton North households, covering superannuation, retirement planning, investments, cash flow and personal insurance.
Our office is at The Watermans in Bundoora, north-east of Carlton North. 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 Carlton North clients
Retirement planning is different from the financial decisions you make while you are working.
For Carlton North 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 Carlton NorthOur office is at The Watermans in Bundoora, about twenty-five minutes' drive north-east of Carlton North. We meet clients at home or by secure video across Carlton North, Princes Hill, Fitzroy North and Brunswick East.
- 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.
Carlton North: terraces, professionals and long-time owners
Carlton North is a suburb of terraces. More than seven in ten homes are terraces or townhouses, against about one in seven across Victoria.
Many residents are young professionals who rent. Half of homes are rented, more than six in ten adults have a university degree, and more than usual work in law, universities and state government.
Alongside them are long-time owners. More than a quarter of homes are owned outright, and more than half of families are couples without children.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
If most of your wealth is in your home
A valuable terrace can leave you rich on paper but short of income. While you live in it, your home is generally exempt from the Age Pension assets test, whatever it is worth. Thresholds are on the Services Australia site.
If you are Age Pension age, the Home Equity Access Scheme lets you borrow against your home for a regular income or lump sums. It is a loan with interest, usually repaid when the home is sold. Details are on the Services Australia site.
We compare staying, borrowing against the home and downsizing, so you can see what each choice gives you.
What Carlton North 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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Our terrace is worth a lot, but our super is small. What are our options?
More than people think. Staying and drawing on savings, borrowing against the home, or selling and downsizing all work differently. We model each one with your numbers.
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What is the Home Equity Access Scheme?
A government loan for people of Age Pension age who own their home. It pays a regular amount or lump sums, and is repaid when the home is sold. Details are on the Services Australia site.
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Should we sell and move somewhere cheaper?
Maybe. It can free up money, but sale costs, stamp duty and the effect on your Age Pension all count. We work out what you would actually be left with.
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Our kids rent nearby. Can we help them without hurting our retirement?
Often, yes — but how you help matters. Gifts above Centrelink's limits can count against your pension for five years. The rules are on the Services Australia 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 Carlton North
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.
Carlton North is about twenty-five minutes from our Bundoora office.
Questions answered
Frequently
Asked Questions
Questions Carlton North 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 Carlton North?
No. Our office is at The Watermans, Level 2, 1/3 Janefield Drive, Bundoora — north-east of Carlton North, about twenty-five 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 Carlton North, by secure video, or at the office — whichever suits you.
Does a very valuable home affect the Age Pension?
While you live in it, your home is generally exempt from the assets test, whatever its value. Homeowners are assessed against a lower asset limit than non-homeowners. Current thresholds are on the Services Australia site.
So a valuable home and small super can still mean a full or part pension.
What is the Home Equity Access Scheme?
It is a government loan for people of Age Pension age who own real estate in Australia. You can take it as a fortnightly payment, lump sums, or both. Interest is charged, and the loan is usually repaid when the home is sold. Details are on the Services Australia site.
We show how it would fit your plan, and what it would leave for your estate.
Is borrowing against our home a good idea?
It can be, for some people. It turns home value into income without selling. But the debt grows over time, which reduces what is left for you later and for your estate.
We do not arrange loans, but we show how borrowing against your home compares with your other options.
Can we help our children buy without hurting our pension?
Often, yes — but the way you help matters. 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. The rules are on the Services Australia site.
We check what any help does to your pension and your own retirement before money moves.
Should we sell the terrace and downsize?
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.
We rent. Can we keep renting in retirement?
Yes, but the rent keeps going, so you usually need more saved than a homeowner. You may also be able to get Rent Assistance with the Age Pension. Details are on the Services Australia site.
We build your actual rent into the plan.
Do you work with people in Fitzroy North, Princes Hill, Brunswick East and Carlton?
Yes, along with Brunswick, Fitzroy, Clifton Hill and Bundoora.
Fitzroy North, Brunswick and Clifton Hill 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.
Questions answered
Frequently
Asked Questions
Questions Carlton North 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 Carlton North?
No. Our office is at The Watermans, Level 2, 1/3 Janefield Drive, Bundoora — north-east of Carlton North, about twenty-five 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 Carlton North, by secure video, or at the office — whichever suits you.
Does a very valuable home affect the Age Pension?
While you live in it, your home is generally exempt from the assets test, whatever its value. Homeowners are assessed against a lower asset limit than non-homeowners. Current thresholds are on the Services Australia site.
So a valuable home and small super can still mean a full or part pension.
What is the Home Equity Access Scheme?
It is a government loan for people of Age Pension age who own real estate in Australia. You can take it as a fortnightly payment, lump sums, or both. Interest is charged, and the loan is usually repaid when the home is sold. Details are on the Services Australia site.
We show how it would fit your plan, and what it would leave for your estate.
Is borrowing against our home a good idea?
It can be, for some people. It turns home value into income without selling. But the debt grows over time, which reduces what is left for you later and for your estate.
We do not arrange loans, but we show how borrowing against your home compares with your other options.
Can we help our children buy without hurting our pension?
Often, yes — but the way you help matters. 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. The rules are on the Services Australia site.
We check what any help does to your pension and your own retirement before money moves.
Should we sell the terrace and downsize?
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.
We rent. Can we keep renting in retirement?
Yes, but the rent keeps going, so you usually need more saved than a homeowner. You may also be able to get Rent Assistance with the Age Pension. Details are on the Services Australia site.
We build your actual rent into the plan.
Do you work with people in Fitzroy North, Princes Hill, Brunswick East and Carlton?
Yes, along with Brunswick, Fitzroy, Clifton Hill and Bundoora.
Fitzroy North, Brunswick and Clifton Hill 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.