Financial Adviser Serving Heidelberg West
We provide retirement-focused financial advice for Heidelberg West households, covering superannuation, retirement planning, investments, cash flow and personal insurance.
Our office is at The Watermans in Bundoora, a short drive north of Heidelberg West. 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 Heidelberg West clients
Retirement planning is different from the financial decisions you make while you are working.
For Heidelberg West 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 Heidelberg WestOur office is at The Watermans in Bundoora, about ten minutes' drive north of Heidelberg West. We work with clients across Heidelberg West, Heidelberg, Bellfield and Macleod.
- 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.
Heidelberg West: renters, single parents and people who care for others
Heidelberg West is different from its neighbours. More than half of homes are rented, against under three in ten across Victoria, and only about one in six is owned outright.
One in four families is a single-parent family, and more than a third of households are people living alone. Many residents work in care: hospitals, aged care and social assistance.
It is also home to a strong Somali community. Somali is the most common language other than English spoken at home.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
If you are building super on a modest income
If you earn a lower income, the government may add to your super. The low income super tax offset can pay up to $500 a year into your super. Details are on the ATO site.
If you make an after-tax contribution yourself, you may also get the super co-contribution. The rules are on the ATO site.
If you rent, the Age Pension assesses you as a non-homeowner, and you may also get Rent Assistance. We plan around one income or two, renting or owning.
What Heidelberg West 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'm raising the kids on my own. Can I still save for retirement?
Yes, in small steps. We start with what you can manage now, make sure your super is in the right place, and check what the government may add.
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I'm on a low income. Does the government add anything to my super?
It may. The low income super tax offset can add up to $500 a year, and the co-contribution can add more if you put in some yourself. Details are on the ATO site.
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We rent and probably always will. What does retirement look like?
It can still work. Rent has to come out of your income every year, so we plan for it, and check what the Age Pension and Rent Assistance add.
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I work in aged care. My super seems small for the hours I do.
Part-time and casual years add up to less. We check your fund, the fees and the insurance, and what you can do to catch up.
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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 Heidelberg West
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.
Heidelberg West is about ten minutes from our Bundoora office.
Areas we serve near Heidelberg West
Heidelberg West sits in the City of Banyule, a short drive south 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 Heidelberg West 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 Heidelberg West?
No. Our office is at The Watermans, Level 2, 1/3 Janefield Drive, Bundoora — a short drive north of Heidelberg West, about ten 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 Heidelberg West, by secure video, or at the office — whichever suits you.
What is the low income super tax offset?
It is a government payment of up to $500 a year into the super of eligible people on lower incomes. It refunds tax paid on your before-tax contributions. Details are on the ATO site.
We check you are getting it, and that it is going to the right fund.
What is the super co-contribution?
If you are on a lower or middle income and make an after-tax contribution to your super, the government may add to it. There are income and balance tests. The rules are on the ATO site.
We work out whether a small contribution each year is worth it for you.
Can I get Rent Assistance with the Age Pension?
You may, if you pay enough rent and meet the other rules. Details are on the Services Australia site.
We include your rent and any Rent Assistance in your plan, so the numbers reflect what you actually pay.
I'm a single parent. Where do I start?
With what you have now. We look at your income, your super, any insurance and what the government may add, and make a plan that fits one income.
The first meeting is free, so you can decide after whether advice is worth it.
Do I need life insurance as a single parent?
Often, yes, because your children depend on one income. Many people already have some cover inside their super. ASIC explains it on its insurance through super page.
We check what you have and whether it would be enough.
Does it matter for the Age Pension that we don't own a home?
Yes. Non-homeowners are assessed against a higher asset limit than homeowners. Current thresholds are published by Services Australia.
We build that into your plan from the start.
Do you work with people in Heidelberg, Macleod, Bellfield and Preston?
Yes, along with Heidelberg Heights, Ivanhoe, Rosanna and Bundoora.
Heidelberg, Macleod, Preston, Ivanhoe and Rosanna 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.