Helping members make sense of retirement

Throughout September, TAL hosted a three-part retirement-focused webinar series on TAL Risk Academy, our adviser education platform. Specialists from TAL, AMP, MLC Expand and Aged Care Steps explored the decisions Australians face as they move towards and through retirement.

The series included:

• How contemporary retirement strategies are changing the retirement conversation, presented by Shaun Bransdon, General Manager, Retirement and Wealth at TAL, and Ben Hillier, Director of Retirement at AMP;
• Is the Age Pension a safety net or part of the retirement plan?, presented by Maria Mazur, Retirement Technical Advice Manager at TAL, Jenneke Mills, Head of Technical at MLC Expand, and Erica Malliotis, Retirement Specialist at MLC Expand; and 
• Demographics, demand and regulation: Are you aged care ready?, presented by Louise Biti, Director of Aged Care Steps. 

A key takeaway from the sessions was that providing members with access to retirement products and information is only part of the answer. Members also need help understanding how their super, government support and financial advice can work together. 

That need is becoming more important as a growing number of members approach retirement and look for guidance that is personal, practical and easy to act on. TAL’s What I Wish I Knew about Retirement research found that 35% of pre-retirees planned to speak with a financial adviser to improve their financial position before retiring, while 46% looked to their super fund to help build their understanding of super and investments.¹

Greater certainty can give members confidence to spend

The discussion on Contemporary retirement strategies considered the role of lifetime income streams in helping members maintain financial confidence in retirement. When members have greater certainty that part of their income will continue for as long as they live, they may be more willing to spend on their lifestyle instead of holding back because they’re concerned their savings won’t last. 

The challenge is to explain these options in ways that make sense to members. Meeting this challenge includes showing members how lifetime income streams work, the risks they’re designed to address and how they can work alongside an account-based pension and other income sources. 

Super is only one part of the picture

The Age Pension session looked at government support not just as a safety net, but as an important element of retirement planning. Eligibility and payment levels can be complex, particularly when members are trying to work out how their income streams and assets may be assessed. 

Accessible information and clear pathways to further help can build understanding, while personalised advice can bring the different pieces together around the individual member’s goals. The session also covered aged care, which is becoming a more prominent part of later-life planning and can add another layer of complexity for members and their families. 

Building confidence through better connections

Across the three sessions, the practical message was that funds and advisers each bring something different to the retirement experience. Funds have trusted member relationships, scale and opportunities to provide support at key moments. Advisers can help turn complex choices into a plan built around an individual’s circumstances. Stronger connections between guidance, products and advice can help more Australians move from saving for retirement to retiring with confidence.

The three webinars are available on demand through TAL Risk Academy. Access requires a free Risk Academy account. If you would like help accessing the webinars or other content available on the platform, speak to your Partnership Manager.

¹  TAL, What I Wish I Knew About Retirement: Second Edition, 2026.