Our Retirement Options Service helped Margaret understand her unique super accounts

Superannuation can be complex, especially if you have more than one unique account, like Margaret.*

Margaret first started seeing Darren, one of our Retirement Options Service (ROS) consultants, several years ago, and continues to find her ROS appointments the most helpful source of information about her retirement planning.

ROS is a one on one meeting with one of our expert consultants to provide factual information about your retirement options.

Margaret was searching for a deeper understanding of her super

Margaret is currently working part time and drawing down from her Transition to Retirement Pension while contributing into her West State Super account.

She wanted further information about the complexities of her GESB schemes.

‘With Darren, it was clear he was employed by GESB, he had a high level of understanding of the complexities of the GESB funds and how tax is dealt with in the funds. And he also understood the stages of where you are at in your life.’

She found Darren’s factual and straightforward delivery to be ‘very good in the sense that everything was complex, but he’s always very helpful’. So much so, that she continues to make annual ROS appointments with him.

Margaret trusts she has the information she needs to make the most of her retirement

Margaret has used her ROS appointments to get a better understanding of her estate planning options. She knows to make the most of our unique schemes, she needs to understand how taxation works to ‘make smart choices’.

‘I trust what Darren says,’ she said.

‘What became clear through my interactions with Darren was that he was also seeing other people who had to make various decisions that were not easy. He showed you how to step through that carefully and not attract unnecessary additional taxation. He explained how to work within the rules.’

Margaret recently purchased a holiday home and is hoping to do some travelling soon.

She says she checks in with Darren to make sure she’s on track.

‘I still see Darren once a year, just to remind myself what West State Super does and what the Retirement Income pension does and whether they need any tweaking.’

* Margaret is a real member. Her name, image and some information has been changed for privacy purposes. This interview was conducted by a third-party researcher to maintain objectivity.