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ABOUT MY BOOKS
Returning to Australia after twenty years working overseas, I found myself surprisingly unprepared for retirement. The superannuation system, Centrelink, and the tax framework were largely unfamiliar, and finding clear, practical information proved far harder than it should have been. Most resources either oversimplified the topic or buried the detail in jargon. None of them gave me what I actually needed: enough understanding to make real decisions.
What followed was a long process of research, reading, and gradually piecing the system together. Along the way I built the modelling tools on this website to help me run my own numbers. Once the rules and the modelling were in place, I wrote the books I wished had existed when I started.
Both books are written in plain English, with real numbers and worked examples, and are built around the free modelling tools on this website, so every rule can be tested against your own numbers.
The Long Weekend
Building Your Financial Retirement Plan, Navigating Superannuation, Centrelink, and Estate Planning in Australia
Most Australians spend forty years filling the tank. The problem is, nobody tells them how to drive.
The Long Weekend is the complete plain-English roadmap to retiring in Australia. It covers superannuation, the Age Pension, tax strategy, SMSFs, estate planning, and aged care, and how they all fit together to determine your retirement income.
The 2nd edition (July 2026) is fully updated for the 2026-27 financial year, with all contribution caps, tax rates, deeming rates, and Centrelink thresholds current. It also adds new coverage of the changes reshaping retirement planning: the Division 296 tax on large balances, the proposed capital gains tax reform and what it means for assets held outside super, the SMSF residential borrowing ban, and updated estate planning guidance.
The book is built around PlanLens, the free retirement modelling tool available on this website as both a web app and an Excel spreadsheet. PlanLens applies the super rules, Centrelink means tests, and tax calculations simultaneously, year by year, so you can test every strategy in the book against your own numbers. SpendLens, the companion spending tool, works out what your lifestyle actually costs, the essential starting point for any plan.
Top review from Amazon Australia
Top review from Amazon Australia
Lisa Keily
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5.0 out of 5 stars This was better advice than a paid Financial Adviser
Reviewed in Australia on 24 May 2026
Best informative read in a long time. Do yourself a favor and read this either before retiring or once retired
Paul
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5.0 out of 5 stars The Long Weekend Putting the Retirement Puzzle Together, (Australian Superannuation)!
Reviewed in Australia on 28 April 2026
The Long Weekend: Putting the Retirement Puzzle Together offers a well-balanced, easy-to-understand approach to retirement planning. It breaks down complex financial topics while giving practical examples. The book makes the process feel manageable rather than overwhelming and each chapter has a concise summary at the end. While some details are more Australia-specific, the core advice is broadly useful. A concise, practical read for anyone preparing for retirement, it also includes a QR Code to download a spreadsheet to use as an interactive modelling tool.
A Practical Guide to Australian Superannuation
A Plain-English Guide to Maximising Your Contributions, Planning for Retirement, and Navigating Centrelink
The book that started it all, and an Amazon bestseller just weeks after release.
This is superannuation explained simply and clearly, in an afternoon read. Updated for the 2026-27 financial year, it covers the essentials of how super works: contribution types, caps, and limits, tax treatment, the accumulation, TTR, and pension phases, and the basics of the Centrelink Age Pension, including a fully worked example of how the assets and income tests calculate your payment. Enough to understand the system, avoid the common mistakes, and know the right questions to ask.
It also includes PlanLens, the free retirement and Centrelink modelling tool, so even the starting guide lets you apply the rules to your own numbers.
If you are new to superannuation, this is the place to start. When you are ready for the full picture, The Long Weekend takes it from here.
Top review from Amazon Australia
Top review from Amazon Australia
Justin Hooi
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5.0 out of 5 stars A must read superannuation guide for Australians
Reviewed in Australia on 16 January 2026
This superannuation book is one of the clearest and most practical guides. It breaks down a topic that often feels confusing into simple steps anyone can follow — without talking down to the reader.
Ed Ridings
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5.0 out of 5 stars Great practical guide
Reviewed in Australia on 1 March 2026
Simple plain English with some practical examples easy to understand. Thank you for taking the time to put this book together.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer
Super laws, tax rules, and Centrelink assessments are complex, frequently changing, and include many exceptions. The information provided is general in nature, current as of 2026, and is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Individual circumstances, fund types, and grandfathered provisions may affect these rules, and rates and thresholds can change without notice. You should consult a licensed financial adviser, tax agent, or qualified professional before making decisions about your super, retirement, or estate planning.
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