Video Tutorial Series
Learn how to use SpendLens and PlanLens — two free retirement planning tools available on this site — through this step-by-step video series based on The Long Weekend: Putting the Retirement Puzzle Together.
Each video is short and focused, walking you through a specific feature or concept. Watch them in order for the complete picture, or jump to the topic you need.
Kicking off a series of videos to help familiarise you all with the web tools that accompany the book.
Each short video will walk you through a different feature of the apps — from analysing your spending to modelling your retirement income year by year.
This first video sets the scene — with a professional voiceover to set the tone. More videos to come over the coming weeks
What does your retirement actually cost, and how do you find out?
SpendLens analyses your bank statements and gives you a clear picture of your spending by category, by month, across multiple years. In this video we show you the results — in the next videos we'll show you how to get there.
As always, completely free and your data never leaves your device.
This one shows how to get your bank statements into SpendLens, upload multiple accounts at once, watch thousands of transactions get automatically categorised against a library of over one thousand Australian merchants, and see how the rules system works to make future uploads even easier.
This one shows how to review and refine your transactions — searching and filtering, editing vendor names so they apply across all matching transactions, changing categories, and using bulk select to recategorise multiple transactions at once. Plus a handy shortcut — click any category in the Analysis tab to jump straight to the filtered transaction list.
This one covers the AutoCategorise feature in SpendLens, two options for very quickly handling any remaining uncategorised transactions. We also cover how to save your work and pick up where you left off next session.
This wraps up the SpendLens series, in the next video we move on to PlanLens, the retirement income modelling tool, just released with new name.
We're moving on to PlanLens — a free retirement income modelling tool that combines superannuation, Centrelink, and tax rules in a single model. This video gives you an overview of what the tool does and how it's structured. The next videos will go through each section in detail.
This one takes you through the six charts and summary table in PlanLens ; the Income Plan, Financial Assets Balance, Calculated Withdrawals, Loans & Offset Accounts, Tax, Net Worth, and the All Transfers table. Each chart shows a different piece of the retirement picture, updating in real time as you change your inputs.
his one walks through the Finances tab in PlanLens, where you enter your current situation. Covers marital status and home ownership, your personal details and desired income, superannuation, financial assets, property, loans, and other assets and income. Plenty of practical notes along the way on how each input feeds into the retirement projections.
This one covers the Assumptions tab in PlanLens — the rates that drive the thirty year projections. Goes through salary growth, super growth, share returns and franking, cash interest, inflation and tax indexing rates, property growth, and loan interest rates. Small changes here compound significantly over time, so worth understanding what each one does.
This final video covers the Planning tab in PlanLens, the year-by-year modelling of your superannuation contributions, downsizer payments, share and cash movements, property renovations and sales, lump sum loan repayments, and offset accounts. It also covers the built-in contribution rule checks, save and load, and the PDF report that brings the whole plan together in one document.
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.