I am a bit of a superannuation fan. Not everyone is, but I reckon you have to plan for the future you want and aim for it. It is no good just hoping that by the time you get to retirement you’ll have enough.

Did you know that by the time you get to 65yrs old, you’ll probably need $627,500 as a couple to live comfortably in retirement. That freaks me out. How on earth are we going to get that much money if all that is being saved is just the 9% per year that our employer contributes from our salary packages? Could you live right now on 9% of your salary?

I have 2 words for you – Salary Sacrifice. If you put $50 per pay towards your super from now until you retire you’ll be miles ahead, plus that $50 is taken out of your pay prior to tax, so in effect you’ll be paying less tax on your gross wages. Another way to get ahead if you earn under $50 000 (like us Stay at home mums or part timers), is that the Government will top up your account with $1500 for $1000 that you contribute after tax.

Get saving – surely that is the most empowering thing you can do.