Case 0101
Pre-retirement
Retire at 62, or wait until 65?
What changed
They committed to a retirement date, with a spending plan built to support it.
Pre-retirement & retirement planning specialists
Make the rest of your life, the best of your life.
Retirement and superannuation advice for people across south east Queensland, built around the life you actually want next.
16+ years advising
5.0 from 58+ reviews
AQF Level 8
What brings people to us
Where are you right now?
Planning to retire
Work out when you can stop working, how much you'll need to live well, and how to make the money last.
See retirement planning →Already retired
Drawdown strategy, Age Pension income and assets tests, and income that keeps pace with spending.
See Age Pension guidance →Looking after parents
Aged-care costs, means-tested fees, and the family home decision without the stress of working it out alone.
See aged care planning →Growing your super
Contribution strategy, fund consolidation, and making the biggest retirement asset you'll own work harder.
See super advice →Common advice questions
Find the right starting point.
These pages cover the decisions people usually need to sort out before they book a meeting with a financial adviser.
Retirement advice for Brisbane south-side and Logan
Model when you can retire, how income will work, and what needs to change before work stops.
Read more →Superannuation advice before and after retirement
Check contribution, pension-phase, tax and investment decisions around your super.
Read more →Age Pension advice and Centrelink rules
Understand income tests, asset tests, deeming, Work Bonus rules and timing decisions.
Read more →Financial adviser fees and one-off advice costs
Read how advice fees are usually structured before deciding what level of advice fits.
Read more →How to choose a financial adviser in Brisbane
Compare qualifications, licensing, advice scope, fees, service model and fit.
Read more →Financial adviser in Springwood
Confirm office location, local service fit, contact details and next steps.
Read more →Insights
Latest insights
Plain-English writing on retirement, super, the Age Pension and aged care. Written by me, updated when the rules change.
As featured on Empire Legal
“The financial conversations you should be having” with Empire Legal. Watch the conversation
General information only. Not personal financial advice.
5.0 stars on Google from 58+ five-star reviews. We've been helping families across Brisbane's south side plan for retirement for over 16 years. We know our clients by name, that's the whole point of being a small practice.
The proof
See for yourself.
Three things you can check before you pick an adviser. Nothing here is our word for it.
01Awarded
Three Best Rated Logan, ten years running.
Listed every year since 2016. A 50-point external review, not a pay-to-appear list.
See the listing →02Fees
Flat fee, agreed upfront.
No commissions. Every cost and referral disclosed on the first page of your advice.
How we're paid →
Meet your adviser
George Iacovou
- AQF Level 8
- AFSL 232706
- AR 434524
“I’ve been doing this since 2009. The work I’m best at sits in the decade before retirement, the choices that shape what your life looks like after work.”
“I’m fee-based, so I’m paid by you, not by the products I recommend.”
“If advice doesn’t add value for your situation, I’ll tell you that.”
How we work
Four steps. Clear at every stage.
The first two are free, so you can decide whether we're the right fit before any money changes hands.
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Free · 20 min
Step 01
First call.
A quick conversation about where you are and what you want to achieve.
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Free · 60-90 min
Step 02
Discovery meeting.
We map your goals, current position, and the gaps. Still no charge.
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Quoted fee
Step 03
Your written plan.
A specific strategy with projections, recommended actions, and a fee you agree before we start.
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Annual
Step 04
Annual reviews.
We check in every year and adjust for changes in your life, the rules, and the markets.
The first two steps are free, no commitment. You're never on the hook until the written plan is on the table.
The question we get most weeks
I’ve read Barefoot and done the work. What comes next?
You’re already ahead of most people. Barefoot gets you organised. The next stage is personal, because these turn on your own numbers, not a general rule.
Book a meeting →
First meeting free. No obligation.
George Iacovou, Principal Adviser
- Super capsHow much to add, and when to stop.
- Retirement dateWhether you can finish work without guessing.
- Income planHow super, investments and the Age Pension fit.
- Clean-upTax, insurance and estate, around your numbers.
- 16+ years advising
- 5.0 Google rating, 58+ reviews
- No commissions on super or investments
Case snapshots
Three examples of the work.
What matters in each one is not the figures. It is the decision the person was trying to make.
Case 0202
SMSF decision
Set up an SMSF, or keep it simple?
What changed
Four funds became one and the SMSF was shelved. It would have added cost and admin they did not need.
Case 0303
Age Pension
Is there an Age Pension here, or not?
What changed
A part Age Pension they had assumed was out of reach, now part of their fortnightly income.
Composite scenarios. Specific figures and identifying details withheld. General information only. Your situation will be different, and past outcomes are not a guide to future results.
Live Google reviews
Straight from clients.
All 58+ public reviews, live from our Google Business Profile. Nothing filtered, nothing cherry picked.
Common questions
Before we meet.
The questions people ask first. If yours isn't here, the first meeting is the right place for it.
Book a first meeting★★★★★5.0 from 58+ Google reviews
How much does your advice cost?
The first call is free, and so is the first meeting after it. If we go ahead, a written Statement of Advice is typically $3,300 to $6,600 depending on complexity. Ongoing advice, if you need it, runs from $1,650 a year. Every fee is quoted in writing before you commit.
Is this worth the cost?
Fair question. If your situation is simple (one super fund, home paid off, clear timeline), a good book and a calculator will probably get you most of the way. Where I earn the fee is when the decisions get specific: contribution strategy close to your caps, how super and Age Pension interact after you stop working, tax and insurance choices that depend on your actual numbers. The first meeting helps us work out which category you're in before you commit to advice.
What happens in the first meeting?
An hour in my Springwood office or on Zoom. I ask questions about what you're trying to solve, what you've already done, and what's worrying you. I tell you whether advice is likely to help, how much it would cost if we went ahead, and what the process looks like. If I don't think advice adds value for your situation, I'll tell you that too.
When should I start?
The honest answer is probably yesterday. The advice that saves you the most money tends to be in the five to ten years before you retire, so the earlier we can look at your super, contributions, and income plan, the more moves we have. It's never too late to get a second opinion on what you've built.
What's your connection to Akumin?
I'm an Authorised Representative of Akumin Financial Planning Pty Ltd (AFSL 232706). Akumin is my licensee, which means they hold the Australian Financial Services Licence under which I give advice, and they audit the advice I write. Because I operate under another AFSL, Australian law restricts certain labels. I am fee-based, and I'll walk you through exactly how that works in our first meeting.
How do I know if I need a financial adviser?
Most people don't need one until the decisions get big enough to hurt if they're wrong. That usually means you're within ten years of retirement, you've got enough super to be worth protecting, or you're facing a one-off move like redundancy or an inheritance that'll have permanent consequences.
Fee-based vs commission-based advice, what's the difference?
Commission-based means the adviser gets paid by whichever product company they recommend. Fee-based means you pay me directly, so the recommendation doesn't change based on who's paying a kickback. You see exactly what it costs, and my recommendation stays focused on what works for you.
Fees
What advice costs.
Straight numbers up front. No commissions, no trailing surprises. You know what you'll pay before you commit.
Statement of Advice
From $3,500
A written plan, quoted in dollars before you commit. Typical range $3,500–$6,500.
First meeting
Always free
A no-obligation chat to work out whether advice makes sense for your situation.
How I'm paid
Fee-based
Paid by you, not by product commissions. Authorised Rep of Akumin (AFSL 232706).
General information only. Actual fees depend on your individual needs and are quoted in writing before you commit.
Advice services
What I do for you.
Have I got enough to retire? Should I consolidate my super? Am I eligible for the Age Pension? What about aged care for Mum and Dad? These are the conversations I have every week.
Retirement planning
When to stop, what you'll need, how it lasts.
Superannuation advice
Contribution strategy and fund consolidation.
SMSF strategy
Whether running your own fund fits.
Insurance advice
Life, TPD, income protection, trauma.
Investment advice
Portfolios and tax-effective structures.
Age Pension guidance
Eligibility, asset tests, optimisation.
Aged care planning
Means-tested fees, family home decisions.
Common questions
The questions clients ask most often.
Something else?
Tell us in a quick message and we'll reply.
Local
Your local adviser, here.
Local office, free parking, easy meetings in person or on Zoom. Most clients are within fifteen minutes across Logan and the south side. Kettle's always on.
Shop 1, 50 Chatswood Road, Springwood QLD 4127
Most clients come from
Awards
A decade of award-winning recognition.
Three Best Rated Logan, ten years running since 2016. A 50-point external review, not a pay-to-appear list. National ANZ-OnePath Highest Writer award 2016. AMP Blue Awards for advice quality, 2017 and 2018.
One next step
Let's look at this properly.
The first meeting is free. We'll work out whether advice makes sense for your situation, and tell you if it doesn't.
