My Fortress Brisbane

02/11/2026

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOUR MORTGAGE FOLLOWS YOU INTO RETIREMENT?

Entering retirement can seem a lot less satisfying when you’re dragging your mortgage across the finish line with you. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to put your retirement plans on hold. If you expect to retire with lingering mortgage debt, here are a few pathways you might want to consider.

Prioritise debt repayment before you retire

The first place to start is to ask yourself whether you have the ability to pay down your mortgage before you retire. There might be room in your budget to make extra repayments, upcoming bonuses that you can resist spending, or opportunities to refinance to a cheaper rate.

Use your super to tackle the debt

Another option is to wait until you can access your super (which you can typically do when you turn 60 and retire) and use those funds to help clear your debt. This usually means one of two things:

• You take out a lump sum and pay off a large chunk of the mortgage, if not all of it
• You use part of your retirement income to cover your mortgage repayments

If you plan to use a lump sum to wipe out your debt, keep in mind that you’re not just parting with that sum – you’re also giving up the money it might have generated in the future. Over time, those forgone returns could exceed the interest you’d save by paying off your loan.

Downsize your home

If your home seems far too spacious now that your kids have moved out, or you no longer have the energy to give it the TLC you lavished on it in the past, downsizing to a more appropriately sized – and cheaper – home could free up enough money to reduce or even eliminate your mortgage altogether.

There might also be an opportunity to boost your retirement savings at the same time. If you’re at least 55 when you sell your home, you might be able to contribute some of the sale proceeds (up to $300,000 for individuals and up to $600,000 for couples) into your super via a downsizer contribution.

Be strategic

Any other assets and income streams you have could potentially play a role too. For example, if you’ve reached or are approaching Government Age Pension age, using some of your savings to reduce your mortgage might increase your entitlement.

That’s because your principal home is generally exempt from the assets test. So when you take your savings and direct it to your mortgage, you’re effectively converting an assessable asset into an exempt one. Of course, this will depend on your personal circumstances, and it might be a good idea to speak to an adviser before you make any decisions.

You’re not alone

Finally, it’s worth keeping in mind that more and more Australians are carrying mortgage debt into their later years, whether due to career breaks, late in life purchases, or simply because property prices are a lot higher than they used to be.

So while entering retirement mortgage-free can be less stressful, carrying some debt into retirement doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve done something wrong or need to delay your plans. The important thing is understanding how your repayments will fit alongside your other income and expenses, and whether your debt remains manageable as you enter that next chapter.

For more information book a complimentary appointment with a My Fortress adviser.
https://www.myfortress.com.au/retirement-ready
3512 7800

26/10/2026

WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK FROM RETIREMENT?

People delay retirement for many different reasons. Some can't afford to retire yet, others could retire tomorrow but don't want to, and many sit somewhere in between.

Sometimes the issue isn’t money at all, but a fear of the unknown.

In the linked article below, we look at some of the most common reasons Australians delay retirement, and what to do if you recognise some of them in your own thinking.

https://www.myfortress.com.au/post/what-s-holding-you-back-from-retirement

20/10/2026

FREE SEMINAR – Investment Strategies

Register for our next Investment Strategies Seminar, where we discuss the fundamentals of the asset classes, cash, property & shares.

You will learn how to invest in shares in a low-cost, tax-effective and risk mitigated manner – either inside superannuation or outside of superannuation.

Attend at no obligation; the only cost is your time.

Tuesday 10th November at 6pm

Camford Square Business Park, Corner Kilroe and Dorsey Street,
Unit 2/10 Dorsey Street, Milton QLD 4064

Register now at
www.myfortress.com.au/brisbaneseminarsandevents

My Fortress Brisbane Seminars and Events

12/10/2026

THE FINAL STRETCH: BUILDING WEALTH BEFORE RETIREMENT

The years in the lead-up to retirement are an important time.

Retirement feels close enough to picture, but it’s still far enough away for today’s actions to make a meaningful difference. While you’re still receiving a salary, treating those final working years as an opportunity to optimise your finances can be a smart move.

Read the full article at https://www.myfortress.com.au/post/the-final-stretch-building-wealth-before-retirement

06/10/2026

FREE SEMINAR – Investment Strategies

Register for our next Investment Strategies Seminar, where we discuss the fundamentals of the asset classes, cash, property & shares.

You will learn how to invest in shares in a low-cost, tax-effective and risk mitigated manner – either inside superannuation or outside of superannuation.

Attend at no obligation; the only cost is your time.

Monday 19th October at 6pm

Camford Square Business Park, Corner Kilroe and Dorsey Street, Unit 2/10 Dorsey Street, Milton QLD 4064

Register now at
www.myfortress.com.au/brisbaneseminarsandevents

29/09/2026

When we think about wealth protection, we often focus on safeguarding our family’s lifestyle in the event of death, illness or injury. But with so much of our personal and financial information stored online, Australians also need to take their digital financial security seriously.

Scammers and cybercriminals are constantly evolving their tactics, and avoiding trouble so far doesn’t guarantee you’ll remain unaffected in the future. Below, we explore a few simple, practical habits that can help keep your accounts and information secure.

• Create strong, unique passwords

If your password is predictable or easy to guess from your social media, it can leave you vulnerable to hacking. And if you’ve reused that password across multiple accounts, the fallout could be much greater than you might expect.

Aim for long, unique passwords for every important account, particularly your email and anything involving your finances. The Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends adopting a passphrase approach – that is, using a string of random words, with at least 15 characters in total, whenever possible.

• Use a password manager to store login details securely

Good security habits naturally lead to more passwords – often more than the average person can remember – and that’s where outsourcing the job to technology can help. A reputable password manager can not only help you generate strong passwords, it can also store them securely and fill them in when you need them.

• Enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an additional layer of security to your accounts by introducing a security code, authenticator app, or biometric check at login. This means that even if a criminal gets hold of your password, they’ll have a hard time accessing your account without that second form of verification.

Turn on MFA for your important accounts wherever it’s available, particularly your email, banking and other financial accounts. While it might feel inconvenient, a few extra seconds at login could save you a much bigger headache later on.

• Recognise phishing emails and text messages

These days, scams increasingly resemble ordinary messages from providers, and they can even appear in the same threads as legitimate messages from organisations you know. So if you receive a message asking you to click a link, move money around, or enter your password, don’t immediately take it at face value.

Instead, confirm whether it’s genuine by navigating to the organisation's website yourself. And in the meantime, avoid clicking on any links in the message, as these could direct you to a fake website or download malicious software onto your device.
• Keep your devices and software up to date

Those notifications asking you to update your device can be annoying, but there's a reason they keep appearing: they’re often rolled out to patch known security vulnerabilities. Try to ensure you have the latest versions installed of your device’s operating system, browser and apps (turning on automatic updates can help here).

• Avoid unsecured public Wi-Fi networks

Convenient as it might be, free Wi-Fi at airports, hotels or cafés can be risky, and you should be especially careful when connecting to these networks if you’re using your device to do online banking.

If you absolutely need to use public Wi-Fi, keep the following tips in mind:
• Confirm the correct Wi-Fi name, for example by asking staff or checking the venue's signage.
• Check for HTTPS and the lock symbol in the address bar to make sure a website is secure.
• Disable file sharing and select ‘public’ when prompted to choose a network type.
• Avoid doing your online banking or other sensitive tasks; instead, use your mobile connection or a trusted network for these.
• ‘Forget’ the network once you’re done to prevent your device reconnecting automatically.
• If you regularly use public Wi-Fi, consider installing a reputable VPN to encrypt your internet traffic.
• Know what to do if one of your accounts is compromised

If you think an account has been accessed by someone else, act quickly. Change your password, sign out of other sessions and enable MFA if it’s available. If you’ve reused that password elsewhere, consider changing those accounts too.

For financial accounts (like your savings or super) contact the relevant organisation immediately and monitor your transactions closely. You can also report scams to Scamwatch and seek guidance from the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

For advice that is tailored to your individual situation and not just tips from the 'TIP' birds, book a complimentary appointment with a My Fortress adviser.

https://www.myfortress.com.au

22/09/2026

For advice that is tailored to your individual situation and not just tips from the 'TIP' birds, book a complimentary appointment with a My Fortress adviser.

https://www.myfortress.com.au/brisbane

14/09/2026

FREE SEMINAR – Investment Strategies

Register for our next Investment Strategies Seminar, where we discuss the fundamentals of the asset classes, cash, property & shares.

You will learn how to invest in shares in a low-cost, tax-effective and risk mitigated manner – either inside superannuation or outside of superannuation.

Thursday 1st October at 6pm

Camford Square Business Park, Corner Kilroe and Dorsey Street, Unit 2/10 Dorsey Street, Milton QLD 4064

Register now at
www.myfortress.com.au/brisbaneseminarsandevents

My Fortress Brisbane Seminars and Events

08/09/2026

MY FORTRESS - PLANNING FOR LIFE'S KNOWNS AND UNKNOWNS

Go www.myfortress.com.au/wealth-protection for more information.

31/08/2026

MY FORTRESS - PLANNING FOR LIFE'S KNOWNS AND UNKNOWNS

At My Fortress, wealth protection is an integral part of your financial plan and we believe it is imperative to ensure yours or your family's lifestyle is protected if your financial situation changes unexpectedly.

For more information, book an initial complimentary appointment with a My Fortress adviser.

www.myfortress.com.au
3512 7800