Empire Financial Group

08/09/2026

What if your GESB benefits could be worth more than you realised?

For our clients Ken and Gloria, retirement planning wasn’t simply about deciding when to stop working. It was about making the most of the unique opportunities within their GESB benefits.

By carefully coordinating their GESB Gold State and West State Super, pension strategies, tax planning, property and Centrelink entitlements, we were able to build a strategy around their specific goals.

The result? Potential benefits including:
~$70,000 in income tax savings
~$400,000 in superannuation earnings tax savings
~$19,000 in benefits tax savings
~$67,000 in additional Age Pension entitlements

Their story is a great reminder that when it comes to GESB, timing and strategy matter.

If you’re a GESB member approaching retirement or considering redundancy, are you making the most of the benefits available to you?

Read Ken and Gloria’s full story here. Read the full case study https://www.efg.net.au/blog/how-ken-and-gloria-transformed-their-retirement-strategy/

Book a consultation with one of our GESB specialists and let us help you turn your entitlements into real outcomes.

Learn how Ken and Gloria transformed their retirement with smart planning and lifestyle changes. Get inspired by their fresh approach to the future.

31/08/2026

Putting our people first

We believe a strong workplace starts with people who feel valued, supported and trusted.

As part of our ongoing commitment to our team, we’ve recently introduced two additional days of leave each year for our full-time employees: Birthday Leave and a Mental Health Day.

Birthday Leave
Everyone deserves a day to celebrate their birthday in their own way. Whether that means spending time with family, enjoying a long lunch, heading away for the day or simply taking some time for themselves, our team can now take their birthday off and make the most of it.

Mental Health Day
Work is important, but so is taking a step back. Our Mental Health Day provides an opportunity to switch off, recharge and prioritise wellbeing. It gives our staff a quiet day to reset or to get ahead of the demands of everyday life.

We recognise that wellbeing looks different for everyone and sometimes the most valuable thing you can give someone is time.

Liam, is our very first employee to put his Birthday Leave to good use. He clearly understood the assignment celebrating with a movie, popcorn and a well-earned day off!

These additional leave days are just one of the ways we’re continuing to build a workplace where our people can do their best work while also making time for the things that matter outside of work. Because when we invest in our people, everyone benefits.

18/08/2026

Who actually gets your super when you die? For 6.5 million Australians, the answer is: not sure.

New research from Super Consumers Australia (covered by ABC News this week https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-10/superannuation-death-benefit-nominations-survey-finds-funds-fail/106991968?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web ) should stop every working Australian in their tracks.

More than a third of super fund members surveyed had NO death benefit nomination registered with their fund at all. Another 25% had made one but didn't know whether it was binding.

Your super doesn't automatically follow your will. It sits in a trust, and when you die, the fund's trustee decides where it goes.

There are two ways to tell them your wishes:
- A non-binding nomination: quick, done online in two minutes. But it's exactly what it sounds like. The trustee can consider it and then do something different. Lawyers describe them as close to useless when a dispute breaks out, because they leave the door open for other family members to make a claim.
- A binding nomination: usually paper-based, needs witnesses and often expires after three years. But it's legally enforceable. The trustee must follow it.

The research shows a system where members are pushed toward the quick option or no option at all leaving millions of families exposed to delays, disputes and outcomes their loved one never intended.

Three things to do this week:
1. Log in to your super fund and check whether you have a nomination at all.
2. Find out if it's binding or non-binding. If you don't know, assume it isn't.
3. If you have a binding nomination, check the date. Many lapse every three years.

Your super is often your biggest asset outside the family home. Ten minutes of admin now can save your family years of heartache later.

Reviewing this takes minutes and it's one of the simplest wins in your whole financial plan.

18/08/2026

Our General Manager, Gordon Wallace, was recently invited to tour the soon-to-be-opened, Perth Children's Hospital Foundation funded, Sandcastles Children's Hospice in Swanbourne.

During the tour, Gordon was shown how the Sandcastles Hospice will provide WA-first support to children and families dealing with life-limiting conditions. These diagnoses can mean a journey for the family that could span weeks, months or even years and have a constant and sustained emotional, economic and psychological impact, placing unimaginable stress on them and their well being. Everything at the Hospice is geared towards making the child's and family's time there a genuine respite from this stress, be it the equipment, facilities, layout, or decor.

Empire Financial Group was privileged to help raise $10,000 towards outfitting the hospice at our recent Empire Royale client event. Seeing how that money was spent, and the other facilities being made available to WA's children and their families, was a truly humbling experience, so thank you to Alex Harper FCCA for the invitation and for all the work he and his team at the PCH Foundation have done to bring this vision to life.

PCH Foundation are still trying to raise the final $3m to complete the hospice, so if you or your business can offer a way to help raise funds for an incredible Perth cause, please reach out to Alex Harper FCCA.

11/08/2026

The ABCs of CGT changes: what property investors need to know

The rules around capital gains tax and property are changing for investors and the impact goes beyond the tax bill.

In our latest article for The West Australian, Empire Financial Group Nicholas Hart was joined by property expert Matthew Hughes from Capital Property Advisory to unpack what the changes mean for investors and those considering whether to buy, sell or hold.

A few key themes from the article include:
- The end of negative gearing as we knew it – From July 2027, the treatment of certain property losses will change, making the numbers behind an investment decision more important than ever.
- SMSF investors need to understand the rules – Changes to the SMSF borrowing landscape and upcoming deadlines mean rushing into a property strategy could create more problems than opportunities.
- Timing matters – The CGT changes make the decision to buy, sell or hold more complex. A property decision shouldn't be driven by tax alone.
- The fundamentals haven't changed – Location, demand, land value, rental prospects and long-term growth potential remain critical when assessing property.

The new rules don't necessarily mean you should stop investing in property but they do mean strategy matters more than ever.

Read the full article below.

03/08/2026

At the end of May we gathered with our clients, referral partners and friends for our Empire Royale charity event. Now that the photos have arrived, we wanted to share some of the special moments from a memorable evening.

Thanks again to the incredible generosity of everyone who attended, purchased raffle tickets and donated, we are proud to have raised $10,000 for the Perth Children's Hospital Foundation.

This contribution will fund 10 much-needed recliners for the newly built Children's Hospice, providing comfort and support for families as they spend precious time with their children during incredibly difficult moments.

This is what our community is all about. Bringing people together, making meaningful connections and creating a lasting impact beyond the event itself.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make the evening such a success, and to the Perth Children's Hospital Foundation for the extraordinary work they do for children and families across Western Australia.

The full album can be seen here https://csmithphotography.pic-time.com/client/empire-financial-2026

21/07/2026

"Will we be OK in retirement?"

It's the question we hear often and it's exactly what our clients Ken and Gloria asked us.

Ken, a long-time public servant with GESB West State and Gold State Super accounts and Gloria, recently retired from administration with a mix of retail super funds. They had positive cashflow, but an inefficient structure and no clear path to the debt-free retirement they wanted.

Like many GESB members, they weren't sure how to make the most of the unique features these accounts offer. So, we built a strategy across super, tax, pensions and property. By implementing a tailored retirement strategy, they were able to:
- Maximise the unique benefits of their GESB super
- Improve their long-term retirement income
- Enhance their Age Pension position
- Create greater confidence and flexibility for the future

If you hold a GESB super account (or you're simply approaching retirement and want confidence in your plan), Ken and Gloria's story is well worth a read:

21/07/2026

Early this year we sat down with Phillip Cummins, Senior Managing Director at StepStone Group to film our 10th episode of Conversations on the Couch.

In this short snippet, Phil shares an interesting perspective on where venture returns are generated and why access, manager selection and long-term thinking are so important in this space.

As private markets continue to expand, understanding how venture capital fits within a broader investment portfolio is becoming increasingly important for sophisticated investors.

Phil shares some valuable insights in this clip and in the full episode, well worth a watch.

If you missed the full episode, you can still catch the complete conversation on our page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7FGoWCr8p4

07/07/2026

As private markets continue to attract institutional capital globally, sophisticated investors are increasingly seeking ways to access opportunities that have historically been difficult to reach.

Some of the world’s most innovative and disruptive companies have remained private for extended periods, allowing early investors to participate in their growth before any public market listing. Companies such as SpaceX or Canva have demonstrated how significant value creation can occur outside traditional share markets, where access has typically been limited to institutions and sophisticated investors.

Our exclusive EmpireBLACK portfolio has been designed to provide diversified exposure across a range of private market strategies through a carefully selected portfolio of globally recognised managers and investment partners.

The portfolio combines exposure to:
▪ Global Private Equity
▪ Australian Mid-Market Private Equity
▪ Venture & Growth Capital
▪ Property Lending
▪ Diversified Private Markets Strategies

By taking a multi-strategy approach, EmpireBLACK aims to provide investors with access to the return potential, diversification benefits and unique opportunities available in private markets.

Our investment team has undertaken extensive due diligence across managers, strategies and structures to build a portfolio designed for wholesale and sophisticated investors seeking institutional-quality private market exposure.

If you'd like to learn more about EmpireBLACK and how private markets may fit within your investment strategy, we'd welcome a conversation.

07/07/2026

Congratulations to Ethan Hills and Kevin E. for completing their Professional Year with Empire Financial Group and today becoming fully fledged Financial Advisors!

Ethan and Kevin have followed different paths in their development journey with Empire, but both have shown a similar determination to succeed and both have become fantastic advisors, already receiving great reviews from their clients.

There's also nothing better than seeing your team mates come up through ranks, developing their skills and experience, and achieving their goals.

Well done gents, you fully deserve the great futures ahead of you!