Transition to Retirement
Transition to Retirement Financial Adviser & Planner
I’m James Hayes, an AFP® independent financial adviser in Caringbah. You may not realise how powerful TTR can be until you are only a year or two from retirement. If you are 60–65, I will show you how to structure your super, salary, and tax so easing out of work feels less stressful and more rewarding.
Financial Planner AFP® Verification (opens in a new tab)
- Licensed
- Unaffiliated
- Worth It
Not Sure Where to Start with TTR?
Transition to Retirement rules can look like alphabet soup. Between caps, pensions, and contribution strategies, it’s no wonder people push it off until the last minute. When you sit down with me in Caringbah (or on video), I map it out on a whiteboard, and you leave with a one-page plan you can implement.
Service Scope
What TTR-Related Help Do I Offer?
TTR is not one decision. It’s a set of choices that affect your income, your tax, and your super over several years.
Starting a TTR Pension
When to start, how much to draw each year, and how that pension changes the income you get from your super fund.
Salary Sacrifice Settings
How much to sacrifice from your salary into super, and how that interacts with your contribution caps and your take-home pay.
Tax Positioning Now vs Later
Coordinating your PAYG income, your super contributions, and your retirement date so you keep more of what you earn.
Investment Mix During TTR
Setting the right balance between growth and defensive assets so your regular withdrawals don’t erode your super balance.
Switching to Retirement Phase
Knowing the point where your TTR pension becomes tax-free, and what the transfer balance cap means for how much you can move across.
Mortgage or Long-Service Leave
Using TTR income alongside mortgage repayments or long-service leave without breaching the rules or creating a cash-flow gap.
Personalised Plans | No External Influence | No Templates
Why Do Clients Choose Me for TTR Advice?
Get understandable, unbiased advice on perplexing financial scenarios. Here is why you might enjoy working together:
Completely and Fiercely Independent
I own my business. I don’t work for a bank or a corporate entity. That means no product quotas to hit and no boss telling me what to recommend. My advice is focused entirely on your goals, values, and the life you want to live.
Work With One Person Throughout
Big firms swap advisers around every few years. If you choose to work with me, you won’t have to re-explain your life to a new person every time you book an appointment. I’ll still be the one in your corner ten years from now.
Explanations in Simple English
Super rules and tax options are confusing and unexciting to non-financial people. With words and a whiteboard, you will see, and not just hear, where you are today and how you’ll get to where you want to be.
Easy to Reach, Quick to Respond
“Call the office and leave a message” isn’t how anyone wants to reach their adviser. You won’t have to leave messages with the front desk or wait days for a reply. Stay in touch with me through text, email, or in person.
Honest Answers from Day Zero
If I can help you, I’ll tell you how straight up without a sales pitch or the pressure of obligation. If I’m not the right person for what you need, I’ll tell you that too and point you toward someone who is.
Locations
Suburbs
I’m based in Caringbah and opening a second practice in Inner West. Most of the people I work with live right here in the Shire or Inner West. If you’re nearby, chances are I already have clients in your suburb, which makes it easy to catch up in person when you need to.
Sutherland Shire
- Alfords Point
- Audley
- Bangor
- Barden Ridge
- Bonnet Bay
- Bundeena
- Burraneer
- Caringabah
- Caringbah South
- Caravan Head
- Como
- Como West
- Cronulla
- Dolans Bay
- Engadine
- Grays Point
- Greenhills Beach
- Gundamaian
- Gymea
- Gymea Bay
- Heathcote
- Illawong
- Jannali
- Kangaroo Point
- Kareela
- Kirrawee
- Kurnell
- Lilli Pilli
- Loftus
- Lucas Heights
- Maianbar
- Menai
- Miranda
- Oyster Bay
- Port Hacking
- Royal National Park
- Sandy Point
- Sutherland
- Sylvania Heights
- Sylvania Waters
- Taren Point
- Warumbul
- Waterfall
- Woolooware
- Woronora
- Woronora Dam
- Woronora Heights
- Yarrawarrah
- Yowie Bay
Inner West
- Alexandria
- Annandale
- Ashbury
- Ashfield
- Balmain
- Balmain East
- Birchgrove
- Camperdown
- Croydon
- Croydon Park
- Dulwich Hill
- Earlwood
- Enmore
- Erskineville
- Forest Lodge
- Glebe
- Haberfield
- Hurlstone Park
- Leichhardt
- Lewisham
- Lilyfield
- Marrickville
- Newtown
- Petersham
- Rozelle
- St Peters
- Stanmore
- Summer Hill
- Sydenham
- Tempe
If you don’t see your suburb listed, that doesn’t rule you out because I also work with clients across Sydney and the CBD who prefer an adviser close to home in the Shire or Inner West.
Make the Next 12 Months Count
Transition to Retirement isn’t something to leave until the week before you stop working. Get your settings right now, and you’ll know exactly how much income you’ll have, how much tax you’ll save, and when to switch fully into retirement phase.
Good To Know
Transition to Retirement (TTR) FAQs
TTR lets Australians aged 55+ access part of their super while still working. You start a TTR pension, draw limited income, and often combine it with salary sacrifice. This balances cash flow, boosts super, and reduces tax, while giving flexibility to ease out of full-time work gradually.
The ATO’s TTR rules (opens in a new tab) are complex. A financial planner models cash flow, tax, and super outcomes so you don’t overdraw, breach contribution caps, or miss tax concessions. They also map when to switch from TTR to tax-free retirement phase and ensure that decisions made today strengthen long-term retirement income.
You can start a TTR pension once you reach preservation age, currently 60 for most people. You must keep working in some capacity, and withdrawals are capped. A planner helps time the start so that you maximise tax savings without undermining your superannuation balance too early.
Withdrawals must be between 4% and 10% of your super balance each financial year. Lump sums aren’t allowed until full retirement. A financial planner ensures withdrawals fit cash flow needs and comply with caps to avoid penalties and preserve super for when retirement officially begins.
TTR can reduce income tax by pairing salary sacrifice with pension withdrawals. Contributions are taxed at 15% inside super (opens in a new tab), often less than PAYG marginal rates. Pension income is taxable but may include a tax offset. Advice helps strike the right balance so that the benefits outweigh the costs.
Common TTR risks include over-withdrawing, breaching contribution caps, or leaving super under-invested. Some benefits have narrowed since the 2017 reforms (opens in a new tab), so not everyone gains. Without planning, you may increase tax or erode retirement savings. A financial planner tests scenarios to confirm whether TTR genuinely improves your position.
Once you retire or reach age 65, your TTR pension converts to a retirement-phase account. At that point, investment earnings supporting the pension become tax-free. A financial planner monitors transfer balance caps and handles timing so that the switch maximises tax exemptions and preserves super value.
Yes. Some use TTR income to cover mortgage repayments while salary sacrificing more into super. Others combine TTR with long-service leave to reduce hours without losing income. A financial planner ensures these strategies stay compliant and don’t create cash-flow shortfalls or lost super growth.
It depends on your income, super balance, age, and goals. For higher-income earners, the tax savings and contribution boosts can be significant. For others, the benefit is lifestyle flexibility. A financial planner runs tailored projections to confirm whether TTR delivers enough advantage in your circumstances.