Plans with Purpose: Finding the Best Path Through Life’s Twists and Turns
When you’re faced with a bittersweet financial event, it might be difficult to visualise the best course of action to take. Selling a property, receiving an inheritance, or preparing for retirement are big moments where it’s completely normal to feel financially uncertain, especially considering the importance and emotional weight of these situations!
At White Rabbit Advisory, taking that uncertainty and turning it into a carefully structured strategy to build confidence and clarity is what we can help with. This protects your wealth, and optimises outcomes for the future to take away the financial stress from these big life events to let you focus on the sweet, rather than the bitter.
Plans with Purpose
Linda and Grace* are two people that I worked with recently who were great examples of turning overwhelming events into calm, clear structure.**
*Disclaimer: The names and identifying details in this article have been changed to protect confidentiality. However, the events and scenarios described are based on real experiences.**Disclaimer: The advice, strategies, and figures presented in the following case studies are specific to the client’s individual circumstances and objectives. They are provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be relied upon as guidance for your own situation. Before making any financial or strategic decisions, you should seek professional advice tailored to your personal circumstances.Linda’s Retirement
Linda, who is in her late 60s, was in a position that we are all working towards! Throughout her working life, she made smart investments into property, and finally reached her dream of being able to both retire and move overseas. In doing so, she decided to cash in on her family home and investment property.
Unfortunately, the dream retirement is rarely so simple! Linda had three main concerns:
Her two property sales occurred in consecutive financial years. How does she manage the tax implications from these property sales?
She now had significant funds, but her assets were spread across cash accounts and superannuation. How does she optimise her assets in a clear way for her retirement?
She was unsure about whether her loved ones would struggle to pay the tax on her estate. How does she make sure that her beneficiaries will be in a good position?
Fortunately, we worked quickly to find the best way to reduce as much of that tax as possible, while making sure that Linda’s assets were perfectly structured for her new chapter in life.
The first step was reviewing Linda’s entire position: super balances, contribution history, tax components, and estate planning objectives. Time was critical as one sale was right before the end of the financial year, requiring prompt action to optimise outcomes.
The second step was finding the best way to save Linda from as much extra tax as possible. We reclassified an $80,000 non-concessional contribution as a concessional one, using Linda’s unused contribution cap to immediately reduce taxable income, saving her thousands.
The third step involved carefully structuring new super contributions from the property proceeds. By setting up a second super fund to keep tax components separate, we ensured her estate would be distributed more efficiently in the future. A mix of pre- and post-30 June contributions were timed to maximise the allowable limits:
$120,000 non-concessional contribution before 30 June
$360,000 non-concessional contribution after 1 July, using both house sale proceeds and a re-contribution strategy to reduce internal tax
$300,000 downsizer contribution from the sale of her home
From there, this massively improved Linda’s retirement position and reduced the tax her beneficiaries would one day pay, increasing the value of her estate. To complete the plan, we converted both of her super funds into pensions, so Linda has a stable income stream to support her new lifestyle overseas and live the dream retirement she’s worked so hard to achieve!
Grace’s Inheritance
For Grace, the challenge looked very different to Linda’s. A single mum to 17-year-old Emma, Grace was working part-time while receiving the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and Family Tax Benefit (FTB). When a close family member passed away, Grace was set to receive an inheritance, which left her in an uncertain situation.
Grace was dealing with both the heavy emotions of losing a loved one, while also feeling unsure about how to best manage the inheritance. Her two main concerns were:
Her daughter Emma was almost 18, so her child support payments were about to stop. How can Grace continue to look after her daughter without these payments?
The inheritance she was receiving would significantly improve her position, but she wanted to save it for when she really needed it as she is still capable of part-time work. How does she avoid losing her DSP and make the inheritance money work for her over time?
We were able to create a strategy that protected Grace’s immediate income and gave her peace of mind knowing she could continue to provide for Emma with long-term financial security.
The first step was assessing how the inheritance would affect Grace’s DSP. By modelling different scenarios, we identified the amount she could contribute into superannuation to legally shelter part of the inheritance for Centrelink purposes. This meant she could keep some of her DSP income while still building her retirement savings.
The second step was making sure the remaining funds were working effectively for her day-to-day needs. We invested the rest of the inheritance into a diversified portfolio under Grace’s own name, designed to generate regular income and grow steadily over time. From there, we set up a regular payment stream to replace the income Grace would lose once her child support and FTB ended.
The third step involved reviewing her existing superannuation and insurances. Grace had several super accounts invested in options that didn’t suit her risk profile while paying unnecessary fees. We consolidated everything into one well-structured super fund that included the appropriate insurance cover, with lower overall costs.
By taking these steps, Grace was able to maintain part of her DSP, create a reliable income stream to support herself and Emma, and set up her finances for future stability. Most importantly, she gained confidence knowing her money was secure and working for her. Grace is now focusing on what matters most to her, creating independence while providing the best opportunities for Emma’s future.
Complexity into Strategy
In both the cases of Linda and Grace, financial advice was about understanding each person’s situation in detail and anticipating the flow-on effects. There’s never a template plan, it’s always about building a strategy from scratch that reflects each person’s unique priorities and capabilities.
That’s the real value of professional advice, turning complexity into clarity, and uncertainty into confidence.
Managing a big life change can be difficult without the right support. If you are in a position where financial advice would take the weight off your shoulders through difficult circumstances, or even just give you peace-of-mind for the future, we’re here to help!
White Rabbit Advisory Pty Ltd is a registered tax (financial) adviser and any reference to tax advice contained in this document is incidental to the general financial advice it may contain. You should seek specialist advice from a tax professional to confirm the impact of this advice on your overall tax position. You should obtain financial advice relevant to your circumstances before making financial decisions. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this information, it may not remain current after the date of publication and White Rabbit Advisory Pty Ltd and its related bodies make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness. Published: December 2025 © Copyright 2025