In The Media

Our Customer Vivienne Lives Well At Home

December 2020

Our retirement specialist Fiona Navarro chats to channel 10 host Kate about the way retired Australians can use their Household Capital to improve their retirement funding and Live Well At Home. Customer Vivienne talks about the ease with which she could access her home equity via a Household Loan to undertake some renovations of her apartment and be able to say ‘yes’ to things more often in retirement.

Our Customer Vivienne Transforms Her Retirement

December 2020

Our retirement specialist Fiona Navarro chats to channel 9 host Paul about the impact COVID-19 is having on the health and financial wellbeing of retired Australians. Self-funded retirees, such as our customer Vivienne, were particularly hard hit. Vivienne explains how she was able to draw on her Household Capital to improve her retirement funding.

Simple steps to protect super for when it is needed most

December 2020

The extreme market volatility caused by COVID-19 and the global financial crisis highlight the need to start planning long before stopping work to secure a sustainable retirement income.

Reverse mortgage lenders highlight ‘solution’ to retirement income

November 2020

Following the release of the Retirement Income Review, two reverse mortgage lenders have emphasised how these products could provide Australians with more money in retirement.

Your home: The foundation of retirement planning

November 2020

Retirement planning often begins and ends with a discussion about how much super you have and whether it’s enough. While super is important, it’s not the only source of income and support in retirement. If you’re reading this at home, the missing piece of your retirement income conundrum could be closer than you think. You’re sitting in it.

Australia to lead the world in provision of home equity as the third pillar of retirement funding

November 2020

Household Capital welcomes today’s release of the Retirement Income Review. Household Capital is Australia’s leading provider of home equity retirement funding. Since launching in 2019, Household Capital has seen a rapid adoption of their services, with over 50 times year on year customer revenue growth.

Govt’s RIR welcomed but opposing views on key issues

November 2020

While the Government’s Retirement Income Review final report has been widely welcomed by the financial services industry, there have been opposing views regarding home equity being able to improve retirement incomes.

Aussies need to start using the family home to fund retirement: report

November 2020

The home is an untapped asset that can be used to fund retirement, urges the retirement income review. Australia's current retirement system consists of three pillars: the age pension, superannuation and savings, which includes the home.

Retirees encouraged to increase drawdowns and tap into home equity

November 2020

Australians will be able to maintain their working-life living standards in retirement even if the superannuation guarantee (SG) stays at 9.5 per cent of wages.

Home equity access and four challenges of retirement

November 2020

Australian Baby Boomers are among the world’s wealthiest, yet they experience widespread retirement funding insecurity due to inadequate access to the three pillars of our retirement funding system: *the age pension and social security system generally *superannuation *voluntary savings, including home ownership.

Household Capital passes on more than the RBA interest rate reduction to remain the lowest available home equity retirement funding provider in Australia

November 2020

Australia’s leading home equity retirement funding provider, Household Capital, has announced a further cut to its interest rate. In response to this week’s RBA cut of 0.15 percent, Household Capital made a deeper cut, lowering its rate by 0.20 percent to a home equity access rate of just 4.95 percent.

Robo-advice algorithms could face regulatory scrutiny

October 2020

Assistant Minister for Superannuation and Financial Services Jane Hume has hinted the government is considering pushing regulators to assess compliance in the algorithms behind automated advice.

Joint superannuation accounts touted as fix for gender savings gap

October 2020

Joint superannuation accounts should be introduced to bridge the retirement savings gap between men and women, a key industry executive has said.

Financial services nudged to account for aged care

October 2020

The financial services industry could need to consider how it integrates with aged care, as the minister for superannuation has said the government will be pushing for more cohesion between the different elements of retirement income.

Financial advisers ‘like politicians’: Hume

October 2020

Senator Jane Hume has reiterated the government’s intention to push for regulatory reform by making advice less compliance heavy and more accessible for consumers, while also giving a glimpse into her view on the community’s perception of the financial advisers.

Retirees keen to remain home rather than downsize

October 2020

Should older Australians downsize their property?

October 2020

Property prices set to make a comeback

October 2020

Prices across the nation’s residential real estate markets are stabilising and should begin to increase in the second half of next year after a mild downturn over coming months, according to CoreLogic, which monitors prices.

Ten most innovative companies in banking, super and financial services

October 2020

The AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies list recognises the most innovative organisations in Australia and New Zealand, as judged by the expert panel assembled by The Australian Financial Review and Inventium. The assessment methodology is outlined here.

Household Capital releases 2020 Retirement Outcomes survey

October 2020

Household Capital has today released the results of their 2020 Retirement Outcomes survey, one of the first major national studies of its kind since the impacts of COVID-19 have hit. The Household Capital 2020 Retirement Outcomes research was conducted for the organisation by trusted advocates, Your Life Choices. Over 4,400 Australians participated, representing over 87 percent of the Australian population by postcode. With 91 percent of participants over 60 years of age at the time of the survey, this work is some of Australia’s most comprehensive retiree research.

Industry fund supremo backs home equity release to help fund retirement

September 2020

Tapping into home equity is a useful way to bridge gaps in retirement funding, according to former Industry Fund Services chair Garry Weaven. Alongside former superannuation minister Nick Sherry and JPMorgan Australia vice chairman Jim Miller, Mr Weaven has thrown his weight behind Household Capital, a retirement funding provider that specialises in the release of home equity.

Home Income TVC - 15 sec

August 2020

Our Home Income product is a simple way for retirees to access their home equity to improve their regular income and have greater choice and flexibility in retirement.

How to avoid crystallising a loss with your super

June 2020

Australians approaching retirement should be very wary of government programs that encourage them to withdraw their super when the market has bottomed out when other options are available, a chief executive has warned.

How global blue chips could help retiree income

June 2020

Income-starved investors could look overseas to boost dividend income with global stalwarts that can afford to keep paying out, according to a leading UK fund manager. Scores of Australian companies – like many overseas – are suspending or cutting shareholder distributions. Returns from leading Australian income funds have fallen into negative territory over the last 12 months, major banks continue to slash derisory savings rates and there is a deteriorating outlook for fixed income funds investing in corporate and government debt.

Home equity product’s fast cash

June 2020

Retirees facing financial pressures flowing from the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to apply to draw $20,000 on their home equity using a product being launched on Wednesday by independent specialist retirement funding provider Household Capital.

Household Capital adds two C-suite execs to its growing team

May 2020

Household Capital, an independent, specialist retirement funding provider has announced it has further expanded its team. On the back of strong growth and following the recent appointment of a Customer Operations Manager, Household Capital has added two specialists in operations and risk management.

New appointee to Household Capital board

April 2020

Household Capital, an independent, specialist retirement funding provider has announced that entrepreneur and technology specialist Danny Gorog will join its board of directors.

Household Capital adds UK home equity market expertise to team

April 2020

Household Capital, an independent, specialist retirement funding provider has announced it has expanded its team with the addition of key expertise in retirement funding customer operations. Jay Sewell has joined Household Capital from UK-based Age Partnership, a leading provider of home equity funding.

Household Capital launches first brand campaign via The Royals

April 2020

Specialist retirement funding provider Household Capital will this weekend launch its first integrated brand campaign, created by independent agency The Royals. The campaign aims to make Household Capital synonymous with access to home equity, enabling retirees to use the wealth built up in their home to improve their retirement funding and live the lifestyle they want – all prompting people to ask: “What are you doing with your Household Capital?”

Drawing Capital TVC -15 sec

April 2020

Retirees can draw on their home equity, the wealth built up in the family home, as an income stream, a lump sum, or a mix of the two for a number of purposes. The home is much more than the right place to live…it’s also the right way to fund retirement.

What are you doing with your Household Capital? TVC - 30 sec

April 2020

Retirees can draw on their home equity, the wealth built up in the family home, as an income stream, a lump sum, or a mix of the two for a number of purposes. The home is much more than the right place to live…it’s also the right way to fund retirement.

COVID-19 puts squeeze on older Australians' finances

April 2020

Cash-strapped retirees facing caveats on their homes may be better off with a reverse mortgage. Older Australians are certainly feeling the impact of COVID-19, whether they're considering aged care or still able to live independently. Many entering residential aged care face the dilemma of whether to sell assets in a sliding market to pay the refundable accommodation deposit, or go into debt.

'Abandoned' SMSFs call on government for help

April 2020

Incomes of self-funded retirees are being clipped – or even lost – as the economic fallout of COVID-19 results in lower dividend payments and investment property tenants who can no longer pay rent. Many self-funded retirees, who are not reliant on the age pension, are being forced to dip into their cash savings or crystallise investments that have lost value in falling stock markets.

Avoid doing serious damage to your super in falling markets

March 2020

Retirees are warned to avoid withdrawing big chunks of savings from their super accounts because of the risk of locking in losses in falling markets. Those saving for their retirement are also being urged to avoid big switches between asset classes, such as selling shares for lower-risk fixed income, that could crystallise sharemarket losses.

Why older Australians are more vulnerable in this market crisis

March 2020

Wendy Roberts has watched her superannuation balance fall by $50,000 from her hospital bed in Clayton, a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne. The 63-year-old single mother of two was working as a project manager at Telstra, earning over $100,000 per year when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. When she became too sick to work, she secured a redundancy package and transferred her savings and super to AustralianSuper.

Working With Retirees to Improve Their Retirement Funding

March 2020

Fiona Navarro, Household Capitals' retirement specialist speaks to The Morning Show about retirement funding. Retirees can draw on their home equity, the wealth built up in the family home, as an income stream, a lump sum, or a mix of the two for a number of purposes. The home is much more than the right place to live…it’s also the right way to fund retirement.

Household Capital gains L&G, super funds support

March 2020

Household Capital chief executive Josh Funder says the specialist local retirement funding provider’s partnerships with local super funds and Britain’s Legal & General will supercharge its plans to deliver $1 trillion of funding into the Australian retirement funding system.

UK giant takes stake in local home equity group

March 2020

Legal & General, the UK financial services giant with more than $2.2 trillion under management, has taken a 20 per cent stake in Household Capital. It's the first strategic investment by Britain’s largest reverse mortgage provider in 22 years, following the $892 million sale of its local business to Colonial Mutual in 1998.

Market mayhem herds retirees to home equity

March 2020

Plunging stock markets and minuscule bond yields are forcing increasingly desperate retirees to draw down on home equity in a scramble to boost income as retirement savings are squeezed ever harder. Investors are panicking as they watch the S&P/ASX 200 index slump by almost 18 per cent since hitting a record on February 20.

Australians not feeling supported by the retirement funding system

February 2020

Household Capital, an independent, specialist retirement funding provider has completed its submission to the Retirement Income Review in response to the government’s consultation paper released in November 2019. The purpose of the Retirement Income Review is to ascertain the degree to which retirees are supported by the three pillars of Australia’s retirement system; superannuation, the Age Pension and other savings, including home equity.

The real cost of getting your house deposit from the Bank of Mum and Dad

January 2020

More young Aussies are turning to their parents, appropriately dubbed the Bank of Mum and Dad, to help secure equity for a first home deposit, and financial advisers are split on the growing trend. For some, the lucky few, the money for the deposit is a gift. For others, it's a loan, with parents offering to match their kid's savings or covering the deposit in full.

Wealthy home owners devour aged pension welfare

January 2020

Late last year, The Australian’s Adam Creighton labelled the Aged Pension “an economically costly inheritance preservation scheme” given its largesse towards wealthy home owning retirees. This claim came about after it was revealed by Creighton that elderly Australians living in $1m-plus homes are claiming $6.3 billion in pension payments:

Income boom for retirees who own property

January 2020

Baby Boomer home owners in some of the nation’s plushest postcodes could release income from their properties equivalent to three to five times their existing superannuation, according to a new analysis. Actuarial analysis of super savings and median property values in blue-chip suburbs reveals average Boomers aged over 60 are sitting on fortunes that could be used for their super income, or transferring wealth to children and grandchildren.

Reverse mortgages set to slip into top gear as Baby Boomers retire

November 2019

Releasing home equity is an “important and growing element of post-retirement income planning” as home-owning Baby Boomers seek ways to top up modest savings, according to former superannuation minister and chairman of Household Capital Nick Sherry.

The good news is you'll have a longer life, that's also the bad news

July 2019

We’re all living longer. So could you outlive your retirement savings? If you’re 65 today, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy a long and happy retirement that lasts into your 80s. Our lucky country enjoys one of the highest life expectancies of any country in the world, at 80.4 for men and 84.5 for women.

Government needs to do more on in-home care

April 2019

Household Capital, an independent, specialist retirement funding provider, commended the federal government’s announcement that it will fund an additional ten thousand in-home care packages but warned that more needed to be urgently done to meet the needs of ageing Australians.

Multiple mugging survivor turns hand to helping retirees stretch resources

March 2019

Joshua Funder has been mugged twice in his life. During a stint at the Boston Consulting Group in San Francisco in 2001, he was confronted in the street at gunpoint after hours of counting spinach leaves for the Dole Food Company. A few years later, when working in Africa with the Clinton Foundation, he was running along a waterfront in the dark of night when he was cornered by six thugs with wooden clubs.

Household Capital enters Australian retirement sector with innovative new retirement loan

March 2019

Household Capital, an independent, specialist retirement funding provider, has announced it has entered the Australian retirement sector with an innovative loan product that allows retirees to use equity in the family home to fund retirement expenses, enhance income or provide financial support to their children and other family members.

Retirees marooned as banks retreat on reverse mortgages

March 2019

Retirees are being blocked from accessing the money trapped in their property as banks pull out of the reverse mortgage market, fuelling a growing income inequality among older Australians. A new report has warned Baby Boomers have been dudded by only having half of their working lives to accrue super, while having most of their wealth tied up in the family home - putting a strain on families and the government to finance a rapidly growing ageing population.

Firm helps tap home equity to fund retirement

March 2019

The industry superannuation funds-backed ME Bank, rich-lister barrister Allan Myers and former federal super minister Nick Sherry are backing a new specialist retirement funding provider allowing retirees to use equity in the family home to fund their retirement expenses.