In this episode of The Australian Finance Podcast, Gemma Mitchell is joined by Tahli — educator, retirement specialist and long-time member of the Rask team.
After working with hundreds of Australians approaching retirement, Tahli has seen the same patterns over and over again. Most people feel unprepared. Many feel intimidated by the jargon. And almost everyone worries they’ve “left it too late”. This conversation cuts through the noise and gives listeners a clear, calm starting point for planning the next stage of life.
Together, Gemma and Tahli unpack what retirement really looks like in Australia, the biggest misconceptions, and the practical steps that matter most in your 50s and 60s.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why so many people walk away from retirement chats feeling more confused than when they started
- How to map out your own personal balance sheet to work out where you stand
- Why lifestyle planning is just as important as the numbers
- What “asset rich, cash poor” means and why it catches so many retirees by surprise
- How Centrelink treats things like granny flat arrangements and family support
- The biggest myth about retirement planning and why relying on “it’ll sort itself out” can derail your goals
- What to focus on if you’re five to ten years away from finishing full-time work
- How to engage with your super fund and what questions to ask right now
- Why diversification is about more than investment choices — and how different structures can create flexibility later in life
- Simple tools and exercises that help people get clarity, including the spreadsheet Tahli uses with her own clients
If you’re ready to understand how retirement works, feel more confident, and make the next decade easier to navigate, this episode is for you.



