Organise your financial records before and after retirement

What should I organise first?

Start with the information you would need to explain your position to yourself, a trusted person or a professional. List your accounts, super funds, investments, property and debts. Add where the current documents are held and the date you last checked each entry. You can begin with an inventory before uploading any files.

This is a records-organisation guide, not a retirement-income plan. It does not calculate when you can afford to retire, recommend investments, or assess your eligibility for government payments. ASIC Moneysmart’s retirement planning guide covers the wider planning conversation.

1. Choose whose records you are organising: yourself, a household or a specific entity.
2. List the main assets and liabilities without counting a shared holding twice.
3. Gather the most recent available statements and record their dates.
4. Mark missing information and identify the provider or person who can help.

How do I keep super, savings and investments clear?

Keep each holding identifiable, with its provider, recorded owner, balance date and source. A super balance from one date and a savings balance from another can be useful starting points, but they do not form a same-day valuation. Make that difference clear in your notes.

Record the arrangement that exists. Do not combine two funds or change beneficiary instructions merely to make your list shorter. Decisions about consolidation, investments, tax or nominations belong with the relevant provider or a qualified professional. Use the superannuation glossary for record-keeping terminology.

Why is my home only one part of the picture?

Keep a property and its mortgage as separate, related records. Your wider picture may also include savings, super, investments and other liabilities. Avoid entering both the full property value and its equity as two different assets.

For an illustrative household, a home recorded at A$700,000 with A$300,000 owing gives A$400,000 gross equity. Add A$120,000 of super and A$20,000 of savings, then subtract A$10,000 of other debt: simple recorded net worth is A$530,000. This ignores sale costs and tax and says nothing about spendable retirement income. Try the net worth calculator with a consistent scope and dated figures.

Which documents and contacts belong with the records?

Keep current statements, loan information, policy schedules and relevant ownership papers beside the records they explain. Sometimes a document-location note is enough; you do not need to copy every sensitive file into every system. Never put bank passwords, PINs or recovery phrases in these records.

Add recognisable provider and professional contact details. A useful note tells another person where to begin without suggesting they may operate an account. The document and policy checklist can help you identify gaps. Keep original legal documents in the appropriate place and record how an authorised person can locate them.

How can I make the picture understandable to family?

Walk through one record together. Can the other person identify what it is, who is connected to it, which figure is current and where the supporting document is? Replace private shorthand with a description they can follow. If you organise your own affairs, you can use the same exercise with a trusted person.

A named beneficiary, an app viewer and someone with legal authority are different roles. Portfolio Plus lets an owner select viewer sections; documents require separate sharing. A person listed in a record does not automatically receive access, and sharing does not create an executor appointment or power of attorney. Read the family sharing explanation and the handover guide.

What should I review after retirement?

Keep the record useful after the initial collection. Choose a review rhythm that suits your circumstances and update relevant entries when a new statement arrives, a debt changes, a policy renews or a household arrangement changes. Record the figure’s date rather than treating the date you typed it as the valuation date.

If an account closes or a product changes, keep the history understandable without presenting the old entry as current. Review contacts and sharing permissions too. An organised record is maintained over time; it is not completed once and left indefinitely.

1. Check changed balances against current source documents.
2. Review recorded debts, recurring commitments and policy dates.
3. Identify missing or duplicate records before relying on totals.
4. Check shared sections and files with the person who needs them.
5. Keep an independent copy of important documents and note the next review.

How does Financial Portfolio fit into this routine?

Financial Portfolio connects the records behind your financial picture: assets, debts, owners, documents and people. You enter and maintain most values yourself. The dashboard and reports help you review what you have recorded; they do not verify ownership or forecast retirement income.

Begin with one asset and a related debt using the first-records tutorial. Portfolio is free for one portfolio, built-in fields and 25 MB of documents. Portfolio Plus includes up to five portfolios, 250 MB, custom fields and viewer access, with a three-month no-card trial. Compare the current plans and read the trial and closure guide before deciding.

Where can I get help with retirement decisions?

For questions about payments or financial matters around retirement, Services Australia’s Financial Information Service is an official starting point. Consult the relevant provider or qualified professional for advice specific to your circumstances.

Bring a clear list of records and questions to the conversation. Ask what information the person needs before sending private documents. A more organised record can support the discussion, but it does not replace advice or decide the outcome.