96. Q&A: Super, ETFs and planning for retirement

Where should a retirement cash buffer live when most of your wealth is already in super? If you're aiming to retire in ten years, is it better to build your outside portfolio first or split your investing between ETFs and super now? And once you're already retired, does it make sense to sell a large share portfolio just to get more money into super before pension phase?

In this listener Q&A, Dave and Hayden work through three super case studies that show how quickly contribution caps, access to your money and tax can complicate what looks like a fairly simple decision.

In this episode we'll discuss:

💰 Where a one to two year downturn buffer might sit when you're 56, plan to stop work at 59, and most of your investments are already inside super.

⏳ Why the gap between stopping work and being able to access super can matter more than fine-tuning where your cash earns interest.

🏦 What changes once concessional contribution caps are used, and the choice becomes keeping accessible cash outside super versus holding it inside a super cash option.

🔥 How a 39-year-old couple investing $7,000 a month could run into contribution caps if they leave their extra super contributions until later.

⚖️ Why building an ETF portfolio outside super first can look mathematically neat, but splitting contributions earlier may be simpler when contribution limits enter the picture.

📈 Why this couple's current savings and investing rate could leave them with substantially more than their estimated FIRE target, potentially changing the retirement timeline altogether.

🧾 What to consider when a retired investor with $500,000 outside super is advised to sell around $400,000 of investments and contribute the proceeds to super before starting pension phase.

💸 Why the cost base and embedded capital gains in an ETF portfolio can completely change the tax maths of moving that money into super.

🔍 Why a relatively small tax optimisation may matter less than being comfortable with how your retirement wealth is actually invested, structured and accessed.