It’s International Women’s Day this week so we need to talk about the place where disparity is most felt by women in the second half of life, and that’s your superannuation.

The fight to help women level their superannuation up with their male counterparts requires a strong stance on two fronts. We need to help the women who are in their 50s and 60s today, most of whom have lower super balances than the men at the same stage of life. 

In this episode, I chat to Mary Delahunty, CEO of the Association of Superannuation Funds Australia (ASFA) about the practical ways that women with lower super balances can optimise their position to achieve the best possible standards of living.

Mary is a passionate advocate for women, fighting for equal opportunity to build super fairly, and spends a huge amount of time campaigning the government to the challenges women face. In her role at ASFA, Mary Delahunty is one of the women who can really make a difference. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How to reframe the conversation politically: Kids as "beautiful little tax-payers" 
• Understanding the value of women in the workforce and the home
• How women's superannuation is left behind
• Practical steps that women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond can take if their superannuation balances are low
• Savings and investment opportunities in the pre-retirement phase: Looking for ‘the sweet spot’ - a way to balance the age pension and a small income stream from your super to maximise your income in retirement
• Controlling your cost of living and still seeking out the ‘epic bits’ of life
• Why budgeting for retirement is different, and what you might need to consider
• The one important thing every woman going through divorce should know about the house and the superannuation so they get a fair go
• Superannuation might look boring, but it is probably one of the two largest assets most women will ever own: So it's important to understand