Investments · Caloundra & the Sunshine Coast
Investment management for retirees in Caloundra and on the Sunshine Coast
Investment management at Sunlit Path means your super and savings are spread across diversified investments and matched to when you’ll need the money: cash for the next year or two, a balanced mix for the medium term, and growth assets for later. Simon reviews it with you as things change.
Book a 30-minute Fit Check with Simon
Simon holds a Master of Finance from Griffith University, a CFA Institute-affiliated program, with subjects covering equity markets, fixed-income investments, and portfolio and wealth management. He also holds a Bachelor of Business (Financial Planning) from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
How is investing in retirement different?
When you stop working, your savings start doing a different job: paying for the life you want, often for 25 years or more. That changes how the money is invested. The aim is to balance growth, so inflation doesn’t wear away your spending power, with enough in cash and defensive assets that a market fall is less likely to force hard choices.
Simon lives in Caloundra and works with retirees across the Sunshine Coast. We work with people in Caloundra, Mooloolaba and across the Sunshine Coast.
“Simon is friendly and very professional and is a wealth of knowledge of different aspects of financial planning and investments.”
Robyn, Jan 2026Selected reviews. Individual experiences vary.
How do we match your investments to your timeline?
Not all your money has the same job.
- Money you’ll need in the next year or two: generally held in cash or term deposits, so it’s available to draw on.
- Money you’ll need in five to ten years: a balanced mix of property, alternatives, shares and bonds, aiming for some growth with less day-to-day movement.
- Money you won’t touch for 15 years or more: mostly shares, property and alternatives, aiming for long-term growth, with more time to recover from falls, although that isn’t certain.
Why spread your money so broadly?
Simon generally recommends diversified investments, usually managed funds and, where suitable, separately managed accounts, that spread your money across:
- Australian and international shares
- different asset types: shares, bonds, property and cash
- hundreds or thousands of companies.
If one company or sector struggles, it’s a small part of the whole. Diversification can reduce the impact of any one investment, but it can’t remove market risk, and the value of your investments can go down as well as up.
What types of investments can Simon recommend?
Your investment plan is tailored to your goals, your timeline and how you feel about risk. Depending on what suits you, Simon can recommend options including:
- Managed funds: funds run by professional investment managers, where your money is pooled with other investors’.
- Separately managed accounts (SMAs): where you want a more tailored, transparent portfolio, a professional manager chooses the investments, which can include individual shares, and you hold them in your own account, usually through an investment platform. SMAs have their own fees, minimum investment amounts and risks, set out in each product’s disclosure statement (PDS).
- ESG (responsible investment) options: funds that say they take environmental, social or governance factors into account, if you’d like that considered. Each fund defines and applies these factors differently, including what it does and doesn’t exclude, so we check the fund’s PDS and ESG policy with you. ESG options can perform differently from other funds and may have higher fees.
Options come from our licensee’s approved product list, which limits the range of products Simon can recommend. Any recommendation comes only through personal advice that considers your circumstances, and is set out in a Statement of Advice. All investments carry risk, and their value can go down as well as up.
What is a cash buffer, and why does it matter?
We generally plan to keep one to two years of your living expenses in cash and defensive assets. When markets fall, you can draw on the buffer for spending, so you’re less likely to need to sell shares at a low point. Money held in cash may earn less over time, so the buffer is sized to your plan, not set and left.
Read more in What happens to super in a market crash?
How do we find the right level of risk for you?
Everyone feels market ups and downs differently. Too much risk for your personality can lead to selling at the wrong time. Too little for your timeline can mean your money doesn’t keep up with inflation.
Simon talks this through with you and looks for a mix that suits both your timeline and how you feel about market movements, then checks it at each review.
“I find Simon easy to work with. Simon is helpful, understanding and very knowledgeable when I ask questions and for advice.”
James, Jan 2026Selected reviews. Individual experiences vary.
Where does super fit in?
For many retirees, most of their investments sit in super. Once you meet a condition of release, you may be able to move super into the retirement phase, where investment earnings are generally tax-free. Limits apply to how much you can move into the retirement phase, and the rules depend on your circumstances, so Simon checks how they apply to you.
See How much money do I actually need to retire? for 2026 figures.
What does investment advice cost?
No sales pressure. We quote a fixed dollar fee for your advice before any work starts, based on its complexity and scope. Ongoing fees and any other payments, such as life insurance commissions, are set out in our FSG.
Ongoing advice fees start from $3,300 a year and can include an amount based on the funds we advise on.
How does investment advice with Sunlit Path start?
It starts with a 30-minute Fit Check by phone or video call. It’s general information, not personal advice. The steps from there are set out in Our engagement process. Investments are one part of our Path to Prosperity approach to retirement planning; see also retirement planning for every life stage and our home page.
Common questions about investment management
What is investment management for retirees?
It’s how your super and savings are invested once you’re close to or in retirement. Simon recommends a mix of cash, bonds, property and shares matched to when you’ll need the money, then reviews it with you as your life, markets and the rules change.
Does Simon pick individual shares?
No. Simon doesn’t recommend direct shares. He generally recommends diversified investments, usually managed funds. Where you want a more tailored and transparent portfolio, he may recommend a separately managed account (SMA), where a professional manager chooses the shares it holds, within the portfolio’s stated rules. Spreading money broadly can reduce the impact of any one investment, but all investments can fall in value.
What types of investments can Simon recommend?
Depending on your goals and circumstances, Simon can recommend managed funds, separately managed accounts (SMAs) and ESG (responsible investment) options from our licensee’s approved product list. Each has its own fees, risks and rules, set out in its PDS, including how any ESG factors are applied. All investments can fall in value.
What is a cash buffer?
A cash buffer is one to two years of planned spending held in cash and defensive assets. It aims to give you money to draw on when markets fall, so you’re less likely to need to sell growth assets at a low point. Money held in cash may earn less over time.
How much does ongoing investment advice cost?
Ongoing advice fees start from $3,300 a year and can include an amount based on the funds we advise on. See our FSG for details.
Want to talk about how your retirement savings are invested?
Start with a 30-minute Fit Check with Simon, Founder and Lead Retirement Planner, by phone or video call.
Book a 30-minute Fit Check with Simon
Or call Simon on (07) 5327 3495
Sunlit Path Retirement Partners is a trading name of The Trustee for Mino Family Trust, ABN 16 788 964 101
Sources
- ATO – When you can withdraw your super (conditions of release; last updated 10 July 2026) – https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/withdrawing-and-using-your-super/super-withdrawal-options – checked 17 October 2026.
- ATO – Transfer balance cap (limits on the retirement phase; page last updated 27 April 2026) – https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds/transfer-balance-cap – checked 17 October 2026.