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  • How much should I have in my superannuation by age 60?

    Australian notes and coins surrounded by a calculator and the word super spelt out.

    At age 60, you’ve reached your first major superannuation milestone.

    Age 60 is the preservation age where you can start accessing your superannuation tax-free, provided you’ve permanently retired.

    It’s the ultimate transitional year for both your super and your retirement. It triggers a shift between your accumulation phase to a partial or full pension phase, bridging the gap between your working years and your retirement years.

    But not everyone is ready. 

    If you’re not prepared to quit employment, or you’re worried you haven’t got enough saved away, you can hold off until you reach age 65. At this point, you have full access to your superannuation savings regardless of whether you’re still working or not.

    At this point, you should have a retirement budget and a plan, and most importantly, know whether your superannuation is on track to meet your goals.

    So, what does it cost to retire in Australia in FY27?

    And how much superannuation should you have saved at age 60 to afford the retirement lifestyle you want?

    Here’s a breakdown.

    The cost of retirement in Australia

    Non-profit advocacy bodies have spent years trying to calculate benchmarks for Aussies in retirement.

    The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has created a retirement standard with two main options for retirement: a modest lifestyle and a comfortable one. Both calculations assume you own your home outright and that you’ll receive at least a partial Age Pension payment.

    A modest retirement means you’d need to live on a tight budget in your retirement. It assumes you can cover very basic needs and requirements, including food costs, essential bills, low-tier health insurance, and minimal leisure activities or meals out.  ASFA estimates this will cost single retirees around $36,548 per year and around $52,690 for a couple. 

    Then there is the comfortable retirement option. This is one that allows retirees to have a good standard of living well above the bare minimum. It allows Australians enough money to finance top-tier private health insurance, a reasonable grocery budget, home repairs, regular leisure activities, meals out, or some travel. It is expected to cost around $56,166 per year for singles or $78,998 for couples. 

    But not every estimation is the same. 

    SuperGuide uses a different, more straightforward calculation. It assumes that you’ll need around 70% of your annual working income to maintain your lifestyle in retirement (assuming you own your home outright and that you’ll retire at age 65).

    So how much do I need in my superannuation to afford to retire?

    Assuming you’re going for a comfortable retirement, using ASFA’s figures, single Australians will need around $630,000 in superannuation, or couples could use closer to $730,000.

    The catch is that these figures assume you’ll retire at age 67 and need to fund around 10 to 15 years of retirement living.

    SuperGuide’s calculation depends entirely on the pre-retirement income you’re happy to live off. 

    For example, if you earn around $100,000 per year before you retire, you’ll need around $750,000 to $1.125 million in your super at retirement, assuming you need to fund the same 10 to 15 years.

    How much should I have in my superannuation at age 60 to reach this goal?

    I’ve crunched the numbers using ASFA’s online super detective tool and, assuming you have an income of around $100,000 per year, Australians should aim to have a superannuation balance of around $457,500 by age 60 to be on track for retirement at age 67.

    Of course, some Aussies don’t want to wait that long. If you want to retire a couple of years earlier, around age 65, you’ll need to have closer to $505,000 saved by the time you’re 60.

    To get SuperGuide’s $750,000 in your superannuation at age 65, you need approximately $534,000 to $588,000 at age 60. For the higher $1.125 million bracket, you’d need approximately $765,000 to $881,000 at age 60 to be considered on track.

    How does this compare to your own superannuation balance?

    The post How much should I have in my superannuation by age 60? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Contact Energy: September 2026 monthly operating results

    Smiling oil worker in front of a pumpjack.

    The Contact Energy Ltd (ASX: CEN) share price is in focus today as the company released its September 2026 Monthly Operating Report, revealing mass market electricity and gas sales rose to 484 GWh, up from 372 GWh a year ago, while the wholesale business saw total net revenue per MWh decline compared to last year.

    What did Contact Energy report?

    • Mass market electricity and gas sales were 484 GWh (September 2025: 372 GWh)
    • Mass market netback was $145.99/MWh (September 2025: $150.12/MWh)
    • Wholesale contracted electricity sales were 978 GWh (September 2025: 986 GWh)
    • Electricity and steam net revenue was $147.46/MWh (September 2025: $162.48/MWh)
    • Electricity generated or acquired for the month was 1,069 GWh (September 2025: 1,106 GWh)
    • Unit generation cost (including acquired generation) fell to $37.83/MWh (September 2025: $48.79/MWh)

    What else do investors need to know?

    Contact Energy is progressing major renewable projects, with the Te Mihi Stage 2 geothermal plant expected online in Q3 of calendar 2027 at a project cost of $712 million, and the Glenbrook-Ohurua Battery 2 and Glorit Solar projects following in 2028. The company’s contracted gas volume for the next 12 months is 8.5 petajoules, while hydro storage levels in the South Island remain well above historical averages at 135% of mean.

    New Zealand’s national electricity demand for September 2026 was down 0.5% against last year, despite the average temperature being higher than usual. Contact Energy saw growth in customer numbers and continued its strong focus on sustainability, reporting a drop in greenhouse gas emissions intensity.

    What’s next for Contact Energy?

    Contact Energy is actively building out its renewable generation capacity, with three large projects under way to support New Zealand’s low-carbon future. The company’s focus remains on maintaining reliable supply, managing costs, and progressing its environmental initiatives while meeting community and customer needs.

    The ongoing investment in geothermal, battery, and solar capacity is expected to underpin future earnings growth. Contact Energy will keep monitoring market conditions and energy demand as it delivers on its development pipeline.

    Contact Energy share price snapshot

    Over the past 12 months, Contact Energy shares have declined 16%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 3% over the same period.

    View Original Announcement

    The post Contact Energy: September 2026 monthly operating results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

  • Could Paladin Energy shares return 90% in 12 months?

    Happy businessman fist pumping while looking at a tablet.

    Recent weakness in the uranium industry could have created a buying opportunity for investors.

    That’s the view of analysts at Bell Potter, who believe that Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) shares could offer significant upside.

    What is the broker saying?

    Bell Potter was a touch disappointed with Paladin Energy’s quarterly update, highlighting that production was lower than expected. 

    However, sales volumes were ahead of estimates and average realised pricing was up strongly quarter on quarter. It said:

    PDN reported quarterly U3O8 production of 1.0Mlb, below our 1.3Mlb estimate with a planned one-week plant shutdown and lower quality ore feed as mining focused on J pit development. Recoveries were 85% (4Q FY27 90%) and unit costs of production were up 19% QoQ to US$62/lb. Sales were 1.2Mlb (BPe 1.1Mlb) at an average realised price of US$79/lb (up 12% QoQ), reflecting stronger uranium prices and a higher portion of sales into market-linked contracts. 

    PDN closed the quarter with U3O8 inventory of 2.0Mlb. At 30 September 2026, PDN had cash and investments of US$209m, net cash (excluding leases) of US$181m and available liquidity of US$279m (30 June 2026 net cash US$233m and available liquidity US$335m).

    Looking ahead, the broker points out that management has reaffirmed its guidance for FY 2027. It adds:

    PDN reiterated FY27 guidance (production 5.1-5.6Mlb (BPe 5.1Mlb); sales 4.8-5.3Mlb (BPe 4.9Mlb); and unit cost of production US$44-48/lb (BPe US$48/lb) with output 2H weighted following a scheduled plant shutdown in the current quarter. Recoveries are expected to trend higher as ore quality improves in the lower, southern benches of J pit, with unit costs to trend lower.

    Paladin Energy shares tipped to rocket

    According to the note, in response to its quarterly update, Bell Potter has retained its buy rating on Paladin Energy’s shares with a trimmed price target of $13.80 (from $14.50).

    Based on its current share price of $7.28, this implies potential upside of 90% for investors over the next 12 months.

    Commenting on its buy recommendation, the broker said:

    We retain our Buy recommendation. We have a positive medium- to long-term outlook for the uranium market, supported by barriers to new supply and demand growth linked to electrification, energy security and AI-related power requirements. PDN has ~54% exposure to market prices out to 2030. Production at LH should improve with higher-grade mined ore feeding the processing plant. PDN continues to derisk its key growth project at PLS in Canada’s Athabasca Basin.

    The post Could Paladin Energy shares return 90% in 12 months? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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