Age pension eligibility criteria will change tomorrow, potentially enabling more Australians to access this social support.

Seniors will be able to earn a bit more income, and hold a higher value of assets, while still qualifying for the age pension.

The Department of Social Services announced indexation changes to the pension’s means testing last week.

That means the thresholds for the pension’s assets test and income test are going up.

Indexation occurs twice per year to mitigate the effect of inflation.

Australians born on or after 1 January 1957 can apply for the pension at age 67, whether retired or not.

Here are the details of the changes, effective tomorrow, 1 July.

Pension means testing on assets

Assessable items for the pension assets test include ASX shares, superannuation, bonds, managed funds, rental properties, and cash.

The only exception is your personal residence.

Under the changes, single homeowners will be able to own up to $333,000 in assets and still qualify for a full pension.

If you own assets worth between $333,001 and $733,500, you will qualify for a part-payment.

Single seniors who rent their homes will be able to own up to $600,000 in assets and still qualify for the full pension.

If you own assets worth between $600,001 and $1,000,500, you will be eligible for a part-pension.

Couples who own their residence will be able to have up to $499,000 in other assets while still being eligible for the full age pension.

If you have assets worth between $499,001 and $1,102,50, you will qualify for a part-payment.

Senior couples who rent their homes will be able to own up to $766,000 in assets and still be eligible for the full age pension.

Renters with assets worth between $766,001 and $1,369,500 can apply for a part-payment.

The full age pension is $1,200.90 per fortnight for singles, and $905.20 per person, per fortnight, for couples.

Means testing on income

Under the changes, senior Australians will be able to earn a bit more from tomorrow while still being eligible for the age pension.

Single seniors will be able to earn up to $226 per fortnight and still qualify for the full age pension.

If you earn between $227 and $2,627.80 per fortnight, you can apply for a part-pension.

Couples will be able to earn up to $396 per fortnight and still qualify for the full age pension.

If you earn between $397 and $4,016.80 per fortnight, you will be eligible for a part-pension.

Assessable income includes wages and investment income.

In order to calculate investment income, Centrelink relies on generous set deeming rates.

The lower deeming rate is 1.25% and the upper deeming rate is 3.25%.

The asset value threshold is increasing to $66,800 for singles and $110,600 for couples.

This means the first $66,800 of your financial assets, or $110,600 for couples, will have a 1.25% deemed rate of interest.

Everything above that will be deemed to have earned 3.25% interest.

Investment properties are the only exception to deeming rules.

Instead, actual net rental income is used in the pension income test.

As we reported last week, Australians overestimate how much they need for a comfortable retirement by 40%.

The post You can own and earn more in retirement and still get the age pension from tomorrow appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen 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.

July is firmly on the horizon and I think it could be a good month to refresh the watchlist.

But which shares deserve your attention? Well, listed below are three ASX shares that could be too good to ignore.

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)

Goodman could be an ASX share to watch in July. The company is best known as an industrial property giant, but that undersells what it has become.

It owns and develops the space that modern businesses need to move goods, hold inventory, serve online customers, and run increasingly complex supply chains.

Goodman’s sites are often close to major cities, transport routes, and customers, which makes them difficult to replace. In property, location still counts. In logistics property, it can be everything.

The company also has exposure to data centre demand with its huge development pipeline, giving it another growth avenue as artificial intelligence and cloud computing require more physical infrastructure.

Goodman shares are rarely cheap, but the company has a strong record of turning land, development skill, and customer demand into long-term value.

Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)

Megaport could be an ASX technology share to consider in July.

The company is best known for network-as-a-service technology, which helps businesses connect more easily to cloud providers, data centres, and digital services.

But the story is now broader than connectivity alone. Megaport has moved into compute through its acquisition of Latitude.sh, giving it exposure to another important part of the digital infrastructure market.

That shift is exciting because companies do not just need to move data between clouds and data centres. They also need access to flexible computing power in the right locations, particularly as artificial intelligence, gaming, streaming, software, and data-heavy applications keep growing.

Recent material contract wins suggest this side of the business is starting to gain traction, which bodes well for the future.

Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL)

Netwealth could be a third ASX share to consider buying in July.

It operates an investment platform used by financial advisers and wealth professionals to manage client money.

Its business is tied to a major shift in Australian wealth management. Advisers, investors, and institutions want better technology, cleaner reporting, broader investment menus, and more efficient administration. Netwealth has benefited from that shift by taking market share from older platform providers.

The company also has a powerful tailwind from Australia’s growing pool of retirement savings. As more money moves through superannuation, advice, and investment platforms, providers with strong technology and service can keep winning flows.

If it keeps attracting funds and advisers, the company could continue its growth long into the future.

The post 3 super ASX shares that could be too good to ignore in July appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Goodman Group and Megaport. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Goodman Group, Megaport, and Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Goodman Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Some S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are best judged over years, not months.

I think TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) is one of them.

The enterprise software company has been one of the ASX’s great long-term performers, and I think it remains the sort of business I would be happy to buy for the next decade.

I would still review the investment over time. No share should be ignored completely. But TechnologyOne has several qualities that make it well-suited to a long holding period.

Important software for important organisations

TechnologyOne provides enterprise software to organisations such as government bodies, councils, universities, and large enterprises.

That may sound dry, but I think the dullness is part of the charm.

Its software helps customers manage core functions such as finance, property and rating, student management, payroll, human resources, and supply chain operations. These are not nice-to-have systems, but part of how organisations operate.

Once software becomes deeply embedded in a customer’s workflows, changing providers can be disruptive, expensive, and risky.

That gives TechnologyOne a strong position.

A business that can keep improving

TechnologyOne has spent years shifting toward a software-as-a-service model.

I like that because recurring software revenue can provide visibility and scalability. As more customers use cloud-based products, the business can benefit from ongoing subscriptions, product upgrades, and deeper customer relationships.

The company also has a long runway in the UK. That opportunity will take time, but I think it gives TechnologyOne a second growth engine beyond Australia and New Zealand.

International expansion is not always easy. But the company has a focused product set and a clear customer niche, which should help.

Why I’d hold it for the long term

TechnologyOne is unlikely to be the cheapest share on the ASX 200.

Quality software companies often trade at premium valuations, and that can create risk if growth disappoints.

Even so, I think this is a business where time can do a lot of work. The company has recurring revenue, a strong customer base, a long record of execution, and products that solve essential operational problems.

That combination is rare. For a long-term investor, the ideal outcome is not a big change. It is a steady improvement: more customers, better products, higher recurring revenue, and deeper penetration in existing markets.

TechnologyOne has shown it can build value in that kind of way.

Foolish Takeaway

The ASX 200 has plenty of shares that grab attention for a week or two. TechnologyOne is more interesting to me because it has the ingredients to stay relevant for a decade.

Its software sits inside the daily operations of organisations that need reliability. Its revenue model has become more recurring, and its UK opportunity gives it room to expand beyond its home market.

The valuation will always need watching, but I think the underlying business is the sort of company that can reward patient investors.

For me, this is a share I would buy with a 10-year mindset and give the business time to keep doing what it has already done well.

The post Why I’d buy and hold this growing ASX 200 share forever appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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