Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) shares have endured a difficult year, falling around 9% over the past 12 months. At $34.39, the $117 billion banking giant is trading near its 52-week low.

That decline has made Westpac’s valuation look more tempting. But with several challenges weighing on the banking sector, is the weakness an opportunity to buy — or a warning sign?

Let’s see what the market experts think.

Why Westpac shares are under pressure

August was another challenging month for ASX bank shares as renewed concerns about inflation and interest rates weighed on investor sentiment.

Westpac shares are also facing several company-specific headwinds. Mortgage demand is softening, competition for borrowers remains intense, the housing market is facing uncertainty and pressure on lending margins could weigh on profitability.

That doesn’t make Westpac a bad bank, however. The lender has millions of customers, a substantial deposit base and one of Australia’s largest mortgage businesses. It is also investing in technology and expanding its capabilities in areas such as business banking.

Its latest quarterly result was reasonably encouraging. Westpac delivered $1.8 billion in net profit excluding notable items, representing a 2% increase compared with the average quarterly profit in the first half. Its net interest margin also remained steady at 1.89%.

Mortgage competition puts pressure on margins

However, there were some less encouraging developments beneath the headline numbers.

Mortgage application volumes declined as competition intensified and borrowers remained cautious amid interest-rate uncertainty. Westpac has also warned that margins could come under further pressure in the near term.

For a major bank whose earnings are closely tied to lending margins, that’s an important risk for investors in Westpac shares to consider.

What do brokers think?

The broker consensus doesn’t exactly suggest Westpac shares are a screaming buy.

According to TradingView data, nine of 16 brokers rate the stock a sell or strong sell. Six have a hold recommendation, while just one has a strong buy rating.

The average price target is $33.38, below the current share price of $34.39.

There is still a wide range of views. The most bullish forecast is $45, implying potential upside of around 31%, while the most pessimistic target suggests the shares could fall another 17% over the next 12 months.

Foolish takeaway

The lower valuation of Westpac shares, compared to Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and dividend appeal could make the shares worth considering for income-focused investors willing to accept some near-term uncertainty.

But a cheaper share price doesn’t automatically make a stock a bargain.

With mortgage competition intensifying and margins facing further pressure, the case for buying the dip in Westpac shares isn’t quite as compelling as the recent weakness might suggest.

The post Is the pullback in Westpac shares a buying opportunity? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 2 ASX shares I think could return more than Westpac
• How much superannuation do I need to earn $100 a day in passive income?
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• How much passive income can I earn off a $550,000 superannuation balance?

Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther 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.

In Australia, age 60 to 65 is the most popular timeframe for retirement. From age 60, you can generally access your superannuation once you stop work, or meet another condition of release. By age 65, you can access your super regardless of whether you’re still working.

But what if you don’t want to wait that long?

The good news is, you don’t need to.

Provided you have enough money to fund the retirement lifestyle you want, you can actually retire whenever you like.

Let’s investigate what retiring at age 57 might look like, and how much it might cost.

What is a ‘comfortable’ retirement?

According to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), a comfortable retirement is defined as one that enables retirees to maintain a good standard of living well beyond a basic retirement or the age pension. 

It budgets for expenses beyond a modest retirement, including top-tier private health insurance and regular leisure activities. It allocates funds for home repairs or renovations, and perhaps even an annual holiday.

How much does it cost to retire comfortably?

ASFA calculates that a comfortable retirement will cost roughly $55,923 per year for single Australians. It’s expected to cost a couple living together closer to $78,566 per year combined.

How much do I need in my superannuation to finance that?

In order to have enough money for a comfortable retirement, ASFA calculates that at age 67, single Australians should have around $630,000 in their superannuation. Meanwhile, couples will need a balance closer to $730,000.

But the only catch is that these figures assume you’ll be retiring at age 67. The calculation also assumes you will only need to fund around 10 years of retirement, will be eligible to receive a part Age Pension, and that you own your home in full.

Which means if you want to retire much earlier, at age 57, then you’ll need additional savings to support yourself for the three years before you reach your preservation and can start drawing down on your super balance. 

So, how much do I need at age 57 to be able to retire early?

First, you’ll need to ensure you can support yourself from age 57 to age 60. 

Using the figures above, that means individual Aussies will need around $167,769 set aside. This will need to be separate from your superannuation (otherwise you won’t be able to access it), in a type of accessible savings account.

Couples will need around $235,698 of savings in order to fund those three additional years.

On top of that, you’ll need to make sure you have enough in your superannuation to support yourself from age 60.

That means ASFA’s $630,000 or $730,000 guide isn’t going to be enough. You’ll need to fund an additional seven years of retirement between ages 60 and 67. 

So, I’ve crunched the numbers to work out what you’ll need instead.

At age 60, singles will need to have closer to $1 million in their superannuation. Meanwhile, couples will need a combined balance of around $1.3 million at age 60. 

These figures assume you’ll need to fund the additional seven years of retirement between the ages of 60 and 67. 

If you don’t own your home outright, you’ll also need to consider how you’ll pay your mortgage or rent.

The post How much do I need in my superannuation to retire comfortably at age 57? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 2 ASX shares tipped by brokers to return 66% and 90%
• Is the pullback in Westpac shares a buying opportunity?
• How much superannuation do I need to earn $100 a day in passive income?
• GrainCorp keeps guidance steady as transformation delivers gains

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.

We’ve been writing a fair bit lately on how you might want to invest some of your superannuation into ASX dividend shares to secure a long-term passive income stream in your retirement years.

To be clear, it’s likely not in your best interests to invest all of your super balance into the stock market.

If you are going to invest a reasonably large portion, you may want to consider investing some of that in international stocks. This way your superannuation savings aren’t overly exposed to just the Aussie market.

You’ll also want to keep some liquid funds handy for any unexpected costly events, so you won’t need to sell any of your ASX shares during future market downturns.

With this in mind, how much you need to invest in ASX dividend shares to earn $100 a day – or $36,500 a year – will obviously depend on the yield you’re earning.

While chasing a few high-yield stocks may be tempting, you’ll often find that the yields look appealing because the company’s share prices have fallen sharply since their last dividend declarations. That could signal lower dividend payments ahead.

You also need to be careful if you’re considering buying just a few quality ASX dividend shares.

A properly diversified passive income portfolio will contain a lot more than just a few stocks. There’s no magic number. But 15 is a reasonable ball park figure. Ideally, you’ll own companies operating in various sectors and locations. This will reduce the risk of your passive income stream taking a big hit if any one company or sector hits a rough patch.

Which brings us back to…

Tapping into superannuation for $100 a day in passive income

Rather than trying to build a new passive income portfolio from scratch, and researching dozens of ASX dividend shares, you might want to consider a dividend paying exchange traded fund (ETF).

Take State Street SPDR MSCI Australia Select High Dividend Yield ETF (ASX: SYI), for example.

This ASX ETF pays quarterly dividends, which can be handy during retirement if you’re waiting on that next passive income payout. And management costs are just 0.20% per year.

Pleasingly, the share price has gained 7.0% in 2026. You don’t want to invest your superannuation in stocks going backwards. Ideally, you want annual share price gains to at least match the inflation rate. This way inflation won’t erode the real value of your superannuation investment.

The top five holdings of the State Street SPDR MSCI Australia Select High Dividend Yield ETF are:

• CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)
• National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB)
• Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ)
• Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)
• Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS).

And the ETF trades on a trailing dividend yield of 4.0%.

So, for $100 a day, or $36,500 a year, in passive income, you’d need to invest $912,500 today.

The post How much superannuation do I need to earn $100 a day in passive income? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 2 ASX shares I think could return more than Westpac
• Is the pullback in Westpac shares a buying opportunity?
• CSL shares are up 90%. How much higher can they go?
• How much is needed in superannuation to target a $70,000 annual passive income?
• $10,000 invested in Westpac and NAB shares 3 years ago is now worth…

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben 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 CSL. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Telstra Group. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.