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Insurance & Estate Planning

From failing to update your will when you separate or intentionally leaving someone out of an inheritance, these are the pitfalls to avoid when putting together your last wishes.

Your MoneyPremiumThese will mistakes are a financial death trap

From failing to update your will when you separate or intentionally leaving someone out of an inheritance, these are the pitfalls to avoid when putting together your last wishes.

Nick Bruining

There is now a collective $4.5 trillion sitting in superannuation. So why do we feel so unprepared. Retirement used to be an event. A date. A destination. Increasingly, that’s not how it works anymore.

Bruining Q+APremiumHow can I keep a $460,000 compo payout and a full pension?

Q+A: A big windfall after retirement can affect how much age pension you get to keep. But there are legitimate ways to arrange your finances to make sure you stay under Centrelink’s mean-testing limits.

Nick Bruining

The rebate will fall from 28 to 24 per cent for those aged 65 to 69 and from 32 to 24 per cent for those aged 70 and over. 

HealthPremiumLabor’s rebate cut to hit 271,000 HBF members nationwide

WA’s biggest health fund expects more than 17,000 older members nationwide to cancel or downgrade their cover under Labor’s planned rebate cut, its boss told a Senate hearing in Perth on Wednesday.

Ryan Johnson

The insurance arm was aided by fewer storms during the 2026 financial year.

BusinessPremiumRAC motors to record profit thanks to insurance business

The WA motoring mutual says its net surplus for the 2026 financial year rose 13 per cent from the previous year’s record to $288.2 million, helped by a 45 per cent leap in insurance earnings.

Sean Smith

RAC chief executive Rob Slocombe with his counterpart at IAG, Nick Hawkins, on signing the insurance deal in May last year.

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Mergers and AcquisitionsPremium
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ACCC again rejects $1.35b RAC Insurance sale to IAG

IAG re-applied in January for approval in January under new acquisition rules, having been rejected late last year.

Sean Smith

HBF chief executive Lachlan Henderson.

HealthPremiumHBF grabs more market share but profit lower

WA’s biggest private health insurer has revealed a $3m drop in its annual surplus to $128.2m as its share of the national market rose to 7.95 per cent.

Sean Smith

Australians shopping for funeral and life insurance were misled by comparison site Choosi after it sold itself as a shortcut through the market while blasting television ads more than 300,000 times, the Federal Court has found.

ASICPremiumChoosi misled customers in $61m insurance fight, court finds

Choosi’s “Compare. Choose. Apply.” pitch has been found to have misled Australians shopping for funeral and life insurance by a Federal Court after its TV ads aired more than 300,000 times.

Ryan Johnson

Mental health claims in WA have surged under new legislation, Macquarie analysts reported.

Workplace MattersPremiumWA’s new workers comp laws drives mental health claims spike

Some of Australia’s biggest insurers are losing ground in workers compensation as psychological injury claims surge following tighter workplace safety rules nationally and an overhaul of laws in WA.

Ryan Johnson and Cheyanne Enciso

EPAs. EPGs. AHDs. It’s a word salad of terms that all mean you can take control of a person’s health and money. But what’s the limits of those powers? And what should you be aware of before you sign?

Your MoneyPremiumABCs of taking charge of Mum and Dad’s health and money

EPAs. EPGs. AHDs. It’s a word salad of terms that all mean you can take control of a person’s health and money. But what’s the limits of those powers? And what should you be aware of before you sign?

Nick Bruining

A damaged home is pictured after a tree uprooted by strong winds crashed into the structure in the suburb of Elanora as Cyclone Alfred passed near the Gold Coast on March 8, 2025.

ASICPremiumInsurers’ dodgy payouts leave storm victims thousands short

ASIC found cash settlements in almost two-thirds of reviewed claims, with one offer raised only after a builder revealed its quote was 40 per cent below cost

Ryan Johnson

Here’s a dummies’ guide to the superannuation death benefits, how to ensure the money goes to the right people, and the tricks you need to know to help your kids dodge the taxman.

Your MoneyPremiumDummy’s guide to super death tax & how to share your wealth

Here’s a dummies’ guide to the superannuation death benefits, how to ensure the money goes to the right people, and the tricks you need to know to help your kids dodge the taxman.

Nick Bruining

IAG chief executive Nick Hawkins at the offices of Insurance Australia Group in West Perth.

BusinessPremiumIAG ‘confident’ $1.35b RAC WA deal will clear regulator

Insurance Australia Group has flagged its contested $1.35 billion takeover of RAC Insurance as an extra growth kicker this financial year despite competition fears the deal could drive up WA insurance prices. 

Ryan Johnson

A major insurer paid $10.1 billion in claims in the year to June 30..

BusinessPremium$2b weather bill hammers Suncorp profit

The AAMI and GIO owner paid a record $10b-plus in claims but shareholders will still pocket a special dividend as premiums keep climbing.

Ryan Johnson

Australian Securities and Investments Commission commissioner Alan Kirkland said the findings showed customers’ loyalty was often not repaid.

BusinessPremiumBig insurers fail consumers on car coverage: watchdog

Nearly three-quarters of car insurers have failed to explain the key factors driving up premiums, which have surged at twice the pace of inflation over five years.

Ryan Johnson

Shifting money away from being an assessable asset can help you meet thresholds and get yourself a bigger Centrelink pension. Here’s what you need to know ...

Bruining Q+APremiumShifting gear on your car loan can get you a bigger pension

Q+A: Shifting money away from being an assessable asset can help you meet thresholds and get yourself a bigger Centrelink pension. Here’s what you need to know ...

Nick Bruining

The MTAA fears an IAG purchase of RAC Insurance will hurt smash repair shops.

BusinessPremiumMTAA demands IAG selldown as part of RAC Insurance purchase

The industry body has reiterated its opposition to the deal, dismissing new IAG concessions proposed as part of a new attempt to win over the ACCC.

Sean Smith

IAG would immediately become the biggest home and contents insurer in WA.

Mergers and AcquisitionsPremiumIAG given little chance of winning ACCC’s RAC approval

UBS reckons the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is unlikely to change its view that IAG’s $1.35 billion purchase of RAC Insurance is anti-competitive.

Sean Smith

RAC chief executive Rob Slocombe and IAG boss Nick Hawkins, announcing the insurance tie-up 14 months ago.

Mergers and AcquisitionsPremiumIAG adds new conditions to RAC purchase to win ACCC approval

In a “remedy offer” lodged with the ACCC, IAG is now offering five-year undertakings to address concerns the purchase of WA’s market-leading motor and home and contents insurer would reduce competition.

Sean Smith

Financial advocates have put insurers on notice over the higher premiums some people have to pay. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

BusinessPremiumAussies face 'poverty premiums' on insurance payments

At a time when households face higher insurance premiums across the board, the industry is being warned not to penalise customers paying monthly or quarterly.

Kaaren Morrissey

The original October 2024 case centred on product disclosure statements for three HCF Life products, which ASIC alleged overstated the insurer’s right to reject claims linked to pre-existing conditions.

HealthInsurance giant wins unfair pre-existing condition fight

ASIC rebuked after losing an appeal over pre-existing condition wording used by HCF Life, in a ruling that gives insurers a clearer line between misleading policy terms and unfair contract terms.

Ryan Johnson

Australians could soon have clearer home insurance policies under a Federal Government plan to standardise natural hazard terms and reduce confusion when disaster claims are made.

BusinessPremiumHome insurance giants face ‘weasel words’ cover overhaul

Home insurance terms are set for an overhaul, but a fight is brewing over who writes the definitions.

Ryan Johnson

ASIC says some super funds are still failing grieving families on death benefit claims, with trustees accused of failing to analyse systemic issues and dragging their feet on basic reforms.

BusinessPremiumSuper funds blasted over death benefit claim delays

ASIC says some super funds are still failing grieving families on death benefit claims, with trustees accused of failing to analyse systemic issues and dragging their feet on basic reforms.

Ryan Johnson

All your questions answered: can your grandchild challenge your will, who is allowed to see what’s in there and what evidence would you need to challenge it if you miss out?

Your MoneyPremiumHow to fight for an inheritance and what you need to prove

Q&A: Can your grandchild challenge your will, who is allowed to see what’s in there and what evidence would you need to challenge it if you miss out?

Nick Bruining

While fights among beneficiaries are on the rise, those making wills can take simple steps to avoid or minimise the chance of a dispute once they’re gone. 

Your MoneyPremiumHow parents can stop inheritance squabbles in their tracks

With $2.5 trillion up for grabs in WA, fights among beneficiaries of wills are rising. But parents of kids relying on an inheritance can take simple steps to avoid or minimise the chance of a dispute. 

Nick Bruining