James, age 56
Full-time: Ministerial Advisor
Part-time: Treasure Hunter

On the weekend, James enjoys nothing more than getting out and exploring second-hand bookshops, in the hope of finding a hidden treasure.

While James has had a long and successful career in the public service, he’s not ready to retire just yet. He enjoys the fast-moving nature of his job, and can’t imagine what it would be like not to work. But at the same time, he knows that the day will come when he will be ready to get on with the business of enjoying life after work, so he wants to make sure that he’s well prepared.

The information in this case study is based on the assumptions we have stated below. Remember actual rates of return, inflation and wage growth may differ materially from the assumptions provided. Assumptions: Any change to the contribution rate was made on 1 July 2008. Average rate of return 7%, inflation rate 2.5%, real rate of return (adjusted for inflation) 4.5%, wage growth 4.5%. All figures are shown in today’s dollars. All contributions are made after-tax, and all benefits and pensions shown are before-tax. For more information about tax see the ‘Tax and your CSS benefit’ fact sheet at www.css.gov.au