My parents are in their 90s and receive a part age pension payment. They have a share portfolio consisting of bank stocks of approximately $895,000. With the market going up as it has, they are worried that they will lose their pension and the benefits. Is there anything that they can do so they don’t lose the pension?

Homeowner couples can have total assessable assets of $1,045,500 before the pension cuts out so make sure that their furniture is valued at garage sale prices not replacement prices.

Rising markets can cause problems when it comes to calculating your pension.Credit: Simon Letch

They could reduce assets by pre-paying their funerals, renovating their home, or making a gift of $10,000. If they gave a bigger sum of money to the children now, their pension would not be reduced as it would be held as a deprived asset for five years but would not increase in value.

I am 67 retired, and drawing a pension from my $140,000 superannuation account with Host Plus, which is invested in their Indexed Balanced option. My husband, 61 is still in full-time employment, while I withdraw $2,200 per month from my super for additional needs. I will apply for the pension when my husband retires.

Host Plus offers a CPIplus investment option that guarantees a return of........

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