Homesafe calls to add home in retirement assets

Binaya Dahal

Journalist

12 June 2026

Homesafe Wealth Release’s Dianne Shepherd has called for family home to be included in retirement capital alongside superannuation and investment balances, saying traditional metrics no longer reflect modern realities.

Shepherd, chief executive of a debt-free home equity release product, said it was time for Australia’s policymakers, superannuation funds and financial advisers to move beyond the accumulation-and-drawdown model that has underpinned retirement planning for decades.

“Retirement planning in this country has become narrowly focused on what sits in a super fund or an investment account,” Shepherd said.

“But retirement capital is the entire balance sheet a household has built over a lifetime, and for most Australians, the largest line on that balance sheet is the family home.”

She said the superannuation system, while central to Australia’s retirement framework, often operates in isolation rather than as part of a broader household balance sheet.

“Super is a vital part of the system, but it is only one part. Discussions about retirement readiness rarely consider the home, even though it often represents more wealth than everything else combined,” Shepherd said.

The call comes at a time when Australians are living longer after retirement, with the period spanning from 25 to 30 years, while cost-of-living pressures and uneven superannuation balances intensify debate over retirement planning.

Shepherd said a “balance sheet approach” would not prescribe a single pathway for retirees, nor suggest that every homeowner should access property equity.

“It does not suggest every homeowner should access the equity in their property, nor does it diminish the role of strategies such as downsizing or drawing on superannuation,” she said.

She also pushed back against the idea that households should preserve the family home solely for inheritance purposes.

“The home can also support financial security, lifestyle and independence during retirement itself. These decisions are not mutually exclusive, and they are more balanced when households understand their full position,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd further said Australia’s retirement system continues to evolve, but public understanding has not kept pace.

“The next step is for the industry to catch up with how households actually hold their wealth and to help Australians plan with their whole balance sheet in view, not just the part that sits in a super fund.”