FOR SELF-FUNDED RETIREES.
The Retirement You've Earned — Designed to Last.
For Australians who've already retired and want a calmer, smarter way to make their wealth go the distance — without the worry, the jargon, or the conflicts of interest.
Discover Whether Your Plan Will Actually Last 30 Years — With No Sales Pitch, No Obligation, and No Commission.
Which of These Obstacles Could Be Undermining Your Retirement Plans
If you've already retired, you've spent a lifetime building the wealth you have today. The job now is different — and in some ways harder than the one before it.
It's no longer about how much you can earn or save. It's about how to spend without fear, how to keep growing what you have despite no salary, and how to make sure your money outlasts both you and your partner — with enough left over to do real good for your family.
Most retirees we speak with quietly carry the same worries:
Will my money last as long as I do? And what if I live to 95?
If markets drop in the first few years of my retirement, will I have to cut back — permanently?
Am I drawing too much, or am I being too conservative and missing out on the lifestyle I worked for?
If something happens to me first, will my partner be okay financially? Do they actually understand our affairs?
How much will aged care cost — and what happens to the family home?
Is the structure of our income still tax-efficient now that we're not earning?
Are my investments doing what I think they're doing? Is my adviser actually on my side, or are they earning commissions on what I own?
If even two or three of these have crossed your mind in the last twelve months, you're not alone — and you don't have to manage them by yourself.
We meet with you for a discovery consultation to define and articulate your ideal future and the key financial steps we need to take to get there.
How We Empower You to Preserve Capital, Maximise Income, and Enjoy a Richer Retirement
For over 23 years, our team has helped Australians at and approaching retirement protect what they've built, draw a smarter income, and stop quietly worrying about whether the money will last.
Unlike many advisers who focus heavily on market products — often influenced by commercial ties to large financial institutions — we take a fully independent, fee-for-service approach. We don't earn commissions on what you own. We don't sell our own products. Our only incentive is to do what's right for your retirement.
Everything starts with a complimentary Retirement Review with one of our specialist advisers. It takes about an hour, costs nothing, and has no obligation. During the conversation:
"Our financial goals are progressing well!
We knew from the start that having a clear, goal-focused strategy was essential. Without taking the time to define our objectives, we likely would have continued with reactive, ad hoc investing based on market movements. Instead, we now have a specific, structured plan—and once everything is in place, it really becomes a “set and forget” process."
"We wholeheartedly recommend Andre Dirckze and his team.
Andre has expertly guided us through the transition from our working lives into a comfortable retirement.
Over more than a decade as clients, we’ve consistently experienced a high level of professionalism, optimism, and support from Rob and his team. Their dedication and thoughtful approach have made a meaningful difference in our financial journey."
"I always feel reassured after meeting with you.
I've had the pleasure of working with Andre and his team for over 12 years, and their down-to-earth, strategic advice has consistently been insightful and incredibly valuable.
They continue to raise the bar year after year. I give them my highest recommendation — they are truly outstanding!"
How Well Do These Strategies Work?
Here is a small sample of what investors say about how Wealth Effect Group has helped them boost their super, make up financial ground, and secure a more exciting retirement…
About Andre Dirckze – Founder & CEO, Wealth Effect Group
Andre Dirckze is a nationally recognised financial strategist and the Founder and CEO of Wealth Effect Group, a leading advisory firm with offices in Melbourne and the Gold Coast, proudly serving clients Australia-wide.
With over two decades of experience, Andre specialises in helping high-earning professionals in their 40s, 50s, and 60s take control of their financial future. His advice is tailored, strategic, and designed to help clients build wealth with purpose—whether they’re planning for retirement, managing investments, or navigating complex financial decisions.
Andre’s businesses include:
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WE Private – boutique private wealth advice
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WE Mortgage Solutions – smart lending strategies
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WE SMSF – SMSF and retirement planning
Known for his down-to-earth style and deep expertise, Andre offers a refreshingly personal approach to financial advice—no suits, no pressure, and no obligation on your first meeting.
The Retirement Review Meeting
How a Retirement Review Works
Before you make any decision about your portfolio, your structure, or who you work with, the first step is a complimentary Retirement Review Meeting with one of our specialist advisers.
It's a 60–75 minute conversation. There's no obligation, no commitment, and no commission to be earned. You walk away with a clear understanding of three things:
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Whether your current retirement plan will actually deliver the income and certainty you need for the next 25–30 years — across a realistic range of market conditions, not just the optimistic ones.
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Where the biggest risks sit in your current setup. (The most common ones aren't where most retirees think they are.)
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Whether there are tax, structuring, or drawdown changes that would let you spend more confidently, leave more behind, or both.
Most clients tell us the meeting itself was worth it — even if they decide not to engage further. We've designed it that way deliberately.
What we help self-funded retirees with
Sustainable income strategy
How much can you draw from your portfolio each year — sustainably — without eroding the capital your partner will need? We model your income across multiple market scenarios using a realistic longevity assumption (we typically plan to age 95) and design a drawdown strategy that holds up under stress, not just averages.
Sequence-of-returns risk
The biggest threat to a long retirement isn't a market crash — it's a market crash in the first 5–10 years of your drawdown. We use bucketing, defensive reserves, and dynamic withdrawal rules so a 2008 or 2020-style event doesn't permanently impair your retirement.
Tax efficiency in pension phase
Most retirees we meet are paying more tax than they need to — through inefficient pension structures, unnecessary CGT events, or holdings that should be in different ownership entities. We review your structure end-to-end and identify changes that legally redirect tax dollars back into your pocket.
Estate, legacy, and what happens if you go first
A retirement plan that only works while both partners are alive isn't actually a plan. We coordinate with your solicitor and accountant to make sure your estate, super death benefits, binding nominations, and contingency plans are clear, current, and execute the way you'd actually want — not the way the default rules dictate.
Aged care and longevity planning
If you or your partner needed residential aged care tomorrow, what would it cost? What happens to the family home? Is the means-testing structured efficiently? We map this out years in advance — not because it's likely, but because the cost of getting it wrong is six figures and the cost of planning ahead is almost nothing.
Independent investment advice
We don't earn commissions, kickbacks, or trail. We don't sell our own products. Our recommendations are evidence-based, low-cost, and designed to do exactly one job: protect and grow your retirement capital with a level of risk you understand and have explicitly agreed to.
Why retirees choose Wealth Effect Group
There are over 18,000 financial advisers in Australia. The reasons retirees specifically choose us tend to be the same five:
1. Twenty-three years of cycles
Andre Dirckze has guided clients through the GFC, the 2020 pandemic shock, the 2022 inflation reset, and every quieter cycle in between. None of those events were the end of the world — but they were the end of plans that hadn't been built to handle them.
2. Fee-for-service. Always.
We charge a transparent fee for our advice. We do not receive commissions on investments, insurance, or product. There is no scenario in which we earn more by recommending one option over another. That alignment is the single most important difference between us and many of our peers.
3. Independent of product
We don't manufacture our own investment products. We don't have shelf space to fill. We're not vertically integrated with a fund manager or platform that needs our advice to flow into their business. The advice is yours, designed for you, full stop.
4. Holistic, not just investment
Investments are one part of a retirement plan. Tax structure, estate, aged care, insurance, family communication, and behaviour are the other parts — and they tend to matter more in the second half of retirement than they did in the first half. We address all of them.
5. Principal-led
When you work with Wealth Effect Group, you work with Andre and a team that knows your circumstances. You don't get reassigned to a junior. You don't repeat your story every meeting. The relationship is built to last decades — because most of our clients do.
What our Clients Say
"After 4 years of working with Andre, the biggest question we used to lose sleep over — will the money last? — has just stopped being a question. We have a plan, we know what we can spend, we know what happens if one of us goes first, and we're actually doing more than we thought we'd be able to. The peace of mind is the part you can't put a number on."
— Tricia & Michael, retirees, Melbourne
How it work 3 easy Steps
1. Discovery
A 60-minute conversation about your retirement, your worries, what you want the next 25 years to look like, and what your current setup is. Complimentary, no obligation.
2. Strategy
We map your full financial picture, run scenario modelling on income, longevity and markets, and identify the highest-leverage changes. You receive a written strategy and a clear quote for any ongoing relationship.
3. Implementation & ongoing review
When you work with us, we implement the changes alongside you, your accountant and your solicitor — and we review the plan formally each year (and any time markets, legislation, or your circumstances change materially).
Ready to enjoy the retirement you actually planned for?
A complimentary Retirement Review with our team takes about an hour, gives you a clear answer on whether your current plan is on track, and costs nothing.
Confidential.
No Obligation
Independent Advice.