An almost-tragic story today about a family who nearly died demonstrates what the Club has been saying very publicly about power prices: they're now so high, they're becoming a health issue.   Overnight, a western Sydney family suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from bringing an outdoor charcoal burner into their living room to keep warm. Read the article here  ... read more>

  Political manoeuvring this week saw the Greens back the government’s changes to the pension assets test, saving the budget a handy $2.4 billion but injecting even more uncertainty into superannuation. Ballooning costs are good reasons to amend retirement incomes policy, as our members acknowledge, but not everyone should be happy with them being subject to 11th hour back-room... read more>

Hardship has trumped energy efficiency as the most common way to keep power bills affordable this winter, according to the current FiftyUp Club energy poll available here Asked to choose up to three strategies you’re using to keep bills down, 80% said turning off powerpoints and lights, and 58% are foregoing the heater, even though you’re cold. “I'm going around ... read more>

Who do you believe – the energy regulator charged with putting the long-term interests of consumers first? Or the NSW ‘poles and wires’ companies which actually deliver the stuff?  That’s essentially the argument behind a high stakes legal stoush which will determine the size of planned 5-12% reductions to your next electricity bills. And it’s especially... read more>

While the argy-bargy about how fair the Budget is (or isn’t) continues in Canberra, it’s reassuring to share some common-sense from the wisdom of the crowd that is FiftyUp Club members. More than 3,400 of you answered our snap poll after the Budget and found overall it was both fair and unlikely to change your voting intentions. But you were equally divided as to whether Mr Ho... read more>