Supporting those who served our country

This is branded content for Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.

Retired Australian ex-serviceman Alastair Bridges may be right at home at the controls of a Bell UH-1 Iroquois military helicopter but when it came to financial issues he was not quite as adept.

The RAAF veteran, who flew in the Vietnam War and is now an educator with the Australian War Memorial, is the first to admit he found understanding how to best set himself up for retirement 13 years ago had been a baffling and worrying experience.

But finding support from experts who understood his situation and tailored advice to suit him was the key to being able to manage his finances effectively and have the retirement he envisioned for himself and his wife Sandra.

"I am a total nincompoop when it comes to financial issues," said Mr Bridges. "But getting sound financial advice and doing as I was told has worked.

"I've been able to concentrate on the things I wanted to and I don't have to worry about what's going on financially."

Mr Bridges found the financial support and guidance he needed from his super fund, the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC), which has a dedicated member base of current Australian Defence Force personnel and veterans, as well as Commonwealth government employees.

With an understanding of the unique circumstances facing its member base, CSC is able to deliver the expertise and support to help them achieve financial security, and remove the stress and uncertainty that financial worries can create.

Achieving financial security is one of the main challenges faced by veterans, said David Wilton, CSC Defence and Veterans Liaison National Manager.

"Financial stress is a very serious social issue for our veterans and defence personnel, especially those transitioning to everyday life, which can lead to mental health issues such as depression," Mr Wilton said.

"What we work to do is to empower our members to take control of their finances by not just looking after their superannuation needs, and showing them how they can boost their retirement savings, but also encouraging greater financial literacy by teaching skills like financial planning and budgeting.

Support available: Alastair Bridges (right) and David Wilton at the Australian War Memorial.

One of the initiatives CSC launched as part of its mission to engage with its veteran members is its Vets Hub, which has been spearheaded by Mr Wilton, a veteran himself. He served in the Australian Army for 26 years before leaving in 2015.

Vets Hub is a key channel supporting veterans and their families with financial health and wellbeing. As well as an online community network, the Vets Hub team goes on the road visiting communities around Australia in collaboration with local advocacy groups providing information seminars and gathering feedback from members.

Through Vets Hub, veterans can access support services such as guidance on how to make medical claims through the service, and attend events that cover topics like superannuation, life after the ADF, insurance, transitioning to retirement and ways to boost retirement savings.

"CSC's vision is a single front door, one collaborative network that's easy to navigate, easy to understand and provides one source of truth," Mr Wilton said.

"There are about 3500 ex-service organisations and a couple of thousand veteran organisations around Australia, all working for better outcomes for veterans and their families but sometimes it can become overwhelming for the veterans."

For Alastair Bridges the assistance CSC provided was life changing during a time when, as well as transitioning into his retirement, he was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - 50 years after his time in Vietnam.

"About the age of 63 I retired and it was about five years after that a lady next door moved in with a dog which had a very loud vicious bark and I found myself on the ground diving for cover," he said.

"I went to my GP and he said I think you've got PTSD. Two of my doctors said I had probably had it for a while. I had three years of consultations with DVA."

"They are marvellous": Retirement has allowed Mr Bridges to get involved in more of the things he loves like working with children in his role at the Australian War Memorial.

Mr Bridges later began volunteering at the Australian War Memorial but was soon asked to join the education team.

"I said if that means working with kids then, yes, I love doing that," he said. "They all gather around you, one on one side telling you about their great grandfather, and one on the other side talking about their brother who's in the army. They are marvellous."

Getting the financial help with organising his super particularly has allowed Mr Bridges to do the things he wanted in retirement.

"We've done some marvellous trips and we can afford to buy the presents that the grandkids want," he said. "Children are a delight, people are a delight."

Hear more about about Alastair Bridges' story here.

We're here to help. Learn more about CSC at https://www.csc.gov.au

This is branded content for Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.