Financial freedom for those who serve. 

[H1] Financial Planning for ADF and Defence Force Personnel
You have given years — sometimes decades — to protecting this country. You have worked through deployments, relocations, long separations from family, and career structures that look nothing like civilian life. Your financial situation reflects all of that complexity, and it deserves advice that does too.
At My Financial Mentors, we work with current ADF members, veterans, reservists, and emergency services personnel across Australia. We understand the unique financial landscape of military service: the superannuation schemes most advisers have never heard of, the DVA entitlements that often go unclaimed, and the very specific challenges that come with transitioning out of a structured career into civilian life.
We have seen too many people leave the Defence Force with little to show for their years of service. Our job is to make sure that does not happen to you.
 
[H2] Understanding Your ADF Super Entitlements
Superannuation for ADF members is not straightforward, and the scheme you belong to depends on when you joined and what choices you have made along the way. Getting this wrong — or simply not understanding what you have — can cost you significantly at retirement.
ADF Super
ADF Super is the default accumulation fund for members who joined after 1 July 2016, and for those who opted in from earlier schemes. Defence pays contributions at 16.4% of your ordinary salary — well above the civilian minimum. Understanding how to maximise this through voluntary contributions and salary sacrifice is an important part of building long-term wealth during your service years.
Military Superannuation and Benefits Scheme (MSBS)
If you joined between 1 October 1991 and 30 June 2016, you are likely an MSBS member. MSBS is a hybrid fund with both an accumulation component (your own contributions) and a defined benefit component (based on your final average salary and years of service). Calculating the true value of an MSBS benefit is complex, and many members significantly underestimate what they have accrued.
Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits Scheme (DFRDB)
DFRDB applies to members who joined before 1 October 1991. It is a defined benefit scheme that provides a lifetime indexed pension on retirement or separation. The pension is calculated based on your years of service and final salary, and the decisions you make at separation about how to take your benefit can have lasting financial consequences. This is an area where specialist advice is not optional — it is essential.
 
[H2] DVA Entitlements: What You May Be Owed
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) administers a range of compensation and support payments for current and former ADF members. These include permanent impairment payments, incapacity payments, special rate disability pension (SRDP), and survivor benefits. Many eligible members either do not know what they are entitled to, or find the claims process overwhelming without support.
Permanent Impairment (PI) payments can be taken as a lump sum or a lifetime weekly payment. This is a significant financial decision with long-term implications, and the choice you make cannot be undone. We help clients understand how each option interacts with their other income, superannuation, and financial goals before they elect.
We also help clients understand the ADF Transition financial funding — the $1,000 contribution available to members approaching discharge — and how to make the most of professional advice sessions during the transition period.
 
[H2] Deployment, Allowances and Managing Service Income
Service income is not just your base salary. Deployment allowances, hardship allowances, operational service pay, and subsidised housing all contribute to your financial position — but only if they are managed well. We help ADF members make the most of the income advantages that come with service: setting aside deployment earnings, structuring salary sacrifice, and building financial foundations during the years when income is relatively strong and many civilian expenses are reduced.
The financial habits you build during service make a significant difference to where you land when you separate. We work with members at every stage, from early career to senior ranks, to ensure those foundations are solid.
 
[H2] Transition to Civilian Life
Leaving the ADF is one of the most financially significant events in a veteran’s life, and it is one of the least well planned. The shift from a structured military career to civilian employment — or self-employment, or study — involves changes to income, housing, superannuation, insurance, and budget that happen simultaneously and quickly.
We work with members who are approaching separation to build a clear transition plan: what your super looks like after separation, how to structure any payout, what insurance you need to replace, and how to build momentum in the first two years of civilian life. We have helped clients avoid the common mistakes — draining savings in the first year, failing to roll over super correctly, underinsuring — that can set veterans back financially for years.
 
[H2] Insurance for Defence and Emergency Services Personnel
ADF service comes with death and invalidity cover that most members rely on without fully understanding its terms or limitations. When you separate, that cover ends. Replacing it in the civilian market requires planning, because some conditions related to service can affect insurability.
We advise on income protection, life insurance, total and permanent disability (TPD) cover, and trauma insurance. For emergency services personnel whose occupational risks are similarly elevated, we understand how to structure cover that is both appropriate and affordable.
 
[H2] Why My Financial Mentors
We are not a large institution with a generic product offering. We are a boutique planning practice that works closely with a limited number of clients and takes the time to understand their situation properly. Daniel Degrassi, Financial Adviser and Director at My Financial Mentors, has worked with Defence and emergency services clients across Australia and understands the financial environment of military service in detail.
We are a Corporate Authorised Representative of Madison Financial Group Pty Ltd (AFSL 409 445), which means our advice is held to the highest regulatory standards.
If you are a current ADF member, a veteran at any stage of post-service life, or an emergency services professional, we would like to talk with you. A Defence Financial Review is the right starting point.
 
This page contains general information only and does not constitute personal financial advice. Financial product advice is provided by My Financial Mentors, a Corporate Authorised Representative of Madison Financial Group Pty Ltd (AFSL 409 445). Your personal circumstances have not been considered. Please contact us to discuss your individual situation.