Looking ahead ... Todd and Karen Eldridge. Photo: Jon Reid

An entire industry has grown around telling you how poor you'll be in retirement. As if you need reminding.

As a rough rule of thumb, $1 million at 65 (or about $1.25 million at 60) will give a comfortable lifestyle, which the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) retirement standard says is $55,080 a year after tax.

But it depends on what you earned in the meantime because that will determine what you consider comfortable, whether you've paid off the mortgage, expect an inheritance, are going to downsize your home or move interstate, and how long you live.

On course Mark and Erica Kirby may need to salary sacrifice into super. Photo: Simon Alekna

Super is a great tax break but isn't the be-all and end-all of a decent retirement, either.

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Under the seniors and pensioners tax offset (forever destined to be called SAPTO), a retired couple over 65 could earn up to $57,948 a year without paying a single cent in tax.

That's more than twice the ordinary tax-free threshold.

Options ... Dennis Maddock. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Read more here:
Retirement reality check