Dear Vanessa,

I’m 52, single and currently renting a two-bedroom apartment. My salary is $125,000 a year, and I have around $310,000 in retirement savings, but I have never managed to buy a home.

I was married for 14 years. After divorcing and bringing up my two children, I wasn’t able to re-enter the property market. One of my children still lives with me, which means moving into a one-bedroom apartment is not practical just yet.

I pay $850 a week in rent and the situation is beginning to frighten me. Nearly all my friends own their homes and expect to have their mortgages cleared before they retire. I worry about what my future looks like if I reach 70 and am still paying rent.

I have $65,000 in cash savings, but buying alone feels overwhelming. It would mean taking on a substantial mortgage in my 50s, at a time when the people around me appear to be finishing theirs.

Have I missed my chance to become a homeowner, or is it possible to rent throughout retirement with the right financial plan?

Worried Renter

Dear Worried Renter,

Turning 52 does not mean your choices have disappeared. However, this is the point to build a clear financial strategy instead of allowing the worry to continue unchecked.

The first step is to stop measuring your progress against your friends. Divorce, single-income parenting and the cost of raising children have all influenced your financial position, and their circumstances are different from yours.

Entering retirement without a mortgage can provide valuable security, particularly when there is no rent to deduct from your retirement income. Even so, that benefit does not justify rushing into an unaffordable property purchase simply because home ownership is common among your peers.

You have several strengths: a solid salary, meaningful retirement savings, $65,000 in accessible savings and potentially 15 or more working years ahead. The important issue is deciding how those resources should be combined.

I recommend speaking with a qualified financial adviser and asking them to compare three possible paths.

The first option is purchasing a home in the near future. Establish a price limit that would leave room in your budget, and remember to include stamp duty, conveyancing, strata costs, repairs, insurance and other ownership expenses alongside the mortgage. 

You should also know the projected balance of the loan at ages 60, 65 and 67, and test whether the repayments would remain manageable if interest rates increased or your income changed.

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The second possibility is delaying the purchase. Although you need two bedrooms today, that requirement could change once your child moves out. Continuing to save may eventually allow you to buy a smaller property or purchase in a more affordable area.

The third scenario is staying in the rental market. In that case, calculate the income required to cover both your desired lifestyle and your rent. Build in future rent rises, moving expenses and the risk that you may need to relocate. Renting through retirement can be viable, but only when these expenses are deliberately planned for.

Your adviser should also examine how the $65,000 is divided. Because you rely on one income, maintaining an emergency fund is essential. If part of the money is earmarked for a home deposit in the near term, it should generally be managed differently from savings intended for a much longer time horizon.

Your retirement savings deserve attention too. Additional contributions may help, and there may be tax-effective options depending on your circumstances. But putting more money into retirement savings also means considering when you can access it and what you need available for housing.

If your child is earning, a reasonable contribution to household costs is worth discussing. Helping them shouldn’t mean quietly undermining your own future.

Then consider retirement timing. Ask what retiring at 60, 67 or 70 would mean. More working years can help, but the plan should also consider what happens if health or employment changes force you to stop earlier.

Any potential Age Pension entitlement should be considered alongside your income, assets and housing costs.

For each scenario, ask to see your likely debt, retirement savings and spendable income, with the assumptions clearly explained.

If you don’t have an adviser, you can use my free service to help find one here.

The service is free; ask the adviser about their advice fees before proceeding.

Don’t empty your savings or take on unmanageable debt just to say you own a home. You need a plan that gives you security and a life you can afford to enjoy.

All the best,

Vanessa

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An “agitated” man suffered serious injuries after being mauled by a tiger when he entered its enclosure at a zoo, prompting staff to fire shots to drive the animal back.

The unidentified man was seriously injured in the attack at Yorkshire Wildlife Park at around 1.30pm, South Yorkshire Police said.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service and South Yorkshire Police were called to the Doncaster park after reports of the incident on Saturday. Two ambulances and an air ambulance were sent to the scene.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park is home to two Amur tigers: a 17-stone female named Tschuna and a male called Altai, who arrived at the park in March last year.

It is understood that staff fired gas canisters to frighten the tiger back into its enclosure after the attack. A black screen has since been put up around the enclosure.

The wildlife park, near Doncaster, was evacuated and will remain closed for the rest of Saturday and throughout Sunday.

Video footage shared online appears to show a man in a black sweatshirt kneeling on the ground with his arms outstretched as the tiger attacks him from behind.

The animal bites the man on the back before mauling him on the ground and standing over him.

The unidentified man then points at the tiger and can be heard repeatedly shouting: “Stop.”

In a second video, the tiger appears to play with the man, using its paws to hold him against the ground.

Witness Dominic Ford, who was visiting the park with his four-year-old niece, said staff instructed them to leave. He described the employees as appearing “calm” during the evacuation.

Mr Ford said an air ambulance, a road ambulance and “a hell of a lot of police” attended the wildlife park.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park confirmed that a “serious incident” had taken place at the tiger enclosure.

In a statement, the park said: “Our emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and emergency services are currently attending the scene.

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“We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened.”

The statement added: “The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority. The park is now closed and will remain closed tomorrow.”

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “I can confirm we were called at 13.33 on Saturday 10 October 2026 to an incident at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.”

‘We sent a number of resources, including two land ambulances, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor. Any further enquiries should be directed to South Yorkshire Police.’

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: ‘At 1.35pm today (Saturday 10 October) we received reports of a man entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

‘The tiger has subsequently attacked the man and this has resulted in serious injury.

‘Officers are working at pace to make contact with the man’s family and no further detail will be provided at this time.

‘The tiger remained in the enclosure following the incident and there is no wider risk to the public.

‘Following the incident, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was evacuated and officers remain on scene carrying out enquiries.’

The attack comes only months after a three-year-old boy was thrown into a crocodile pit by a disabled man in Cambridgeshire.

The toddler was hurled 15ft into an enclosure containing at least 15 reptiles and bitten by a croc at Johnsons of Old Hurst in Huntingdon on June 18.

He was taken to hospital after he reportedly landed on a concrete walkway, suffering a broken arm and pelvis. He has since undergone seven gruelling operations, including a nerve graft aimed at restoring some function to one of his hands.

The 30-year-old suspect, who has a learning disability, was visiting the zoo with two carers when he launched the attack. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder later that day.

Were YOU at Yorkshire Wildlife Park? Email elizabeth.haigh@dailymail.co.uk

Comedian Judith Lucy has posted a candid hospital image showing the moment she learned she would need a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

The 58-year-old shared the photo on Facebook on Saturday, thanking followers for their support and urging women to stay up to date with regular mammograms.

In the image, Judith looked cheerful as she rested in a hospital bed, bundled in a fluffy white dressing gown and blanket.

Her signature grey curls were swept back as she gave the camera a peace sign and pulled an exaggerated, open-mouthed grin.

Keeping her trademark humour intact, she captioned the image: ‘Fun with cancer!’

‘So this was me last Friday when I heard that it was now a mastectomy,’ she wrote.

‘And yes, it’s a bit of a peekaboo shot so that’s my breast waving goodbye guys!’

Judith also expressed her gratitude for the messages she had received, while highlighting how important it was that her cancer had been found during routine screening.

‘My jugs and I have been pretty overwhelmed by the response so THANK YOU and again, GET THEM CHECKED LADIES,’ she said.

‘You can’t feel my cancer so without a mammogram I would have been screwed!’

Her Facebook update came just days after she revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks earlier and was preparing for a double mastectomy.

The comedian first announced the diagnosis in an Instagram video, explaining that the cancer had been detected through a mammogram conducted via BreastScreen Australia.

‘On my way home, I got an email from BreastScreen Australia telling me that my mammogram result was a bit weird,’ she said.

‘I’m going to take this opportunity to say ladies, for the love of god, keep up with your mammograms. Anyway, long story short, I’ve got breast cancer.’

Judith said she had originally expected to have a lumpectomy. However, doctors found additional cancer during a later appointment and revised her treatment plan.

‘I didn’t want to say anything about it until I knew what was going on,’ she said.

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‘I went last Friday for a lumpectomy and a doctor, I’m not making this up, called Dr Fun (Dr. Pei Fun Kwan in Melbourne), found more cancer.

‘So we have gone from a lumpectomy to a mastectomy, which I am having Friday week. I said, while you’re there, let’s get rid of the other one.’

Despite the diagnosis, Judith has continued to joke publicly about the upcoming surgery. 

She joked that she had enjoyed ’40 years of large and spectacular breasts’ and was now looking forward to a future without needing a bra.

‘You had your chance fellas,’ she quipped.

‘So I think I’m quite fine with going bra-free for my last chapter, and my last chapter is going to be very long and healthy.’

Judith also reassured fans that doctors had described the cancer as relatively early-stage and non-aggressive.

‘It is relatively early stages. It is also relatively non-aggressive,’ she explained.

The diagnosis comes at a particularly ironic time for the comedian, who released her new wellness memoir, Well Well Well…: My Wellness Odyssey from Psychics to Psychedelics and Beyond, last Monday.

The book explores Judith’s experiences with burnout, retirement from stand-up comedy and her often hilarious attempts to improve her physical and mental wellbeing through alternative therapies.

Addressing the unfortunate timing of its release, Judith joked that there was ‘nothing like releasing a book about wellness as you’re being diagnosed with breast cancer’.

She explained that the memoir was never intended to present her as a picture of perfect health, but instead explored the idea that there are no quick fixes to wellbeing.

Judith finished her announcement by reassuring fans that, although she was still processing the news, she remained optimistic about the future. 

‘I’ll be keeping you abreast of everything Australia. I really am okay. I mean, I’m in shock, but I’m okay,’ she said.

Judith announced her retirement from stand-up comedy in 2022 after 35 years on the road, explaining that she had grown tired of constant touring and wanted to focus on other aspects of her life.

However, she returned to the stage in 2023 with a role in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days before appearing in the comedy production Menopausal Night Out in 2024.

The much-loved entertainer first rose to prominence on the ABC’s The Late Show in 1993 before becoming a familiar face on Rove and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.

Her comedy album King of the Road was also nominated for an ARIA Award in 1999.