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13 May 2024
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Asset allocation explains up 70% of total investment returns, making it of critical importance to SMSFs. Here are some guidelines for how they should go about it and the macroeconomic events that could influence allocations.
Clients are reacting to the proposed new tax on super balances over $3 million, asking whether private, illiquid, real estate and other growth assets should be held where unrealised capital gains will be taxed.
An aging couple who question their ability to run their own fund look for ways to manage the next step - but without children to assist what can they do? There are potential solutions using NSW Trustee and Guardian.
Do you know that if you're a company director you have to register for a director identification number (director ID) by 30 November 2022? Here's an overview of what you need to know and what you need to do.
Individual investors think professionals have ‘smart money’ advantages enjoyed on the inside. While some perks are worthwhile, others are a rort, and overall, it's easier to invest with the freedom of ‘small money’.
Single-member SMSFs face challenges where the eventual beneficiaries (or support team in the event of incapacity) will be the member’s adult children. Even worse, what happens if one or more of the children live overseas?
In a new monthly column to assist trustees, specialist Meg Heffron will explore issues relating to managing your SMSF. She starts with tips on preparing an SMSF for the potential incapacity of a trustee.
The investment performance of a typical SMSF improves as the fund balance approaches $200,000, after which the fund achieves comparable investment returns with APRA- regulated funds, according to new research.
You want to take a lump sum from your super, but what's the best way? Should it come from you or your spouse, or the pension or accumulation account. There is a welcome flexibility to select the best outcome.
A new financial year often requires notices and valuations before actions are taken, and favourable tax treatment may be lost if done incorrectly or too late. Check these quick tips to avoid problems later.
Senator Jane Hume presented at the SMSFA conference this week, and we reproduce the full transcript as a guide to what the Government is thinking on superannuation reforms as we head into the next election.
SMSF trustees often cite ‘control of my investments’ as the number one motivation for setting up their own fund. But it still makes sense to outsource some parts of a well-diversified portfolio.
Life has radically shifted with my brain cancer, and I don’t know if it will ever be the same again. After decades of writing and a dozen years with Firstlinks, I still want to contribute, but exactly how and when I do that is unclear.
How useful are the retirement savings and spending targets put out by various groups such as ASFA? Not very, and it's reducing the ability of ordinary retirees to fully understand their retirement income options.
If you’re like me, you may have put money into term deposits over the past year and it’s time to decide whether to roll them over or look elsewhere. Here are the pros and cons of cash versus other assets right now.
Australia will have 3.7 million more people in a decade's time, though the growth won't be evenly distributed. Over 85s will see the fastest growth, while the number of younger people will barely rise.
There's been little debate on how spending changes as people progress through retirement. Yet, it's a critical issue as it can have a significant impact on the level of savings required at the point of retirement.
The $3 million super tax will capture retired, and soon to retire, public servants and politicians who are members of defined benefit superannuation schemes. Lobbying efforts for exemptions to the tax are intensifying.