I never expected Self Managed Super Funds (SMSFs) to become the largest segment of super. They were almost an afterthought added to the legislation as a replacement for defined benefit schemes. Here’s why it happened.
What financial advice is worth paying for?
The value in good financial planning is understanding a client’s needs and setting and adhering to a realistic long-term strategy to achieve a desired outcome for the client. That is worth paying for.
You the speculator
Unwittingly, you are probably a speculator rather than an investor and this series of articles will encourage you to turn your back on speculating forever.
Super misses out on government deposit guarantee
The sad fact is the government guarantee on deposits does not apply for individuals investing in deposits offered by public superannuation funds.
The superannuation essentials
Superannuation was introduced to encourage people to save for their retirement, and this article explains that despite some recent criticism of performance, super remains a highly effective savings vehicle.
This week’s trending subject is: SMSF
Each week, we load words into Google Trends, which shows how often a particular search term has been googled since 2004, and makes a forecast for next year. This week: SMSF.
We live in interesting times: the game-changers in 2013
What a time to launch a superannuation website and newsletter! The super, advice and investing landscape is facing more game-changers at the moment than at any time since the introduction of compulsory super in 1992.
‘Volatility’ – what volatility?
If we ignore the media hype and look at the facts, 2012 was in fact a wonderful year for the equity market. Not only great returns, but surprisingly low volatility and few large down days. 2012 was the calmest year since 2005.
To be perfectly franked, and pay no tax
Kerry Packer openly admitted that he managed his companies to minimise their tax bills. He would have loved superannuation and franking credits. A super fund needs only 32% of its assets allocated to fully franked shares to pay no income tax on its entire portfolio.
Will the new rules for financial advice make a difference?
From 1 July 2013, investment managers and platforms will be banned from paying commissions to financial advisers on new business. This should have happened years ago, but the industry’s tardiness has resulted in additional regulations on advice fees that are deducted from clients’ accounts.
An introduction to lifecycle theory
Lifecycle theory is one of the more exciting and applicable research fields in financial academia yet it receives little discussion in Australia’s superannuation industry. The findings have the potential to improve outcomes for Australian households.
Catapults and coin tricks: what Ben Bernanke learned from the Greeks
Many people regard inflation as a relatively recent phenomenon – it was a problem in the 1970s and it appeared to have been cured in the great ‘disinflation’ of the 1980s and 1990s. But inflation is not a recent phenomenon, and it certainly has not been ‘cured’.
Managing charity funds should not be a risky business
The failure of charitable donations to reach the intended use due to adverse investment returns is a poor outcome, which may damage a charity’s reputation and result in much lower donations in the future. This is highly relevant to the design of a charity’s investment policy.
Is property in super a perfect match or recipe for disaster?
Many residential properties held by SMSFs will carry large loan liabilities at the same time that the member is required to draw down 4%, 5% or 6% of the portfolio as pension income. Make sure the cash does not run out.
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