Superannuation

New rules came into force on July 1 that will create opportunities for older Australians to boost their retirement savings and younger Australians to build a home deposit, all within the tax-efficient superannuation system. Using the existing First Home Super Saver...

As the end of the financial year approaches, now is a good time to check your super and see what you could do to boost your retirement nest egg. What’s more, you could potentially reduce your tax bill at the same time. There are a handful of positive changes to super...

Australia’s superannuation system is based on individual accounts, with men and women treated equally. But that’s where equality ends. It’s a simple fact that women generally retire with much less super than men. The latest figures show women aged 60-64 have an...

With the property market hitting all-time highs in 2021, interest in investing in direct property through your SMSF has never been higher. In the September 2021 quarter, Australia’s SMSFs had almost $88 billion invested in non-residential real property, with another...

If there’s one certainty in business these days, it’s constant change. Now there’s an extra step you need to take with new employees to comply with the superannuation choice of fund rules. From 1 November 2021, whenever a new employee starts with your business and...

Now that new legislation allows a maximum of six members in an SMSF, some fund trustees may be wondering if this could be an easy way to ensure a smooth transfer of their super to the next generation. The simple answer is yes, but before you start adding your children...

Making additional personal contributions to superannuation is a great way to boost your retirement savings in a tax-effective way. But there are strict caps or limits on the amount you can contribute each year and stiff tax penalties for exceeding the limits. Even...

As the new financial year gets underway, there are some big changes to superannuation that could add up to a welcome lift in your retirement savings. Some, like the rise in the Superannuation Guarantee (SG), will happen automatically so you won’t need to lift a...

If you’ve owned an individual income protection or salary continuance policy in recent years, you may have seen your premiums increase as insurers struggled to cover their large losses on these products.i Given the ongoing competition and generous features in some...

While it’s not yet in force, the limit on SMSF member numbers is set to increase from the current four to six members later this year. For some SMSFs, this will be a welcome change and will mean additional family members can join their existing fund. Implications of...

Separation and divorce can be a challenging time, often made all the more difficult when you have to divide your assets. So how do you go about decoupling your superannuation? In years gone by, superannuation was not treated as matrimonial property, so divorce...

For many people, the idea of managing and investing your own retirement savings is very appealing. But there is ongoing debate over whether running your own self-managed super fund (SMSF) is cost effective. So, what are the arguments for and against having your own...