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Category: Articles

SMSFs still ahead

SUMMARY: The future of super under an Abbott Government is being unveiled – slowly, but surely. And SMSFs will be relative winners. What is said before an election, whether promises or stated intentions, means little. It’s what gets delivered afterwards that’s counts. This was illustrated forcefully last week with the reversal of the Abbott Government’s […]

The lower Aussie dollar has hit people’s travel plans. How can you reduce the impact on your budget?

Don’t take holidays – work till you die. Looks like the government wants to increase age pension qualification to approximately 93 anyway, so you might not have a choice. Seriously, before marriage, mortgages and midgets, my holiday destinations were partly chosen based on where the Aussie dollar was strong. We were doing relatively well in […]

It’ll soon be Christmas, so what should you start doing now?

Start … your party engines! Woo-hoo! Today marks the official opening of Christmas party season. Drink and be merry I’ve got an average of a function a day for the next 30 days. Straight-out work-related Christmas parties, plus Christmas lunches, dinners and barbecues with family and friends. Christmas is the excuse anyway. Berocca is my […]

Bubbles flowing this Xmas for those who dared

Ah, a bit of warmer weather and the Christmas party season is underway. Awesome time of year to be alive in Australia, or what? People’s moods lift with the extra sunshine, beer and bubbles flow, steaks sizzle on the barbie … who needs anything else to celebrate? Well, for one, here’s cheers to the stock […]

The biggest super question of all

SUMMARY: How much super should I have now for someone my age? Here’s a starting point – by 50, you should have 3.5 times your current salary. “I’m X years old. I’ve got $Y in super. Am I on track for a comfortable retirement?” There is an overabundance of statistics in superannuation. Government instrumentalities and […]

Is it important to have a written budget? Why or why not?

Lest someone starts misconstruing some sermonising for hypocrisy, first thing I need to do is ’fess up. Here goes: I’m a financial adviser and … I’ve never done a personal budget. As Aunt Kerrin (right) points out, some people have a sixth sense of the incomings and outgoings of the household budget. I guess I’m […]

Joint SMSFs: No such thing as “ours”

SUMMARY: One SMSF – many accounts. Why your SMSF has “yours” and “mine”, but no “ours”. It’s time to bust a myth about SMSFs. Perhaps it’s more misunderstanding or misconception than myth. But it’s certainly time to crush it. Your SMSF, if there are two members, has at least two accounts. There is “yours”. And […]

Super changes: Preparing for the expected

SUMMARY: While complex changes to super have been ditched, there’s no word on increasing concessional contributions limits. And, to be sure, don’t hold your breath. The wording of the Coalition’s election promise for superannuation of “no unexpected negative changes” in its first term was very deliberate If the Coalition flagged a change before the election, […]

Make sure you’re safe as houses

It happened to me while I was reading a book. A light dawned and smacked me in the eyes. It came as a shock, like finding out Darth Vader was Luke’s father. Your world does change when the penny finally drops about home ownership. A life with a mortgage and home ownership is definitely very […]

Our credit reporting system changes in the new year. How can you deal with a bad credit rating?

People make out like debt is the “dark side” of the Jedi force of finances. Darth Vader snuggles up with debt at night, gently stroking it and whispering his bidding. Bollocks. Love it or loathe it, debt greases the engine of global finances. Sure, some over-indulgence in recent years has been painful. Globally. But we […]