The Olympics is an interesting armchair spectator sport in a philosophical sense. Every four years, for two weeks, we all become experts in sports we know absolutely nothing about. “Oooh, bad rotation.” “Great double pike with twist!” “Lift your stroke rate girls”. But the Olympics is for all ages. Four years ago, when the Beijing […]
PORTFOLIO POINT: One joint-venture property opportunity, four distinct funding options. If you’ve considered JV property investments in your SMSF, you must read this. Purchasing property inside SMSFs is on the rise. You’ve only got to listen to real estate agents openly talking about how many trustees are signing on the dotted line. There can be […]
JUST one? I could write a book. Well, a chapter. They’ve all been learning experiences, so I don’t know how much “regret” there really is. Investments that don’t wipe you out, make you wiser. I’d score okay for saving early. My biggest regret would be taking too long to learn the benefits of diversification. I […]
PORTFOLIO POINT: How good/bad was your performance as SMSF investment manager last year? The number to beat was 3.35%. Maybe, just maybe, if the Australian market hadn’t crapped out in the last two months of the financial year, SMSF trustees would all have a little more spring in their step. As Australian shares are generally […]
Sometimes you just get “a sign”. And you just know IT is about to happen. There’s that vacant stare from a two-year-old that means: “I’m filling my nappy”. There’s that look from your wife that says: “Don’t say a word!” If you do, hell will visit your earth. The first-night waitress says: “Hmm, are you […]
PORTFOLIO POINT: Reprieve on in-specie transfers! The legislation is too hard to frame, so you’ve got another year. As predicted here (28/9/12) just a few weeks ago, the ban on SMSFs making in-specie transfers has been put off by a year. SMSFs will be able to make in-specie transfers of shares (and other assets) into […]
How pointless would a new business/relationship be if those starting the baby up weren’t wearing rose-coloured glasses? Doomed. As much chance of survival as the first slab of beer on a boys’ weekend. However, pure optimism won’t save everything. And given most ventures, personal and business, fall over, Gen Xers need to be realistic about […]
PORTFOLIO POINT: Ramping up your non-concessional contributions before starting the pension can aid transition-to-retirement plans. There’s little doubt that transition to retirement strategies have been, well, neutered, to a large extent, in recent years. If you were aged 55-59 and all of your super was taxable component (that is, predominantly concessional contributions), then the major […]
What’s not to love about tax time? The ATO wants to hand back some of the money it took from you! Billions of dollars raining from the sky. Okay, your first mistake is dreading tax time. Flip the way you think about it. It’s like finding money on the ground. As an employee, I looked […]
There are two opposing views on how to get things done efficiently – the Walter Chrysler way and the Lucille Ball way. Ball: “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” Chrysler: “Whenever there is a hard job to be done, I assign it to a lazy man; he is sure […]
© Bruce Brammall Financial 2009 -2025
Bruce Brammall Financial Pty Ltd as trustee for the Castellan Financial Consulting Unit Trust is an authorised representative of Sentry Advice Pty Ltd (AFSL number 227748). Bruce Brammall Financial Pty Ltd as trustee for the Castellan Financial Consulting Unit Trust is not authorised to provide credit services. All credit and mortgage services referred to on this website are provided by Bruce Brammall Lending Pty Ltd (ACL number 448881). The information contained within the website is of a general nature only. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material, Bruce Brammall Financial will not bear responsibility or liability for any action taken by any person, persons or organisation on the purported basis of information contained herein. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, no person, persons or organisation should invest monies or take action on reliance of the material contained herein but instead should satisfy themselves independently of the appropriateness of such action.