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Category: Articles

EOFY super strategies

It’s hard to get your super to soar like an eagle when it’s regulated by a bunch of turkeys. And whether the gobblers pulling the strings in Canberra are politicians or public servants matters little. Super will be a lot less so from next month. Forget the recent market gyrations and their impact on your […]

Picking a pension winner

PORTFOLIO POINT: Maximising income streams in retirement can involve financial magic, particularly where Centrelink is concerned Super pension income is tax-effective income. We all know that. It’s just a case of whether it’s tax-free, or tax-advantaged. If you’re over age 60, the income comes to you tax-free. If you’re under age 60, then a super […]

Super funds have been criticised for holding too many shares and not enough conservative assets. What do you think?

Bunkum, bollocks and bulltish. But let me explain. That proposition was made forcefully recently by former Treasury head Ken Henry. Uncle Ken’s comments were aimed at default “balanced” super funds, which traditionally have 55-70 per cent of their investments in “growth” assets – shares and property. His concerns have merit for Retirees and Boomers, whose […]

Aussie dollar bonus

You’d be daft not to stack up on your favourite wine when the local grog shop had a special on, wouldn’t you? And who hasn’t purchased half-price duty-free booze, simply because they were passing through customs? If you’re sitting in Bali with some fellow bogans, it’s even harder to say no. Heck, what’s $2.80 for […]

Tax time is less than two months away. What should people be doing now to make it less painful?

A wise man (Daniel be his name) once told me: “accountants organise what’s already happened. Financial advisers organise the future.” And that, dear readers, is today’s exercise. Six weeks till June 30? Plenty of time. Last year, the editor gave us four days! Okay, there’s the short-term “purchasing” advice. Some are able to claim items […]

Rate cut bonanza

Rate cut party in … da … house! Woo-hoo! There’s nothing like the smell of a rate cut as you’re heading into winter. The Reserve Bank has just deposited a huge wad of money into your pockets. Thanks Guv’nor Stevens! Nice guy to shout all us struggling homeowners a drink, ain’t he? Not so fast, […]

What can a householder learn from how the Federal Government manages its Budget?

“Oooh, ooh! Me, sir, me! I know this answer! Please sir!” “Ye-e-es, Debt Man,” the teacher says hesitantly. (He always hestitates when I raise my hand.) “That you shouldn’t get cornered into making promises that, deep in your heart, you really don’t want to keep?” Prime Minister Julia Gillard promised at the last election that […]

SAFs could save your skin

PORTFOLIO POINT: They’re not a big part of the DIY spectrum, but SAFs have some important advantages over SMSFs … and could save your super skin. Those who are deeply immersed in their world of self-managed super funds are almost inevitably happy with their choice. They have, as far as super goes, almost the ultimate […]

Finger on panic button?

PORTFOLIO POINT: Super investment risk is ultimately in your control. Do you have a finger on the panic button? Using extreme examples to try to prove a point rarely does anyone any favours. And when it comes to super, one that former Treasury Secretary Dr Ken Henry used recently is a good case of an […]

Backroom deal dilutes adviser reform

PORTFOLIO POINT: A last-minute backroom deal on Future of Financial Advice’s “iconic” opt-in arrangements will dilute benefits to super members and investors. What does it mean for you? When two usual bedfellows break out in a spiteful stoush in an industry as big as financial services, you know something a bit fishy has gone on. […]