(03) 9020 2905

Welcome to Bruce Brammall Financial

Category: Eureka Report

Saving SMSFs from the spruikers

SUMMARY: Super and property – more ideas surface to stop the shonks, while Senator Xenophon needs to pull his head in. In any arena, most people play by the rules and will always be safe. Others have no interest in the rules. They’re just crooks and will be caught. There’s always a grey area. Two […]

Deferred annuities: A timely review

SUMMARY: Finally, we’re going to get serious about super retirement income-stream products. It’s been a concern of the industry for a long time. When it comes to turning on an income stream from your super, the options have been way too limited. This is part innovation. But it is also partly to do with the […]

Did you beat the super benchmark?

SUMMARY: Did you have a good year as investment manager for your SMSF? The answer is “no” if your portfolio didn’t return 13.8%. It’s not just double digits for the second year in succession, it’s the second year in the teens. If you’re chasing returns – which we all are to a degree, each with […]

How to avoid a super death tax

SUMMARY: Protecting your family from super’s death tax can take a little planning. Superannuation, on the surface, is about saving for your retirement. In fact, that aim is actually enshrined as the “sole purpose” of superannuation. You save via super for decades. At some point close to retirement – before, at or some time after […]

Planning for a mega super attack

SUMMARY: A new report reopens the debate about super tax concessions for the wealthy, but recommends global contributions limits. Some form of limit on what’s considered a “reasonable” amount to have in super is likely to be reintroduced by a future government. Reasonable Benefit Limits (RBLs) were ditched, to wild applause, when Peter Costello with […]

The pros and cons of SMSFs

SUMMARY: Should I start my own SMSF? Why should I, and why should I not? Their numbers topped 500,000 a while ago. And their members have recently passed through the one million mark. Self-managed super funds seem to be the most popular thing since Bob Hawke declared a defacto public holiday for Australia II winning […]

ATO backflip on zero interest loans

SUMMARY: On zero interest SMSF loans, the ATO shocked everyone with a nod of approval. Now it has changed its mind. Self-managed super funds have again been tarnished with the “rorters” brush – this time on zero interest loans to their super funds. A private ruling, followed by some public comments, from the ATO in […]

The super property end game

SUMMARY: If you’re comfortable with property outside super, why wouldn’t you invest in property inside your SMSF? The power of property investment is a broadly understood wealth-creation concept by those Australians who have been doing it for a long time. Australians are increasingly getting used to building property portfolios, and are at ease with the […]

Eight super things to do before June 30

SUMMARY: There are just five weeks left to make the most of some super rules for this financial year. It seems to come around faster and faster every year – but 30 June is just five weeks away now. That’s not a lot of time to plan the last-minute special efforts that add the one […]

Planning for the pension changes

SUMMARY: The door stays open until the end of the year for account-based pensions and generous health care cards. There’s going to be a rush of work surrounding super pensions before the end of this year. And it will be largely about locking in access to the generous government health care card. Planning for it […]