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Category: Eureka Report

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 […]

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, […]

Six tips for your pension shift

PORTFOLIO POINT: A change in investment styles as you shift to pension? Here are six things to consider. An important positive about tax rules is that they are largely don’t change too much. If you know what the rules are, you can plan for them and play them to your advantage. For SMSF trustees, tax […]

The great super release

PORTFOLIO POINT: Accessing your super – a guide to the main ways you can start receiving a super income stream I received a panicked phone call from a Eureka Report reader last week. He said he was in a spot of trouble with no less than the Tax Office. He was desperate for some advice. […]

Super duo strategies to cut tax

PORTFOLIO POINT: Uneven incomes in your couple? And at least one of you is considering a pension? Here’s a strategy for you. Money is, from the results of most surveys, one of the top three topics for arguments in a household. The joining of a couple’s finances can lead to all sorts of tensions, from […]

Why compulsory annuities won’t suit SMSFs

PORTFOLIO POINT: The spectre of compulsory super annuities is increasing. And I don’t think SMSF trustees will be too thrilled. A considerable number of voices believe it’s one of the last great reforms needed to get Australia’s superannuation system up to world’s best. Compulsory annuities. When you hit retirement age – or some defined qualifying […]

SMSF property: Understand the risks

PORTFOLIO POINT: SMSF and geared property is white-hot news. So, let’s not lose sight of a few of the dangers. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve been writing about superannuation for well more than a decade. While superannuation “issues” occasionally get plenty of column centimetres in the mainstream media (while specialist media cover […]

Inside ASIC’s SMSF push

PORTFOLIO POINT: ASIC will make it tougher for industry professionals to push clients down the path of opening a SMSFs. The snowball in the numbers of SMSFs and the associated members and trustees continues rolling and growing. The latest tax office data, released over the weekend, shows SMSFs numbered 509,362 at 30 June, with a […]

A tax take on pension fund investing

PORTFOLIO POINT: If you no longer had to pay tax, would it change the way you invested? Taxation distorts decision making when it comes to investments. Taxation distorts a lot of things, including my face when I see my quarterly BAS/IAS. Tax law can channel investment down one path or another. It can promote or […]