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Tag: ATO

Making death less taxing for your kids

SUMMARY: Do you want to make it tax-free for the next generation? A recontribution strategy requires some forward planning. We all know and love super as this great income stream that comes to us tax-free eventually, usually after we turn 60 or 65. Well, most of it comes tax-free to nearly all of us. There […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Busting the super reforms myths

PORTFOLIO POINT: Let’s bust a few myths about the real losers of last week’s high-end super tax grab. One week out from the new changes to super and the uncertainty as to how everything will really work is no less confusing. There are way too many questions that need to be answered. For that, we’re […]

Super pension shift can make tax sense

PORTFOLIO POINT: Considering how to protect recent gains? Some trustees might benefit from a shift to a super pension. Stock markets seem to be getting choppy, following a largely stellar run since the middle of last year. After months of gradual rises, the last few weeks has seen daily movements turn jittery again. A big […]