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Tag: Superannuation

Here comes the investment property squeeze

SUMMARY: Property investors copping one in the neck – intense focus from regulators and FSI to cool the property market. Property investors must be wondering why a red bullseye suddenly appeared smack over their heart. Attacks are coming from everywhere. Two more financial watchdog heavyweights said this week that they wanted to tighten the screws on […]

Protect yourself using super

SUMMARY: Superannuation is not just about your retirement. A secondary purpose is to protect yourself and your family. Super is that great promise that you’ll have a grand sum of money to take yourself, and your betrothed, into a fabulous retirement. As you work and earn, it grows, in a compounding fashion, so that when […]

An income stream in the family home

SUMMARY: Reverse mortgages are likely, eventually, to become a mainstay of retirement planning. The day is coming when governments will declare that the family home is no longer sacrosanct when it comes to receiving Commonwealth benefits. That is, if you have a $2-million-plus, debt-free home, you won’t be able to (potentially) claim a full government […]

Gearing in DIY funds under threat

SUMMARY: SMSF borrowing arrangements and super tax for higher earners at biggest threat for change for Murray’s FSI final report. High-income earners and super property buyers could be about to cop a super bullet in the neck, if conjecture is to be believed. The industry chatter suggests that another series of “big bang” changes for […]

Think twice about taking a super lump sum

SUMMARY: Wondering what to do with your super at retirement? Look harder at the pension option. Sometimes you need an outsider to come in to critique. Rip what you’re doing to shreds. And tell you how to reconstruct it properly. American Professor Robert C Merton has done just that to Australia’s super system. On a […]

Six super strategies for couples

SUMMARY: Couples working together financially can make one plus one equal more than two. It’s an unusual statistic, though it shouldn’t be overly surprising: Surveys show the widowed are generally the least worried about their retirement. The reason is understandable. Most of two lifetimes spent saving to fund a joint retirement is now going to […]

Six ways to get ready for retirement

SUMMARY: Six steps to making sure your run up to retirement is as profitable as possible. There is a fuzzy point in your life when the retirement you have been working towards suddenly starts charging at you. It’s fuzzy because it’s going to be a different age for everyone. For most, it will happen somewhere […]

Australia takes silver in super rankings

SUMMARY: Australia picks up “silver” in global pensions survey – but has probably already lost its chance to defend its position next year. Australia has jumped to second in the global retirement incomes rankings – but could already have tumbled off the podium due to government policy changes. Denmark was the only country to have […]

How to choose between super and the mortgage

SUMMARY: Paying off your home, or contributing more to super? Lower rates can make this an even more super idea. Sustained low interest rates has certainly made paying off the mortgage easier in recent years. But it’s also given a boost to a combined super/mortgage strategy. A question often asked by those in their 50s […]

Saying goodbye to work … slowly

SUMMARY: Retiring too early? Don’t, there are plenty of reasons to stay working until you’re really ready to ride off into the sunset. The idea of turning in your badge, at the end of a long career, is becoming increasingly unpopular. For some, it’s actually dreaded. More and more, Australians want to continue working beyond […]