Prepared by Investment Trends for BT Financial Group in partnership with the SMSF Association The SMSF Insights Research Paper on Diversification in SMSFs details the results of a short quantitative online survey of financial planners conducted between February and March 2018. Choosing what investments to include in a portfolio is seldom an easy task. This…
April 26, 2018
Personal Superannuation Contributions – 10% rule repealed
With the end of the financial year fast approaching, it is the perfect time to start thinking about your income tax deductions. Under the new Government changes to super, effective 1 July 2017, the 10% maximum earnings condition for personal superannuation contributions was removed for the 2017-18 and future financial years. This rule provided that…
April 4, 2018
In what ways can a person contribute to their super fund?
Besides your employer contributions, you can also contribute extra to your super However, there are limits to how much you can contribute and these are referred to as Contribution Caps. There are different limits to the caps which depend on the type of contributions made into your super fund, these are explained in-depth below. Concessional…
March 19, 2018
The popular choice for new SMSFs: A corporate trustee
19 March 2018 Written by Robin Bowerman, Head of Market Strategy and Communications at Vanguard/Board Director of the SMSF Association A fundamental question for intending SMSF members is whether to have a corporate trustee or individual trustees for their new fund. More than 80 per cent of new SMSFs established in 2016-17 had a corporate…
March 16, 2018
The Active Versus Passive Debate in Australia – How did Australian active funds perform in 2017?
Content provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices The S&P Index Versus Active SPIVA® Australia Scorecard reports on the performance of actively managed Australian mutual funds against their respective benchmark indices over 1-, 3-, 5-, 10-, and 15-year investment horizons. There is no consistent trend in the yearly active versus index figures, but we have consistently…
March 6, 2018
Property and your self managed super fund
Directly held property makes up approximately 19% of all SMSF assets, indicating that it is considered an important and significant part of a diversified portfolio. There are numerous strategies and ways for property to form part of your SMSF’s investments. It is imperative you are aware of the risks and returns and carefully consider whether…
February 28, 2018
SMSF Estate Planning under the new reforms
From 1 July 2017, the introduction of the transfer balance cap (TBC) impacted the amount of capital that an individual could use to support an income stream in retirement phase. The TBC also applies to death benefit income streams and therefore changes the way we must think about estate planning. With the introduction of the…
February 9, 2018
The cryptic-ness of cryptocurrency – Bitcoin and your SMSF
The recent rises, and don’t forget the falls, of Bitcoin have thrusted its name, and cryptocurrencies more generally, into the spotlight. Not only are early adopters and technology minded individuals investing but it has also captured the attention of investors more used to conventional assets. This interest has spread to SMSF investors. What is bitcoin?…
December 19, 2017
Common expenses within your self-managed super fund
The ATO recently updated their Taxation Ruling TR93/17 which covers income tax deductions that are available to superannuation funds. It is important you are aware of the different types of expenses and their deductibility within your self-managed super fund. Generally speaking, a deduction is a loss or outgoing incurred by a super fund in the…
December 12, 2017
Looking to the future with your SMSF
Your SMSF is up and running. It’s important you don’t let things slide and suddenly six months or longer has passed by without addressing your next steps. Now is the best time to plan for the future. The sooner you start planning your journey towards retirement, the more you will be able to take advantage…