Welcome to 2022! For some, the beginning of a new year is a time to start anew, to plan ahead or make resolutions for the new year. So here are some of the things that I have picked up on as I, like you no doubt, have been receiving a lot of ‘information’ in our…
January 27, 2022
Common SMSF trustee mistakes that will trigger ATO action
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 27 January 2022. Licensed by Copyright Agency. The Australian Taxation Office takes a dim view of non-compliance – penalties range from fines to freezing the fund’s assets. While most self-managed super fund trustees don’t need to be reminded of the…
January 20, 2022
SMSFs & Property series (Part 5): Owning property through a related unit trust with your SMSF
SMSF & Property Series: Part 5 Written by Mary Simmons, Technical Manager, SMSF Association In part 4 of our property series, we discussed how using a fixed unit trust can enable an SMSF to acquire real estate which the SMSF may not otherwise have sufficient funds to acquire itself. It can also assist in diversifying…
January 18, 2022
Spotlight Series: Find out why precious metals are still an attractive asset class in today’s modern world
In our first SMSF Connect Spotlight for 2022, The Perth Mint’s Jordan Eliseo (Manager – Listed Products and Investment Research), joined us for a chat on why precious metals – such as gold, continue to be an attractive asset class in today’s modern world, and provided insights on The Perth Mint’s investment solutions, which may be an option for…
January 10, 2022
What’s ahead for SMSF trustees in 2022
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 29 December 2021. Licensed by Copyright Agency. An election year means super reforms could be scrapped, with more changes on the cards if there is a change in government. Election years are always fraught with potential superannuation changes, but in…
December 20, 2021
Issue 28: Understanding investment product structures (Part 4): Fixed income and alternatives
Over the last three months we have taken a look at investment product structures and how a range of assets classes fit within these, starting at a high level in September with ‘Understanding investment product structures’, in October, which dealt with equities in Part 2, and last month we looked at property assets. This month…
December 13, 2021
SMSFs & Property series (Part 4): SMSFs owning property through an unrelated unit trust
SMSF & Property Series: Part 4 Written by Mary Simmons, Technical Manager, SMSF Association In our previous articles in this series, we outlined the more traditional ways an SMSF can invest in property. This has typically involved an SMSF buying the underlying real property, or a portion of it, and receiving rent from the tenants…
December 13, 2021
Pressing need for SMSF trustees to seek specialist advice
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on 07 December 2021. Licensed by Copyright Agency. The Productivity Commission’s Superannuation: Assessing Efficiency and Competitiveness report in 2018 lamented that super fund members were often sold short when getting financial advice. In one of its recommendations relating to…
December 13, 2021
The five things to ask and do before you retire and tap into your self-managed superannuation fund
Opinion piece written by Tracey Scotchbrook, Policy Manager, SMSF Association First published in The West Australian on 13 December 2021. Licensed by Copyright Agency. During our working life, the focus is on building a superannuation nest egg for retirement. That can seem a long way down the track until that time suddenly arrives. Planning for…
December 2, 2021
More flexible super contribution rules in the pipeline
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 02 December 2021. Licensed by Copyright Agency. Legislation before Parliament will allow substantial top ups to retirement savings for those aged 67-74. Self-managed super funds are set to become key beneficiaries of legislation before Parliament that will introduce more flexible…