Written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on 16 February 2021. Licensed by Copyright Agency. To put it mildly, 2020 was a harrowing year for investors. For Self-Managed Super Fund trustees, many sitting on their life’s retirement nest eggs, it was even more so. On February 20, the…
Written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Australian Financial Review on 28 January 2021. Licensed by Copyright Agency. Rejoicing at the indexation of the transfer balance cap from July 1 because you’ll get more in tax-free pension phase? How it will work is likely to be frustrating. Since July 1, 2016, the…
Written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Australian Financial Review on 29 December 2021. Licensed by Copyright Agency. On the radar are auditing changes, higher tax-free thresholds, increased contribution caps and an ATO crackdown on investment strategies. On the radar are auditing changes, higher tax-free thresholds, increased contribution caps and an ATO…
I’m sure there will be much discussion on the outcomes of the last 10 months of 2020 through December and into early 2021. If I had any idea of what a story that reflected on 2020 would look like a year ago, there may have been only one discussion point that I would have been…
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Financial Review on 04 December 2020. Licensed by Copyright Agency. Funds with balances of $200,000 or more are cost competitive with industry and retail superannuation funds and those with balances of $500,000 or more are typically the cheapest alternative. New research should…
Quite often a discussion about the investment emotional cycle starts as markets tend to head south. I recall a number of media articles circulating earlier this year following the February market correction. The basis of these discussions is often to provide hope that after the crash comes the correction and it’s true to say, that…
SMSFs are not for everyone, but for those individuals where an SMSF is entirely appropriate for them, the benefits can be considerable. In the context of ongoing public debate regarding the appropriate minimum size for an SMSF, new research has been provided to provide insights into the true costs of running an SMSF. And the…
November 2020 We believe that every Australian has the right to a good quality of life in retirement. An SMSF offers control, flexibility, and choice but ultimately, they aren’t the best option for everyone: it comes down to individual circumstances. To help those considering an SMSF for their retirement savings, this two-page flyer details a…
Written by Peter Burgess, Deputy CEO / Director of Policy & Education, SMSF Association First published in smstrusteenews on 20 November 2020. Licensed by Copyright Agency. Despite the strict rules which prevent or severely limit such activity, there is often a tendency for SMSF trustees to enter into transactions with themselves or relatives using the…
November 2020 The cornerstone of the 2020 SMSF Week was the release of a key piece of research, conducted by Rice Warner, to update its previous findings for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in 2013 ‘Costs of Operating SMSFs‘. Assessing the cost-effectiveness of SMSFs compared to APRA regulated super funds, the research, examines the…