Written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Australian Financial Review on 02 January 2019. Licensed by Copyright Agency. The outcome of two court cases involving self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) auditors will have long-term consequences for SMSF advisers and trustees. The cases – Cam & Bear Pty Ltd v McGoldrick and Ryan…
October 16, 2018
Retiree self protection: A volatility-and-downturn ‘bucket’
Written by Robin Bowerman, Head of Market Strategy and Communications at Vanguard/Board Director of the SMSF Association This is a straightforward strategy intended to reduce the possibility of retirees – particularly those with many years of retirement ahead – having to sell investments at depressed prices to maintain their income in the event of an…
September 28, 2018
Franking credits inquiry announced: Have your story heard – The Alliance for a Fairer Retirement System
Video featuring John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association & Ian Henschke, Chief Advocate, National Seniors First published on the Alliance for a Fairer Retirement System website. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics has announced an inquiry into the implication of removing refundable franking credits. This inquiry will report on the use of refundable franking…
September 12, 2018
Three-year SMSF audits are no ‘fix-all’ solution
Written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Australian Financial Review on 12 September 2018. Licensed by Copyright Agency. In the 2018 federal budget, the government announced a proposal to allow self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) with good record-keeping and compliance records to have an audit once every three years rather than every…
August 22, 2018
Guard your super
Written by Robin Bowerman, Head of Corporate Affairs at Vanguard/Vice Chair of the SMSF Association Critical challenges for super fund members in the accumulation phase are to keep their savings intact and to keep adding to those savings when possible with voluntary contributions. Australia’s $2.6 trillion-plus super savings can present a powerful temptation to obtain some of…
August 1, 2018
Examining the S in SMSF
Written by Robin Bowerman, Head of Corporate Affairs at Vanguard Australia/Board Director of the SMSF Association First published in Cuffelinks on 26 July 2018. One of the great misnomers in the Australian investment scene is that self-managed super funds are actually self-managed. The simple reality is that there is an entire advice industry built around…
July 31, 2018
The future of SMSF reporting is here
Written by Jordan George, Head of Policy, SMSF Association This article originally appeared in the July 2018 ASX Investor Update email newsletter and is published on the ASX website. The new financial year brings new reporting requirements for SMSFs and a new set of acronyms. From 1 July 2017 superannuation fund members are subject to…
July 19, 2018
Fear factor investing
Written by Robin Bowerman, Head of Corporate Affairs at Vanguard Australia/Board Director of the SMSF Association Fear is a factor in many of our investment decisions. Now, that’s not always a bad thing because fear can be an effective motivator that overcomes another great emotional roadblock for investors – procrastination. Fear can come in many…
July 11, 2018
The good, bad, and potentially ugly for SMSFs
Written by Robin Bowerman, Head of Corporate Affairs at Vanguard Australia/Board Director of the SMSF Association First published in The Australian Financial Review on Tuesday, 3 July 2018. Licensed by Copyright Agency. “Two hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money. We’re gonna have to earn it” Clint Eastwood said as Blondie in The Good,…
July 2, 2018
The growth of savings outside super
Written by Robin Bowerman, Head of Corporate Affairs at Vanguard Australia/Board Director of the SMSF Association Are you among the investors holding a growing proportion of your investments outside super? Changes to the super system – particularly the lowering of contribution caps and the introduction of the $1.6 million pension transfer cap* – are inevitably…