SMSF Insights

Opinion piece written by Peter Burgess, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 23 March 2023. Licensed by Copyright Agency. Unintended consequences could include insurance payouts, non recourse property loans and even death benefits. The government’s decision to introduce a $3 million cap on super balances above which earnings will be taxed at…

Written by Fabian Bussoletti, Technical Manager, SMSF Association Each year, several key superannuation rates and thresholds are indexed in line with movements to Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE) or Consumer Price Index (CPI). Following the release of these key statistics by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) last month, the thresholds most relevant to…

Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 23 February 2023. Licensed by Copyright Agency.  The Quality of Advice Review has a lot of good stuff, but the conversation is ongoing for specialist advisers and accountants. The final report of the Quality of Advice Review has much to…

Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 23 January 2023. Licensed by Copyright Agency.  It’s not only about the starting amount, says the regulator – illustrating the point with two different case studies. For anyone considering setting up a self-managed super fund, the updated guidance released recently…

Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 27 December 2022. Licensed by Copyright Agency.  With government proposals to cap large super balances, there are four key issues to consider. There will be no shortage of issues for self-managed super funds to grapple with in 2023. The debate…

Written by Peter Burgess, Deputy CEO / Director of Policy & Education On December 8 2022 ASIC released information Sheet 274 Tips for giving self-managed superannuation fund advice (INFO 274). This information sheet is designed to help Australian financial services (AFS) licensees and their representatives comply with their obligations when providing personal advice about SMSFs. INFO…

Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 1 December 2022. Licensed by Copyright Agency.  The income threshold for eligibility for a Senior’s Health Card has just been significantly increased in gift to many self-funded retirees. For some self-managed super fund (SMSF) members, Christmas has come early. Seven…

Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 4 November 2022. Licensed by Copyright Agency.  An ATO ruling that excludes family members on the death or divorce of their natural parent seems arbitrary in a society where blended families are widespread. For self-managed super fund trustees, the issue…

Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 5 October 2022. Licensed by Copyright Agency.  The High Court decision in Hill v Zuda has given trustees greater certainty around binding death benefit nominations. The High Court has spoken. In its decision in Hill v Zuda Pty Ltd, it…

Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in Financial Review on 7 September 2022. Licensed by Copyright Agency.  Accountants are crucial to DIY super funds yet their role has been overlooked in the Quality of Advice Review. When the Quality of Advice Review consultation paper was handed down recently, there was…