The legislation does not expressly state what types of investments an SMSF can invest in, although there are some regulatory limitations. Two of the main rules are the ‘sole purpose test’ and investments being ‘arm’s length’. The sole purpose test holds that all investments must be maintained for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits to members…
SMSF Borrowing: What are the rules?
March 2017 In this session we will explore the gearing options available to you and your SMSF. Limited recourse borrowing arrangements have been available to SMSF trustees who want to borrow to invest for some time now. Despite this, it is not well understood that the risks of gearing in your SMSF are different to…
SMSF and Insurance
February 2017 Trustees of SMSFs are required to regularly review their investment strategy and to consider insurance for the members as part of that review. Up until 1 July 2014 any type of life insurance could be held through superannuation, however from this date SIS regulation 4.07d will prevent trustees from offering insurance where the…
Lifecycles of your SMSF
February 2017 In this session we will look at the lifecycles of your SMSF and examine the many ways the investments in your SMSF can create wealth for your retirement. Those times in your working life when you are accumulating your wealth can require different strategies to those adopted once you are in retirement. In…
February 22, 2017
Understanding the lifecycle of an SMSF
Recognising the different phases of your life and adjusting your retirement strategy to adapt to those changes is important to the success of your long-term planning. This is the case whether you are setting up your SMSF, accumulating wealth, paying an income stream or winding up your fund. So, what are some of the issues…
February 8, 2017
Transition to retirement pensions – back to their true purpose
The changes to superannuation announced in the 2016 Federal Budget have been passed by Parliament. Amongst the changes was legislation which will remove tax concessions for transition to retirement pensions (TTRs) and bring them closer to their purpose of providing income to members as they transition to retirement. Transition to retirement pensions (TTRs) make it…
January 31, 2017
Contributions – what the changed concessional and non-concessional caps may mean for you
With the superannuation changes announced in the 2016 Federal Budget now passed by Parliament, there is greater certainty for you when approaching your SMSF planning and the contributions you might wish to make to your SMSF. Concessional (pre-tax) contributions made into your SMSF are included in the SMSF’s assessable income. They are taxed in your…
January 18, 2017
The $1.6 million transfer balance cap – what does it mean for you?
The changes to superannuation announced in the 2016 Federal Budget have been passed by Parliament. Amongst those changes was the introduction of a $1.6 million transfer balance cap which limits the total amount that can be transferred into the tax-free retirement phase. This new limit on superannuation will apply from 1 July 2017 and creates…
SMSF Income Streams
January 2017 There are a number of types of income streams which can be paid from superannuation funds or with superannuation benefits. However, even though some, such as term allocated pensions and defined benefit income streams such as lifetime and term certain pensions are generally no longer allowed to be commenced within an SMSF, there…
December 20, 2016
Life events and your SMSF
Your SMSF is highly likely to be affected, either for better or worse, by the life events that befall you as a member of your SMSF. This is because you are not only a member of your SMSF, but also a trustee, tasked with the obligations to manage and look after the fund and its…