Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on 10 November 2020. Licensed by Copyright Agency. Eight out of 10 Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) trustees believe the cost of running their own fund represents good value for money. An SMSF Association survey found that trustees responsible…
SMSF trustee guide to navigating way through pandemic
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Financial Review on 6 November 2020. Licensed by Copyright Agency. With COVID-19 having moved the goal posts even more dramatically than the GFC, failure to keep up with the changes will be costly. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s lives and SMSF…
How a six-member SMSF could benefit you
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Financial Review on 15 October 2020. Licensed by Copyright Agency. Small businesses and families with pooled assets could find extra flexibility as well as lower fees by taking advantage of the relaxation of the size limit. The federal government has introduced legislation…
Managing withdrawals in excess of the reduced minimum pension drawdown
Written by Mary Simmons, Technical Manager, SMSF Association As you may be aware minimum pension payments for the previous financial year and the current financial year have been halved for account based pensions, including transition to retirement income streams and market linked pensions. The good news is that as a result of this change, you…
Cash proves king for SMSFs in COVID-19 slump
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on 09 June 2020. Licensed by Copyright Agency. One of the benefits of saving for retirement through a self-managed super fund is that when you need to respond quickly to changing economic or market conditions that could hurt the…
Here’s an end-of-year guide for SMSF trustees
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in the Financial Review on 21 May 2020. Licensed by Copyright Agency. COVID-19 will make the end of the financial year more complicated than usual for some self-managed superannuation fund trustees. Here are some tips. For self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) trustees, the end of any financial…
Webinar series: COVID-19 in discussions with the ATO
In this 3-part webinar series, Peter Hogan, Head of Technical, SMSF Association speaks with Steven Keating, Director, SMSF Client Experience – SMSF Segment, from the Australian Taxation Office on the ways the ATO is supporting SMSF trustees during the COVID-19 pandemic, and important measures to be aware of. These important measures include: Temporary early access…
Do’s and don’ts of repositioning your SMSF portfolio
Opinion piece written by John Maroney, CEO, SMSF Association First published in The Financial Review on 23 April 2020. Licensed by Copyright Agency. Given COVID-19 volatility, trustees should be revisiting the objectives they have set for their long-term retirement savings as well as the investments. One of the many benefits of using a self-managed superannuation…
ASIC grants relief enabling affordable and timely advice during COVID-19
Following a decision handed down by ASIC on April 14th 2020, it will be easier for Australians to get assistance from professional accountants and financial advisers in making decisions about their financial position in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has announced three temporary relief measures to help…
COVID-19 – Providing concessions for the LRBA in my SMSF
The economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are causing significant financial distress for many businesses and individuals. If your SMSF has a related party loan and is impacted due to the financial effects of COVID-19, you may be able to provide your LRBA with relief under an agreed commercial arrangement. Ordinarily, not paying market interest…