17 July 2026

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Testamentary trusts post-budget: Estate planning, tax reform and the ‘death tax’ debate High quality businesses are on sale Meg on SMSFs: The CGT changes don’t impact super but what about Div 296 tax decisions?The strange effect of the 30% minimum capital gains tax Ranking three common retirement strategies

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Home / Author: Chris Cuffe

Chris Cuffe

Until debt do us part, Act 1

When the media latches onto stories dealing with debt, the tone tends to be alarmist. Such news lifts ratings but it doesn’t always shed light on the issues at hand. How much is 'too much’ debt, and what debt are we talking about?

Chris Cuffe
12 April 2013

Let’s kick this political football out of the ground

There’s only one way we can go with this divisive debate, as super is too important to be punted around. We need a completely independent and bipartisan group to provide guidance, opinion and direction.

Chris Cuffe
5 April 2013
5

Small can be beautiful

There are important advantages that relatively small investors have over large institutions. Small can be beautiful, even if the big guys can also do well throwing their weight around.

Chris Cuffe
14 March 2013
1

Outperformance: unique skill or free gift?

The ability of active fund managers to produce outperformance is generally attributed to a unique skill set. However, there are proven contributors to performance which are persistent and systematic, not manager skill.

Chris Cuffe
1 March 2013
2

What financial advice is worth paying for?

The value in good financial planning is understanding a client’s needs and setting and adhering to a realistic long-term strategy to achieve a desired outcome for the client. That is worth paying for.

Chris Cuffe
13 February 2013
5

To be perfectly franked, and pay no tax

Kerry Packer openly admitted that he managed his companies to minimise their tax bills. He would have loved superannuation and franking credits. A super fund needs only 32% of its assets allocated to fully franked shares to pay no income tax on its entire portfolio.

Chris Cuffe
3 February 2013
2

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Latest Updates

Planning

Does your will qualify for the discretionary testamentary trust exemption?

Treasury has confirmed the exemption many families were hoping for. But buried in the fine print are two conditions that could leave some wills on the wrong side of the exemption, despite years of careful planning.

Rachael Rofe
15 July 2026
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Lithium's latest drop and what it means for ASX investors

Lithium's latest sell-off has punished ASX miners as prices remain hostage to shifting expectations. The key challenge is navigating a market prone to extreme volatility despite a strong case for the long-term demand outlook.

David Tuckwell
15 July 2026

Investment strategies

CGT reform and fund turnover: who really feels the impact?

The implications of CGT reform are far and wide. As the 50% discount gives way to inflation indexation, turnover and return profiles may become critical drivers of after-tax performance. Some strategies face a far greater hit.

Ethan Xing
15 July 2026
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Superannuation

Super was built for a very different Australia

Our retirement system was built around assumptions that no longer hold. Lower homeownership, longer lifespans and changing expectations are exposing cracks that policymakers and super funds need to address.

Adam Nettheim
15 July 2026
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Retirement

Retirement in reality - 4 months in

Many people spend years planning financially for retirement but little time preparing for what comes next. Four months in, here are the surprising lessons I've learnt on finding purpose, social connection and healthy habits.

Dr Joanne Earl
15 July 2026
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Investment strategies

After the Budget, Australia needs its own definition of quality

As tax reforms reshape investment incentives, investors should rethink what quality investing means in the uniquely concentrated Australian market, where traditional frameworks may not translate as effectively.

Arian Neiron
15 July 2026
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Datacenters are the new shale oil

Why are tech giants pouring billions into datacentres when the economics look questionable? The most dangerous words in investing may be: "everyone else is doing it". Today's AI boom has striking parallels with the shale bust.

Harris Kupperman
15 July 2026
2

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