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22 May 2026
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Many people believe it is not possible to hold more than $1.6 million in assets supporting pension accounts, but there's good news for the reader asking this question.
A more detailed response to comments on the previous article requesting clarification on the ability to segregate assets in superannuation, especially for SMSFs and members with over $1.6 million.
The added complexity of the new superannuation rules increases the compliance burden for investors and their advisers, and the requirements around the $1.6 million threshold are especially complex.
The accounting profession has been sold a pup by the ASIC licensing rules which allow accountants to advise on SMSFs. It's a different business model requiring full financial risk and due diligence analysis.
The SMSF market is facing two important changes: AFSL requirements for accountants who advise SMSF clients and the ATO closing a loophole on interest-free loans provided to SMSFs by its members.
In 1999, the ATO assumed regulatory control of SMSFs as they were seen as tax vehicles, not serious retirement funds. In 2015, does the ATO have any role in ensuring that SMSF members have a comfortable retirement?
A return to indexation of capital gains would be a fairer way to compensate households for the effects of inflation than the current discount. Importantly, it opens the door to future, broader reforms to stop the taxation of inflation.
Australia may not levy formal death duties, but a growing web of tax measures is quietly shaping what wealth passes between generations. Now, the 2026 budget adds another layer.
From oil shocks to fractured alliances, the Iran war carries the hallmarks of a historic policy misstep - one that could tip an already fragile global economy into crisis.
Marketed as a fix for inequality and housing affordability, the latest budget instead delivers a tangle of tax changes that leave everyday Australians worse off.
Copper has had a rough few weeks but investors should not ignore the potential for future price increases as supply increasingly falls behind demand.
The budget’s property tax reforms are being framed as fairness measures, but they risk splitting the housing market, penalising lower‑income investors and introducing distortions that may prove costly.
The vast and opaque world of private assets is a powerful gravitational force - and when trouble hits, it's the more liquid public equities that often the feel it first.