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Gordon Mackenzie

How pension accounts can exceed $1.6 million

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.

Pension income and segregation in an SMSF

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.

And we’re off: super tax risks post 1 July

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.

SMSF accountants and the unexploded grenade

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.

Ructions in the SMSF market

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.

What exactly is the ATO’s role in SMSFs?

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?

Latest Updates

Retirement

How inflation is quietly moving the goalposts on retirement

Inflation doesn’t just raise today’s bills - it quietly increases the amount needed to retire, while simultaneously making it harder to save. Three steps to take before June 30th to improve retirement outcomes.

Investment strategies

Three strategies for investing amid AI whiplash

AI fears have shifted from bubble talk to disruption anxiety, driving investors toward asset-heavy, 'AI-resistant' businesses while punishing many software and service firms. This environment may be ripe for stock pickers.

Investment strategies

Are private market assets the answer in an unstable world?

Private markets can offer diversification and return potential, but their opacity, scale and wide dispersion of outcomes make manager selection and due diligence critical for non‑institutional investors.

Property

Mispriced in plain sight: The case for Global REITs

Global REITs have fallen out of favour, trading at deep discounts after years of underperformance, despite resilient earnings and improving fundamentals.

Investment strategies

Survival is the only success

True financial success isn’t about how much you make, but whether you can sustain it — survival is the only win that matters.

Investment strategies

$42 billion too late

Why Australia's biggest energy bet may already be redundant while a less celebrated government program is exceeding expectations. 

Investment strategies

Do investors accept lower returns from assets that make them feel good?

Assets that deliver emotional satisfaction tend to offer lower financial returns, as investors accept an “emotional yield” in place of performance which shapes how investors approach ESG and unpopular assets.

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