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Home / Author: Melanie Dunn

Melanie Dunn

8 hints for any SMSF in both accumulation and pension modes

The transfer balance cap has required some large SMSFs to transfer pension money back to accumulation, and the two pools must be treated carefully to maintain the full benefits from superannuation.

GPS Framework: A new way to think about SMSF retirement income

In retirement, it is the level of spending rather than investment returns which is the primary determinant of retirement outcomes, and there is a significant difference in spending patterns in later years.

Four common technical questions on SMSFs and super reform

Months after the major superannuation reforms of 1 July 2017, advisers and their clients are still asking important questions, especially about transfer balance caps and segregation.

Defined benefit pensions and the transfer balance cap

Defined benefit pensions once meant sitting back and enjoying the guaranteed income flow for life, but their treatment under the new pension rules is a potential minefield.

SMSFs and the pension cap: a case study

Four questions every SMSF member with large balances should be asking in the run up to 30 June 2017. There's enough here to warn not to leave understanding the rules until the last minute.

Low SMSF returns highlight value of retirement advice

Long periods of low returns are likely to compromise retirement goals that were set some years ago. This places greater importance on retirement advice and not assuming average returns and lifespans.

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Retirement

Why it’s time to ditch the retirement journey

Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".

Financial planning

How much does it really cost to raise a child?

With fertility rates at a record low, many say young people aren’t having kids because they’re too expensive. Turns out, it’s not that simple and there are likely other factors at play.

Exchange traded products

Passive ETF investors may be in for a rude shock

Passive ETFs have become wildly popular just as markets, especially the US, reach extreme valuations. For long-term investors, these ETFs make sense, though if you're investing in them to chase performance, look out below.

Shares

Bank reporting season scorecard November 2025

The Big Four banks shrugged off doomsayers with their recent results, posting low loan losses, solid margins, and rising dividends. It underscores their resilience, but lofty valuations mean it’s time to be selective. 

Investment strategies

The real winners from the AI rush

AI is booming, but like the 19th-century gold rush, the real profits may go to those supplying the tools and energy, not the companies at the centre of the rush.

Economy

Why economic forecasts are rarely right (but we still need them)

Economic experts, including the RBA, get plenty of forecasts wrong, but that doesn't make such forecasts worthless. The key isn't to predict perfectly – it's to understand the range of possibilities and plan accordingly.

Strategy

13 reflections on wealth and philanthropy

Wealth keeps growing, yet few ask “how much is enough?” or what their kids truly need. After 23 years in philanthropy, I’ve seen how unexamined wealth can limit impact, and why Australia needs a stronger giving culture.

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