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27 April 2024
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Transition to Retirement Income Streams are no longer tax-free, but you can still access your super before retirement if you meet certain conditions, and there are strategies to reduce the tax paid.
It is not a standard end of financial year, as there are many items SMSF trustees and super members should check immediately, especially with the changes taking effect from 1 July 2017.
In addition to the $1.6 million transfer balance cap, SMSF members should also understand the concept of ‘total superannuation balance’ to stay within the rules and make the most of contribution opportunities.
Monica answers questions on her article on the $1.6 million cap. As she will be unable to answer more questions directly for a while, consider registering for her upcoming webinar.
SMSF trustees and other people with large super balances should realise there are two applications of the $1.6 million transfer balance cap, and final opportunities to grow retirement savings in the most tax-effective way.
Payments in and out of SMSFs involve legal grey areas where contributions could be made unintentionally and benefits might not be considered paid as intended. Watch those flows.
How useful are the retirement savings and spending targets put out by various groups such as ASFA? Not very, and it's reducing the ability of ordinary retirees to fully understand their retirement income options.
The US market has pummelled Australia's over the past 16 years and for good reason: it has some incredible businesses. Australia does too, but if you want to enjoy US-type returns, you need to know where to look.
As long as the banks have no desire to pay up for term deposit funding - which looks likely for a while yet - investors will continue to pay a premium for the higher yielding, but riskier hybrid instrument.
The rise of the Magnificent Seven and their large weighting in US indices has led to debate about concentration risk in markets. Whatever your view, the crowding into these stocks poses several challenges for global investors.
Money can bolster our joy in real ways. However, if we relentlessly chase wealth at the expense of other facets of well-being, history and science both teach us that it will lead to a hollowing out of life.
The copper market is barrelling towards a significant deficit and price surge over the next few decades that investors should not discount when looking at the potential for artificial intelligence and renewable energy.
Global REITs have been out of favour for some time. While office remains a concern, the rest of the sector is in good shape and offers compelling value, with many REITs trading below underlying asset replacement costs.