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2 August 2025
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Peter Kell on FOFA and ASIC's five red flags, term deposit alternatives, promising research in superannuation, plan for dependants and more on death benefit pensions.
ASIC will be conducting both proactive and reactive surveillance activities, looking for licensees who fail to address FOFA issues. In particular, there are five 'red flags' relating to advice practices which ASIC has identified.
The cupboard is looking bare for the defensive allocation in a portfolio, with the real cash rate in Australia at zero. We look at the range of interest-producing investments available to generate better income.
The broad range of research areas and techniques used instill confidence that the academic researcher community will contribute significantly to improving superannuation choices and retirement outcomes in future.
Gifting an estate absolutely may not be ideal for family dependants who are unable to look after their own financial affairs. Plan ahead and check these tips if you are the carer for a family member.
Whether a reversionary or non-reversionary pension is better is not straightforward and depends on the circumstances of the case, but it's an important part of estate planning.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers aims to tackle tax reform but faces challenges. Previous reviews struggled due to political sensitivities, highlighting the need for comprehensive and politically feasible change.
With Div. 296 looming, is there a smarter way to tax superannuation? This proposes a fairer, income-linked alternative that respects compounding, ensures predictability, and avoids taxing unrealised capital gains.
The Labor government is talking up tax reform to lift Australia’s ailing economic growth. Before any changes are made, it’s important to know who pays tax, who owns assets, and how much people have in their super for retirement.
There are many ways to invest in stocks, but some strategies are more effective than others. Here are nine tried and tested investment approaches - choosing one of these can improve your chances of reaching your financial goals.
In selling the super tax, Labor has repeated Treasury claims of there being $50 billion in super tax concessions annually, mostly flowing to high-income earners. This figure is vastly overstated.
Markets have weathered geopolitical turmoil, hitting near record highs. Investors face tough decisions on valuations, asset concentration, and strategic portfolio rebalancing for risk control and future returns.