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19 July 2025
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How do you start accessing your super funds when you stop working, or maybe even before you stop working? This covers the basics, including how to switch your super accumulation account to an account-based pension.
Research suggests that 50,000 Australians who are retiring over the next year may not be able to access an account-based pension because they do not meet minimum application requirements of their super fund.
Draft regulations released this week finally provide the framework for unwinding legacy pensions cleanly and simply for members who choose to do so. There are some caveats though, including a time limit.
It’s common to assume that once a member decides to wind up their SMSF, it should happen as quickly as possible. But sometimes slowing down can be important, particularly if there are pensions involved.
Money withdrawn from super after age 60 is tax-free but less understood are arrangements that allows a couple over the age of 67 to earn up to $57,948 per year outside super and pay no tax with LITO and SAPTO.
Pension payments in super after the age of 60 are tax free and anyone over 65 can switch their super into a pension account even if they do not change their employment. Why do so many continue paying 15% tax?
Super reviews aggregate retirees into an impersonal number on a chart, but the 2,700 Australians who retire each week are undergoing a major change in their lives. Why and when do they retire and then what?
Australians don't need dodgy schemes in Caribbean islands to hide their wealth. There are plenty of legal ways to avoid paying tax but they will leave personal income tax carrying a heavy burden for future generations.
Tax breaks are one reason to have long term investments in super because it can mean a complete tax exemption on capital gains that have built up over years. But is it essential to start the pension before selling assets?
Mark Delaney of AustralianSuper manages more retirement savings than any other person in the country. He explains his views on illiquid assets, bonds versus equities, internal funds management and a coming recession.
The new tax on super over $3 million brings alternatives into play for tax efficiency. For investors who can be bothered juggling different types of pools, there are ways to avoid the tax on unrealised gains.
In many ways, super pensions in an SMSF and a large public fund are the same, but flexibility differences give the SMSF features such as drawing money out as needed, managing as a couple and no need to move assets.
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.
You've no doubt heard about Division 296. These case studies show what people at various levels above the $3 million threshold might need to pay the ATO, with examples ranging from under $500 to more than $35,000.
The $3m super tax could be put down to the Government needing money and the wealthy being easy targets. It’s deeper than that though and this looks at the factors behind the policy and why more taxes on the wealthy are coming.
Business investment and per capita GDP have languished over the past decade and the Labor Government is conducting inquiries to find out why. Franking credits should be part of the debate about our stalling economy.
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.
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.