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Monday, 20 September 2021
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This is a complex but important example of how a couple with large super balances can achieve the best result when one of them dies. Even if you have used your Transfer Balance Cap, there are options available.
It sounds appealing to acquire a property now through your SMSF with the hope of residing in the property once you retire, but there are issues and costs to check that may vary by state.
The traditional 4% rule was designed to ensure retirees do not run out of money, but low interest rates and expensive equity markets question the sustainability of the level. What are the alternatives?
There has been a massive focus on the maximum allowed in a tax-free pension of $1.6 million, but what happens if your portfolio rises in value and you exceed it? Should you worry about it?
Most people think of super access in terms of age, but when life deals a cruel blow, the rules allow members early access subject to certain conditions. It's a valuable safety net.
After decades of intense work in financial markets, including Asia-wide responsibilities, a sabbatical walk along Spain's Camino led to an unexpected mix of superannuation insights and dealing with death.
Most people in retirement will have three financial goals in the decumulation stage to take account of the uncertainty of health, longevity and markets, and here's a framework to help.
Labor has been forced to exempt 'pensioners' from its franking credit refund policy, but the target remains the zero tax paid by large SMSFs in pension phase. That will sustain the class war.
Understanding the rules for starting an account-based pension to fund retirement income is an important part of estate planning and should be done with expert guidance.
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.
One consequence of the proposed super changes might be that keeping money in super is no longer the best option, especially due to new anti-detriment rules. There are many unexpected consequences now surfacing.
A clear challenge for superannuation funds is improving customer loyalty as they transition from accumulation phase to pension phase. There is not enough urgency in addressing member retention at this crucial moment.
Who knew? With some surprise results, the Government is on unexpected firm ground in asking people to draw on all their assets in retirement, although the comments show what feisty and informed readers we have.
The RBA Governor says rising house prices are due to "the design of our taxation and social security systems". The OECD says "the prolonged boom in house prices has inflated the wealth of many pensioners without impacting their pension eligibility." What's your view?
It's a remarkable statistic. In any year since 1875, if you had invested in the Australian stock index, turned away and come back eight years later, your average return would be 120% with no negative periods.
Never stand between Australian households and an uncapped government programme with $3 billion in ‘free money’ to build or renovate their homes. But excess supply is coming with an absence of net migration.
Picking macro trends is difficult. What may seem logical and compelling one minute may completely change a few months later. There are better rewards from focussing on identifying the best companies at good prices.
Some high-quality companies have emerged even stronger since the onset of COVID and are well placed for outperformance. We call these the ‘COVID Opportunists’ as they are now dominating their specific sectors.