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Trust Deeds

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The nuts and bolts of testamentary trusts

Unlike family trusts, testamentary trusts are activated posthumously, empowering you to exert post-death control over your assets. Learn how testamentary trusts offer unique benefits and protective measures.

The nuts and bolts of family trusts

There are well over 800,000 family trusts in Australia, controlling more than $3 trillion of assets. Here's a guide on whether a family trust may have a place in your individual investment strategy.

Meg on SMSFs: Why a trust deed is still important

Even though SMSF trust deeds are often generic nowadays and almost always easy to change, they’re still vital. They’re definitely not all the same so it’s important that SMSF trustees know what they’ve got.

Meg on SMSFs: why my kids don’t belong to my SMSF… yet

Should you bring your children into your SMSF? It's a complex issue that's likely to be different for everyone, though here are some considerations before making a decision - one that hopefully satisfies all parties.

7 vital steps to compliance for your SMSF

A significant compliance breach can materially affect the tax effectiveness of your SMSF, so check you are complying with these seven steps and stay on top of the administration and obligations.

SMSFs and the control over estate planning

An SMSF’s governing documents, including the trust deed, should specify trustee structure in the event of the death of a member, to ensure that the deceased’s estate plan is realised.

Why SMSFs should have a corporate trustee

Only 22% of SMSFs have a corporate trustee, with the rest using individual trustees. The benefits of a corporate trustee are not widely appreciated or adopted, but they will be realised when it's too late.

SMSFs need care dealing with related parties

Transacting with related parties within an SMSF needs careful attention to avoid contravening the law. It can be tricky working out who is a related party, but doing everything at arm's length is a good start.

Importance of updating your SMSF Trust Deed

Your SMSF Trust Deed is an important document, governing what the trustees are allowed to do. As superannuation laws change, so too must the Trust Deed, or you risk having a non-compliant fund on your hands.

Reader questions on operating an SMSF

A compilation of answers to readers’ questions covering powers of attorney, enduring guardianship, succession planning and limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBAs) within an SMSF.

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The growing debt burden of retiring Australians

More Australians are retiring with larger mortgages and less super. This paper explores how unlocking housing wealth can help ease the nation’s growing retirement cashflow crunch.

Four best-ever charts for every adviser and investor

In any year since 1875, if you'd invested in the ASX, turned away and come back eight years later, your average return would be 120% with no negative periods. It's just one of the must-have stats that all investors should know.

LICs vs ETFs – which perform best?

With investor sentiment shifting and ETFs surging ahead, we pit Australia’s biggest LICs against their ETF rivals to see which delivers better returns over the short and long term. The results are revealing.

Our experts on Jim Chalmers' super tax backdown

Labor has caved to pressure on key parts of the Division 296 tax, though also added some important nuances. Here are six experts’ views on the changes and what they mean for you.        

Family trusts: Are they still worth it?

Family trusts remain a core structure for wealth management, but rising ATO scrutiny and complex compliance raise questions about their ongoing value. Are the benefits still worth the administrative burden?

Preparing for aged care

Whether for yourself or a family member, it’s never too early to start thinking about aged care. This looks at the best ways to plan ahead, as well as the changes coming to aged care from November 1 this year.

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