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21 December 2025
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Asset allocation explains up 70% of total investment returns, making it of critical importance to SMSFs. Here are some guidelines for how they should go about it and the macroeconomic events that could influence allocations.
An aging couple who question their ability to run their own fund look for ways to manage the next step - but without children to assist what can they do? There are potential solutions using NSW Trustee and Guardian.
The Australian Taxation Office has issued a directive about the top five errors in SMSF annual returns. Although many leave these to an administrator, it's worth knowing what's happening behind the scenes.
SMSFs come with an administration burden underestimated by many. For example, did you know trustees need to document a member’s decision to take the reduced pension minimum under the new COVID rules?
COVID-19 and the events of 2020 show why, more than ever, SMSF trustees need to prepare for the ‘unexpected’ by having an Enduring Power of Attorney in place. A Power of Attorney is not enough.
SMSFs are useful retirement vehicles, but there are rules to follow which can easily be overlooked in haste. Run your eyes over the next five rules in this continuing list.
A recent case highlights the importance of SMSF trustees exercising discretion to pay death benefits in good faith, with real and genuine consideration and in accordance with the purpose of the conferred power.
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.
The Royal Commission has severely damaged the reputations of many retail funds. While the CEO of the peak body for industry funds is not complacent, battles have been won.
The ATO has issued an update on illegal early release of super, when an SMSF is worth having, reporting obligations and trustee checklists. Make sure you stay on top of the rules.
Although over one million Australians are trustees of SMSFs, ASIC reports that many do not have the expertise or time to take responsibility to manage their own superannuation.
It's fashionable to have an SMSF, and at barbecue talk, it goes well with the new car, private school, investment property and overseas holiday. But who should really have one?
I’ve long seen Buffett as a flawed genius: a great investor though a man with shortcomings. With his final letter to Berkshire shareholders, I reflect on how my views of Buffett have changed and the legacy he leaves.
With rates on hold and housing demand strong, lenders are pushing boundaries. As risky products return, borrowers should be cautious and not let clever marketing cloud their judgment.
Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".
The superannuation system has succeeded brilliantly at what it was designed to do: accumulate wealth during working lives. The next challenge is meeting members’ diverse needs in retirement.
I am a professional real estate investor who hears a lot of opinions rather than facts from so-called experts on the topic of property. Here are the largest myths when it comes to Australia’s biggest asset class.
What should you do if you think this market is grossly overvalued? While it’s impossible to predict the future, it is possible to prepare, and here are three tips on how to best construct your portfolio for what’s ahead.