Self Managed Super Funds continue to be a popular choice for those wanting more control over their retirement savings. The focus within SMSFs is often on implementing strategies to boost your account balance or reduce the tax bill. But an equally important stage of the lifecycle is estate planning with an SMSF. Estate planning and […]
Does the 4 percent rule still work?
The 4 percent withdrawal rule is a rule of thumb that helps investors easily calculate how much they need to save in order to ‘live off the earnings for the rest of their life’. Without this guideline, it would be very difficult for most people to plan for decades of non-working life without worrying about […]
Understanding Investment Bonds
Investment bonds (sometimes call insurance bonds) were once a popular investment vehicle for high income earners. However, in the mid 1980’s along came superannuation, which soon became the investment of choice for many. Investment bonds are now undergoing a resurgence of sorts. And this is thanks to the restrictions on the amount that can be […]
Investing for Children
I am often asked, “What is the best way to save for my daughter’s university degree?” or “We want to help our son with a deposit on his first home, should we invest in his name or ours?”. Investing for children is fairly simple yet the best way to set up such investments is not […]
What do I need for estate planning?
It’s true – you can’t take it with you. Yet with a carefully planned estate, you can ensure what you have worked hard to create will be left to those closest to you, and not wasted in the form of avoidable tax and legal fees. At a minimum, estate planning requires 3 different documents: a […]