Family Trusts are a popular small business structure. They can serve a wide range of purposes and be extremely useful vehicles for tax planning, financial planning and investment. We take a look at the basic principles of a family trust, their benefits and how they work. What is a Family Trust? Firstly, let’s unpack what […]
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What is retirement in the 21st century?
Whilst the idea of retirement might be relatively young, its definition seems to have evolved in the last few decades from a linear approach to a more segmented type of retirement. One of the major contributing factors in the last decade is our life cycle. Towards the end of the 20th century, the average life […]
Extra, Extra, Don’t Read All About It
If you’re reading the investment headlines in the news around this time of year, then you might start to feel a bit of anxiety around whether your investments are well placed. Reading the news is one thing but acting on it is another. Take some of these headlines from last week. On Tuesday 4 December, […]
Tips on Beating Christmas Financial Stress
We all know Christmas is generally the most expensive time of the year. And it’s easy to get rattled at the thought of all the costs associated with the festive season. Buying appropriate presents for every member of the family, as well as the person next to you in the office (who you think is […]
Mixing Business with Family & Friends
This weekend is my 25-year High School reunion. I’m looking forward to catching up with old mates, listening to stories about how each and every one of us has found our way in life, and contrasting this with what was written by our teachers on our report cards. I remember a conversation from our 20-year […]
SMSF Borrowing – Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangements FAQ
Self-Managed Super Funds are able to borrow to buy an asset under what is known as a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement (LRBA). There are many benefits to buying an investment property with SMSF borrowing but there are certain conditions that must be met prior to borrowing, and specific rules on how the arrangement must be […]
The Advantages of Super Contribution Splitting
One of the less known strategies we frequently use is superannuation splitting. It’a relatively simple concept and I think the potential benefits are often overlooked or not completely understood. We take a quick look at what super splitting is, how it works and who it can benefit. What is Splitting? Super splitting provides the opportunity to […]
Diagram: How SMSF Property Loans Work
Although Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs) are normally not permitted to borrow, one of the exceptions to this rule is an SMSF Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement (LBRA). A simple outline of how this works: Your SMSF wants to buy property. It doesn’t have enough to pay for the full purchase. It seeks out a loan from […]
Why Petrol Prices are High & Tips on Saving Fuel
Petrol prices have reached record levels with some regional areas paying more than $2 a litre for fuel. Filing up the car with petrol is usually one of the biggest weekly purchases for most families. So what’s caused this spike in price and is there anything we can do to reduce our petrol cost? Price […]
Are we at the end of a bull market?
I read last week that the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P 500, which is a measure of 500 of the largest companies in the USA) closed at a record high for the 100th time since the election of President Trump. Finishing the day at just under 3,000, the closely watched index suggests the US […]