Some of you may have caught Darren on SkyNews for the live weekly program ‘Your Money Your Call’ on Thursday April 27th. The special ‘Super Thursday’ episode featured discussions around the 1 July 2017 contribution changes with Sam Henderson, Darren and Kate Anderson. The program featured live calls from the public with their questions on […]
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Census releases ‘Claire’; the ‘typical’ Australian
Full census results from the 2016 Census will come out in June this year but the ABS have revealed the first part of the Census results a few days ago with a painted picture of who a ‘typical’ Australian is. Thank goodness because looking around, there’s so much diversity that we really needed an official […]
Property vs Shares
It’s the age old question – property vs shares, which should I invest in? Australians have a love affair with property and if we’re comparing property vs shares on an emotional basis, then property is in a different league to shares. But if it came down to a return on investment, either could win on a […]
Changes to Super Rules from 1 July 2017
Superannuation rules are changing (again), so we thought it would be helpful to prepare a summary of the key changes and look at who they might impact. Superannuation Contribution Terms Contributions Payments to your super fund by your employer, yourself or someone else. Can be made as cash or other permitted form (e.g. ASX listed […]
60 seconds with Julia
Some of you may already have met her, some of you may not. Either way, an introduction is way overdue for the newest member of our growing team at Align Financial – here’s 60 seconds with Julia! What is your role at Align Financial and when did you start? My role is Office and Communications […]
Better-off Age Pensioners have incentives to hoard cash
Darren is quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald by finance journalist John Collett in an article from 23 November 2016 on the Age Pension changes that occurred at the beginning of this year. If you haven’t already made changes yet, read the article below on ways to help you maximise your pension. For any enquiries or […]
Australia Day Quiz
Do it in good Aussie spirit – no cheating! Q: What’s the fourth line of the Australian National Anthem? What state is represented by the waratah? Who appeared on the old $1 note? Where is the big prawn? How many stars are on the Australian flag? What does ANZAC stand for? What game is traditionally […]
Are All Investment Property Expenses Tax Deductible?
One of the most common misconceptions with investment properties is the belief that all expenses are tax deductible. While this would often suit the taxpayer, it is not the approach taken by the Australian Tax Office. There is an important difference between repairs & maintenance and improvements, and getting it right can help reduce tax […]
Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017!
Dear Clients, Friends and Readers Far & Wide, 2016 has been a fantastic year for us and we couldn’t have ended it on a higher note! As a small business in a sleepy suburb, we are thrilled to have won the prestigious AFA Adviser of the Year for 2016. It makes all the hard work […]
Darren is part of the Most Trusted Advisers group
Darren has been included as part of the Most Trusted Advisers group. What exactly is the Most Trusted Advisers group? Finding the right financial planner can be hard work. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what all their current clients think of them? Well all this hard work has been done for you by the Beddoes […]