When most people think about estate planning, they imagine writing a will that says who gets what when they pass away. But here’s the twist: in Australia, your superannuation isn’t automatically covered by your Will. That surprises a lot of people – and it’s one of the most common questions financial advisers receive around estate […]
Update: unrealised gains no longer to be taxed
You may have read my earlier post in June this year about the proposed Division 296 Tax for super balances over $3 million. At the time, the proposal included taxing not only actual earnings (like interest or dividends) but also unrealised gains — that is, taxing increases in investment value that hadn’t yet been […]
Super Recontribution Strategy
Although it may sound a little odd, taking money out of super and putting it back in can actually be beneficial by reducing the amount of potential tax you or your dependents may pay in the future. A recontribution strategy aims to increase the ‘tax-free’ component of your super account while reducing the ‘taxable’ amount. […]
Higher Minimum Pensions from 1 July 2023
The recent 50% reduction in the minimum Account Based Pension withdrawal requirement came to an end on 1 July 2023. This was a temporary measure during and after COVID and was designed to reduce the depletion of ABPs in times of lower investment returns. From 1 July 2023, the minimum withdrawal percentages are reverting to […]
What is an SMSF and is it right for you?
What is an SMSF? A Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) does what it says on the tin – you manage your superannuation yourself, instead of delegating the management of your retirement savings to a large institution. In practice, very few people “Self Manage” their retirement savings entirely as they enlist the help of an adviser to […]