Australia’s peak superannuation body, the Self-Managed Superannuation Funds Association (SMSFA), warns that while Labor’s plan to axe cash refunds for excess franking credits may have monopolised attention in the countdown to the election, investors stand to lose out even more from other proposals. Women and those with broken work patterns are among those most likely […]
Just over four years ago Sarah bought an investment property. To help pay for it she took out a $400,000, 25-year mortgage that offered interest-only (IO) repayments for the first five years. At an interest rate of 4% per annum those initial repayments amounted to $1,333 per month.[1] The benefit of IO was that it […]
One of the most popular questions we are asked by our clients is whether it’s best to pay off their mortgage first or salary sacrifice money into their super fund – or can they do both? The answer to this question is never the same considering that everyone’s needs are completely different, but we thought […]
You might think that only importers and exporters pay attention to the value of the Aussie dollar, but movements in the exchange rate affect us all. After peaking at US$0.81 in late January 2018 the Australian dollar fell as low as US$0.70 in October. It also fell against a number of other currencies. A falling […]
Debt can be a wonderful slave but an unforgiving master. Australians have an extraordinarily high level of consumer debt. It fuels our lives. For example, there were more than 242,000,000 credit card transactions just in the month of July 2018 – valued at more than $28 billion! ($758 million of this was in cash advances). […]
Property is a popular investment asset that contains a number of significant advantages including income generation, capital growth, resistance to major market downturns and substantial tax deductions. Although tax deductions and offsets shouldn’t be the key reason to invest in property, if you have purchased a property make sure that you use every concession available […]
That $50 note in your pocket. What’s it worth? “$50,” you say, probably thinking it’s a dumb question. But is it really? Or a sheet of plastic and a bit of ink that likely cost the note printer less than a cent? Your $50 note only has value because the government declares that it does. […]
Over 65? Thinking of selling your home? From 1 July 2018 you may be able to contribute up to $300,000 ($600,000 for a couple) from the proceeds of the sale of your home to your superannuation fund. This incentive, known as the ‘downsizer contribution’, is part of a federal government program to improve housing affordability. […]
Each year in early May, the Treasurer delivers the Federal Budget and many people across Australia listen intently. The Budget tells us how the government plans to spend its revenue in the coming year, whether it can afford to give us tax cuts, and whether it expects to spend more (creating a deficit) or less […]
You may have noticed significant media coverage recently regarding the Australian Labor Party’s proposed policy to stop SMSFs from receiving tax refunds for the franking credits they receive in conjunction with the dividends paid from Australian companies they own. First of all, what are franking credits and how do they benefit SMSFs? Under the Australian […]