When is it a viable option to open your own SMSF?

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Starting your own self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) has been a hot topic for over a decade now. In my time as a Financial Planner, I am observing that the age... Read more continue reading

When cash may be the risky option

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Despite term deposit rates scraping the lowest point in many years, the amount of cash on deposit by Australian investors has increased exponentially since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and... Read more continue reading

The most important thing you (probably) didn’t know you could do with your Will

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Choosing the person who will take care of your children should you pass away before they are 18 is, for most, one of the most important decisions you will ever... Read more continue reading

Bonds, Bunds & Bubbles – is the 30-year bond cycle over?

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“Yields on 10-year US Treasuries have fallen to 2.4% – a level that was unseen even in the Great Depression. This is ‘return-free risk’, said bond guru Jim Grant. It... Read more continue reading

The path to winding up an SMSF

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Winding up a SMSF may occur for a number of reasons but what needs to be done and what documents need to be prepared? There is a compliance/legal path to... Read more continue reading

How the new “objective of superannuation” legislation will change funds

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The superannuation system is now set to have a clear legislative purpose– and it is one which raises a raft of new questions. Almost 25 years after the government introduced... Read more continue reading

Trump uncertainty could be “huge” for gold

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Our positive view on the long-term prospects for gold remain unchanged. The U.S. elections are over, and markets will likely take time to reflect the full impact of a Trump... Read more continue reading

With 10 years to retirement can helping your children be detrimental to your own retirement?

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A lot of my clients are telling me “I want to help my children buy a home.” This is understandable given the average house price as a ratio to average... Read more continue reading

What is the pension transfer balance cap and how does it operate?  

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In late September, the government released the second tranche of proposed superannuation changes, which covers the pension transfer balance cap, concessional contribution changes, catch up concessional contributions and the removal... Read more continue reading

Property still hot for investors with growing number of Australians owning investment homes

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According to ING DIRECT’s latest Financial Wellbeing Index, property still holds strong appeal for investors with one in every five (20%) Australians saying they own an investment property. Despite tightened... Read more continue reading