SMSF

Self-managed super funds have once again returned to popularity in recent years, with establishments seeing growth once again, as more Australians become engaged with their retirement assets. One of the less-appreciated considerations for all people, however, is what happens to your superannuation when you die. Death benefits from superannuation fall outside of your will, and…

The Your Future Your Super (YFYS) regulations have been both derided and welcomed by the industry. Bringing oversight to a multi-trillion dollar sector was important, but the regulations are far from perfect, with many suggesting they effectively direct industry funds toward an indexed approach, or alternatively, don’t appreciate the nuances of investing for the very…

The peak body for those advising self-managed super funds, the SMSF Association, has called for a higher education requirement for the sector. In its submission to the Quality of Advice Review, the group called on the regulator to implement changes highlighted in the prior reports done by the Productivity Commission, FASEA and ASIC, which suggest…

During a recent presentation of Invesco Global Consulting’s program, Priceless, I asked a room full of advisers how many of them had changed the way they do their annual client review meetings in the last 5 years (COVID19 changes aside).  One third of the room raised their hand.  I then asked how many feel their…

The lockdowns of 2021 and a trend for younger people to set up a self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) have driven a sharp growth in the number of funds being established in Australia with assets their assets under management (AUM) now approaching $1 trillion, and accounting for around one-quarter of all Australian superannuation assets. The Australian…

Once a stalking horse for a small cabal of noisy backbenchers, “Home First, Super Second” has found its way into the Coalition’s policy arsenal ahead of an unpredictable election. It was perhaps premature to write, in late March, that the super wars were over. Scott Morrison’s announcement on Sunday that first home buyers would be able…

“We are at a critical crossroad, with an aging population, and the “Great Australian Wealth Transfer” at our doorstep” explained Lifespan Financial Planning CEO Eugene Ardino in an open letter to Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese on the eve of the Federal Election. Ardino was compelled to speak out on behalf of the financial advice…

In an update from Sarah Abood, CEO of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), confirmed the message from members on fees had been ‘loud and clear’. Members have railed against the additional ‘Marketing Levy’ since it was applied several years ago suggesting this should be caught in the normal FPA budget. The FPA has responded by…

A bounce in share markets in March supported superannuation fund performance in the first quarter of 2022. However, with inflation concerns mounting, global share markets remain volatile, including the hard-hit US share market, which is likely to dent superannuation returns for the current financial year.  Superannuation research house SuperRatings found the median balanced option rose…

In 2021 the “Your Future Your Super” (YFYS) performance test was introduced to gauge whether default super funds, which collected billions in guaranteed contributions, were up-to-scratch in terms of their investment performance. Speaking at the SMSF Association’s National Conference 2022, Philip La Greca, executive manager of SMSF Technical & Strategic Solutions at Super Concepts, who…

Any current financial adviser understands the challenge attempting to roll-over a member’s balance from an industry or APRA-regulated fund into an SMSF. With every different fund having a different form to complete, and in some cases these requests requiring the client to contact the fund directly, what should be a simple process can extend into…

“Better lucky than good” explained Max Swango, managing director of Invesco’s Global Real Estate Team when referring to the tailwind that has seen institutional-grade property become one of the most popular asset classes in the world. He wasn’t referring to bond yields, as many thought, but rather the massive shift in investment priorities and allocations…