SMSF

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.

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.

“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.

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. 

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…

There’s always been a fight between different superannuation funds – retail, industry, and SMSF – about who performs best. But determining how performance matches up between them has been difficult. The ATO sources its data on return on assets for SMSFs from tax data, while APRA looks at rate of return based on financial statements….

Both houses of Parliament quietly passed what may well be the biggest changes to super contribution rules in a decade. With the Treasury Laws Amendment Bill just only awaiting Royal Assent, 2022 will see retirees and soon to be retirees provided with significantly greater flexibility in putting additional cash into superannuation. The most important and…

Superannuation investments can have a big impact on the climate, and superannuation funds are increasingly offering investors more climate-friendly investment options, which according to recent research can be more effective in combating climate change than changing our daily behaviours. The momentum for more environmentally friendly investments is rising. While the Association of Superannuation Funds of…

Among the Federal Budget proposals that received the least fanfare was the extension of the ‘temporary’ relief on the minimum drawdowns for account-based pensions. Whilst the media attention on the legislative change immediately highlights the fact that it benefits the wealth more than the rest, it affords an entire generation of Australians greater flexibility. Few…

Does diversification really matter for your super fund, and do you really need to hit the magical $500,000 level before your self-managed super fund (SMSF) can start generating any meaningful returns? According to new research conducted by the SMSF Association, many of these myths have been debunked. With some 1.1 million trustees, and more than…