With a significant number of Australians approaching retirement and looking at the best ways to maximise their retirement assets and income from their super for it, retirement planning makes sense. Unfortunately, there are those who want to target people approaching and planning for their retirement with schemes designed to ‘help’ retirees and prospective retirees avoid…
Marriage and de facto relationships come with a number of perks – but did you know that if your partner earns less than you or is not currently working, you could contribute to their super fund savings? Many households in Australia, either as a result of unemployment, maternity/paternity leave or by choice, have single-income households.…
If you’re self-employed, you aren’t required to pay yourself super guarantee payments. It is however a recommended way to save for your retirement, and making personal super contributions could be beneficial for you in the long run. As a self-employed individual, you can make regular or lump-sum payments to your super, potentially claim a tax…
Checking that your pay as you go instalments (PAYG) still reflect your expected end of year tax liability is a good idea. PAYG instalments can be varied multiple times throughout the year, with the varied amount or rate applying to the remaining instalments for the income year, or until another variation is made. PAYG instalments…
After COVID 19’s impact on the world, an influx of employees who had lost their jobs fell into the job market. Many of these came from companies that couldn’t afford to continue their employment. As a result, many individuals had to seek alternative employment, or draw from their super. Some individuals took on multiple jobs…
Intrinsically linked with tax, superannuation is a minefield of concerns for many of us. One such concern is whether super gets taxed after a death. When a person’s super is paid after their death it’s called a ‘death benefit’. Death benefits can be paid to a dependant only after the owner of the super dies. …
Super funds make investments depending on the different levels of risk chosen. There are 5 types of pre-set investment options which you can choose for your superfund. Remember that if you want more control and flexibility, opting for a SMSF option might be ideal for you. Growth 85% shares or property and 15% fixed interest…
Super (AU): Pros and cons of home reversion Home reversion is when you sell a share of the future value of your home whilst still living there. You receive a lump-sum payment and continue to own the remaining share of your home equity. Pros You are able to continue living in your home after you…
The transfer cap refers to the amount of money that can be transferred from your superannuation account to your tax-free ‘retirement phase’ account. At the moment, the transfer balance cap is $1.6 million and all individuals have a personal transfer balance cap of $1.6 million. Exceeding the personal transfer balance cap means that you have…
Many Australians ignore the decision of choosing investments for their super and often end up in the ‘default’ option as they make no effort to choose otherwise. Default options that aim for ‘balanced’ or ‘growth’ investments tend to have 60-80% of funds invested in shares and property. This approach for investment is based on the…