SMSFs

There has been somewhat of a Cold War between the industry and self-managed sectors of Australia’s superannuation environment over the last decade. Words have been exchanged on a near daily basis, discussing with a particular focus on SMSFs coming at a significantly higher cost than the alternatives and requiring a substantial amount of input from…

New option for MySuper products allows mass customisation Russell Investments has developed what it says is a ‘game changer’ for superannuation in Australia – the first mass customised retirement solution. It is currently available only to members in the Russell Master Trust, but the firm will offer access through other super funds down the track….

The pandemic has been devastating to everyone around the world, but among those hardest-hit have been self-funded retirees. The combination of dividend cuts and near-zero interest rates is forcing more Australians to eat into their capital, as they deal with higher prices for everything from food and water to basic services. The 50 per cent…

The ATO delivered some positive news, approving fractional property investment platform Domacom’s’ application to broaden the use of the $300,000 downsizer contribution.

Opening infrastructure investment to SMSFs and superannuation investors would democratise investment in critical domestic infrastructure

COVID-19 has had incredible impacts on the superannuation sector, in fact it has become somewhat of an existential crisis for many involved. The Government’s well-meaning but ultimately poorly structured and timed announcement to allow those impacted by the economic shutdowns to access their superannuation early has seen the ‘industry super versus everyone else’ war of…

AustralianSuper chief investment officer and deputy chief executive, Mark Delaney, says bonds provide a diversification benefit but not as much as in the past because now yields are so low. Speaking at a Bloomberg investment webinar last week, Delaney said: “We will be looking for other sources of diversification. Those might include unlisted assets, currency…

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has set out the test it will apply when determining whether an “intermediary limited recourse borrowing arrangement” is an in-house asset of a self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF). The ATO has issued a legislative instrument to clarify the position of SMST trustees who use intermediary arrangements to structure fund borrowings. Such…

There has been a surge in the number of investors opening an online brokerage account during the recent lockdown period. But investors making their own trades should ensure they are getting good value with their online broker. Comparison site Canstar has updated its ratings for online share trading and CMC Markets comes out on top…

The changes to valuations in SMSF trustee portfolios as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak marks an appropriate time to review their investment strategy. A review of the investment strategy document in this context does not need a complete rewrite. Nicholas Ali, executive manager of SMSF technical support at SuperConcepts, says: “It could be done…

If financial advice is provided to an SMSF it is important that the adviser consider both the personal circumstances of the members and of the fund itself, the ombudsman has ruled. A husband and wife, both directors of a self-managed super fund corporate trustee and also the members of the fund, visited a financial planner…

What is the value of an investment portfolio?  Expectations today are that one can log into a system and have a reasonably accurate snapshot of wealth, allowing for a few days or possibly monthly pricing differential for some asset classes. That may create a misleading picture. As has been well publicised, industry super funds are…