13 Jul

Posted at 19:18h in Uncategorized

As women enter their mid-career years, many begin to earn more and have greater capacity to invest. Making the most of this window can play a crucial role in building long term financial security.      The mid-career phase is a critical opportunity for women to get their financial house in order and build their long-term financial future. As women’s earnings typically peak during this stage, the time is ripe to bolster savings and plan for retirement. Careful planning, including considering some of the following tips, can help build long term financial confidence. 1. Consider working with an experienced financial adviser At this pivotal phase of...

13 Jul

Posted at 19:18h in Uncategorized

How self-managed super fund (SMSF) trustees can meet their responsibility to keep accurate tax and super records. How self-managed super fund (SMSF) trustees can meet their responsibility to keep accurate tax and super records.     Why keep records? Superannuation law requires trustees to keep extensive records including financial and trustee records. Poor record keeping can make it difficult to demonstrate the fund has met its legal requirements. Having a system for organising records will also make it easier for you, and SMSF professionals to: complete the fund’s audit each year lodge the SMSF annual return. Keeping records may help reduce audit and administration costs for your fund...

13 Jul

Posted at 19:18h in Uncategorized

Here are some ways to help you get the most out of any retirement savings. Do a retirement budget When you retire, some of the things you spend your money on will change. Having a budget will give you a plan – and control – for your retirement spending. If you’re not sure how to even start thinking about how much you might spend in retirement, you can: Check out the Retirement Standard published by the Association of Super Funds of Australia (ASFA). Check out the current spending levels of retirees, published by Super Consumers Australia. Use a rule of thumb, such as 70% of your...

06 Jul

Posted at 18:49h in Uncategorized

Understanding your risk profile is one of the most important steps you can take as an investor. It helps shape how your money is invested and whether you’ll feel comfortable staying the course when markets rise and fall. How much risk can you tolerate? Your attitude to risk is one of the most important factors to consider when it comes to investing. This is because growth assets, like shares and property securities, tend to have more volatile returns over the shorter term but they do have the potential to produce higher long-term returns. Assets like bonds and cash are considered lower risk and less...

06 Jul

Posted at 18:49h in Uncategorized

A range of superannuation changes that came into effect on 1 July 2026, are reinforcing the role of super as one of the most tax-effective investment structures available. For many investors, it’s not simply that super remains attractive but that the rules continue to change. Understanding these changes can help ensure your strategy takes advantage of available opportunities while staying on track with your financial goals. A changing tax environment Outside of super, tighter rules around the use of discretionary trusts and closer scrutiny of income distributions have reduced some traditional tax planning flexibility. Combined with the ongoing treatment of capital gains, this...

06 Jul

Posted at 18:49h in Uncategorized

Around 2.8 million of Australia’s lowest-paid workers got a 4.75% pay rise from July 1 this year, after the latest Who benefits from this decision Announcing the wage rises, Justice Adam Hatcher said this was a “particularly challenging” decision, especially due to the “wild card of the Middle East conflict” and its ongoing price shocks on fuel and other goods. Amid so much uncertainty, the expert panel said: “We have concluded, regrettably, that it would not be practicable or responsible in the current uncertain circumstances to award a real wage increase for employees reliant on modern award wage rates that would be sufficient to...

29 Jun

Posted at 18:20h in Uncategorized

How to check for lost member super accounts. What is lost super Lost member super accounts are reported to the ATO by super funds. This happens where the member is either: uncontactable – your fund has lost contact with you and your account hasn’t received a contribution or rollover for 12 months. Changing your name, address or job can make you uncontactable inactive – no contributions or rollovers have been received by your fund for 5 years. Lost member super accounts are generally held by the super fund until they can get in contact with you. If that is not possible, your account may be transferred to...

29 Jun

Posted at 18:20h in Uncategorized

Acting on a hot tip might sound like a good idea when investing but if that hot tip is inside information, it might lead to heavy fines or prison time. What is insider trading? Insider trading is when you trade in a financial product (for example, shares, options or derivatives of a listed company) while knowing information that is not public. Your trade could impact the value or price of the investment. It’s also insider trading if you act on sensitive information that could affect the value of a company’s competitor or supplier. When you have inside information, it is also illegal to recommend,...

29 Jun

Posted at 18:20h in Uncategorized

Every few months, someone in the superannuation industry declares that Australians now “need” around A$1 million to retire comfortably. It’s a big, scary number. But consumer advocates say most people can retire with far less. Independent estimates suggest something closer to $322,000 is enough for many retirees who own their own home. So who’s right – and what assumptions drive these wildly different targets? What the two key benchmarks say Two key organisations publish retirement benchmarks in Australia, and they paint very different pictures. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), the lobby group for the super industry, publishes two lifestyle options in its...

22 Jun

Posted at 18:10h in Uncategorized

Property booms and market swings shape the case for property and shares Hot property markets and volatile share markets add extra intrigue as investors weigh up whether to put their money into property or equities. But the decision could come down to a few key considerations. Which is the better investment – property or shares? It is one of the big questions for many investors, and that scenario is unlikely to change given buoyant property markets across much of Australia in the past few years and, more recently, share-market turmoil because of the Iran war. In some sense, though, it may be the wrong...