SMSFs

Strongly divided views about the wisdom of using the early release from superannuation have prompted large numbers of fund members to seek the advice of financial planners. Losing insurance cover, reducing retirement benefits and crystallising losses are the main issues commentators have highlighted. According to AMP’s technical adviser support team, early release of super was…

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…

The Australian Taxation Office has deferred lodgement of self-managed super fund annual returns. The ATO says returns due on 15 May and 5 June are now due on 30 June. The tax office says there is no need for a trustee of their tax agent to request a deferral. The new date applies to all…

Is the Australian Dollar (AUDUSD) going to bounce back? Should investors think about hedging the Aussie dollar? Here’s a question Owen received from a Rask Invest members this week. Hey Owen, could you please do an article on hedging? Do you think about it all, or would you ever do it, or just ignore it for the very long…

The Australian Taxation Office needs to provide greater clarity about its announcement that it will not take compliance action if a self-managed super fund landlord gives a tenant a temporary rent reduction to a related party, a leading SMSF consultant says. The executive manager of SMSF technical services at SuperConcepts, Mark Ellem, says the ATO…

This is not the time to make bold statements. We can test the water on which asset class is now relatively (noting that phrase) attractive, but inevitably hedge the bet on the possibility things will not be as anticipated. Valuations are in fresh air. We don’t know what earnings might look like, nor is the…

The Government is urging the owners of commercial property to work out arrangements with tenants whose businesses are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. But for trustees of self-managed super fund that own property, there are added complications; that is because their tenants are often related parties. A common financial planning strategy is…

Investors in ASX-listed credit funds, which have been very popular with investors looking for yield, are on a steep learning curve right now, as they find that different funds invest in a variety of different assets, with some very different outcomes. While the asset values of some credit funds held up in the face of…