Bobbin and Griffin from Bourke to Sydney
On August 4, Peter Bobbin and Ray Griffin will set off from Bourke, in rural NSW, on a 10-day, 1250km bike ride to Sydney. Their aim is to raise awareness of the Future2 Foundation, and also to raise money to fund the foundation’s works. Both Peter and Ray are founding trustees of Future2. The pair
July 22, 2010
Turning insurance inside out
Jennifer Brookhouse explains why TPD premiums may become less effective inside super. A common strategy to reduce the effective cost of total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance premiums is to hold the policy inside superannuation. However, this strategy may become less effective from July 1, 2011. This gives advisers a year to provide new advice
June 01, 2010
Turning insurance inside out
Jennifer Brookhouse explains why TPD premiums may become less effective inside super A common strategy to reduce the effective cost of total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance premiums is to hold the policy inside superannuation. However, this strategy may become less effective from July 1, 2011. This gives advisers a year to provide new advice to affected clients and,
June 01, 2010
Proving financial dependency or interdependency
Louise Biti discusses the problems that can arise with the payment of superannuation death benefits and how to help clients avoid disputes. The death benefits in superannuation can be quite substantial, even if the person’s account balance is not. This is because many funds provide members with substantial levels of life insurance. Disputes commonly arise
April 07, 2010
Taking the stress out of saving for kids’ school years
Louise Biti looks at the options available for parents saving for their children’s education. With the start of a new calendar year, parents often start to think about how to save for their children’s education. Raising children is expensive and requires good planning. Starting early can help take the stress out of meeting any savings
February 09, 2010
Centrelink changes: opportunities and business processes
Jennifer Brookhouse provides tips to help advisers understand and implement the new rules for Centrelink pensions. Like many legislative amendments, the Centrelink changes on September 20, 2009 provided an opportunity to communicate to clients. They also require a review of your business processes, including calculators and client resources.
December 07, 2009
Meeting the income challenge
Assyat David looks at how property trusts can be used to satisfy clients’ income needs. The turmoil of the global financial crisis (GFC) over the past 18 months has resulted in many traditional investment strategies coming under scrutiny. This is particularly the case for strategies and investments used to generate income from a portfolio.
October 07, 2009
Quality advice matches strategy to need
Louise Biti shows the value advisers can add for clients with quality advice on superannuation death benefits. Sound financial planning strategies, coupled with an adviser’s ability to determine the client’s specific needs and adapt the strategies to suit those needs, are at the core of quality advice. With a extensive tool kit of strategies, advisers
August 07, 2009
Getting super contribution levels right
Louise Biti provides tips to avoid unintentional breaches of the caps for superannuation contributions. Contributions to superannuation are subject to contribution caps. Tax penalties apply if the caps are exceeded. The rules may appear simple but a number of traps can trip up the unwary.
June 07, 2009
Avoiding selling at a loss
Louise Biti provides tips for helping clients to manage the impact of the market downturn on their account-based pensions. The market downturn has hit many retirees hard. Retirement savings may be dwindling and interest rates are low. In a falling market, it may be appropriate to continue to hold quality assets so the client remains fully
April 07, 2009
Not so super for income protection
The premiums for income protection policies are tax-deductible both inside and outside of superannuation. Does this make both options equally tax effective? Or is one option more effective? Legislation was amended in 2007 (Tax Determination TD 2007/3) to extend the tax deductibility of income protection premiums inside a superannuation fund. Trustees are now able to
March 07, 2009
Maximising the value of concessional contributions
Even though the end of the financial year is several months away, it is a good time to start thinking about end-of-year tax planning for clients. An effective way to reduce tax payable is to make concessional (deductible) contributions to superannuation. For an employee, this generally requires salary sacrifice to be arranged with the employer
February 07, 2009
