Should I put my money into my mortgage or my super?
With interest rates on the rise and investment returns increasingly volatile, Australians with cash to spare may be wondering how to make the most of it. If you have a mortgage, should you make extra repayments or would you be better off in the long run boosting your super? The answer is, it depends. Your […]
Budget Summary October 2022
Budget October 2022: sign of the times In his first Budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ emphasised the three Rs – responsible budget repair and restrained spending, right for the times. For good measure, resilience also got a mention with spending targeted at building a more modern economy to deal with the challenges ahead. This is the […]
Spring 2022 Newsletter
Spring 2022 Welcome to our Spring newsletter. September means it’s football finals season and hopefully the beginning of warmer weather despite the recent late winter chill. In August, the focus was on US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell’s speech at the annual Jackson Hole business gathering on August 26, and he was blunt. To hose […]
A Super window of opportunity
New rules coming into force on July 1 will create opportunities for older Australians to boost their retirement savings and younger Australians to build a home deposit, all within the tax-efficient superannuation system. Using the existing First Home Super Saver Scheme, people can now release up to $50,000 from their super account for a first […]
How to manage rising interest rates
Rising interest rates are almost always portrayed as bad news, by the media and by politicians of all persuasions. But a rise in rates cuts both ways. Higher interest rates are a worry for people with home loans and borrowers generally. But they are good news for older Australians who depend on income from bank […]
Preparing for the next chapter
Retirement means starting a new chapter of your life, one that gives you the freedom to create your own story, as you decide exactly how you want to spend your time. While retirement may not be part of your immediate plans, there are advantages to giving some thought as to what retirement looks like for […]
Budget Summary 2022
A balancing act Billed as a Budget for families with a focus on relieving short-term cost of living pressures, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s fourth Budget also has one eye firmly on the federal election in May. At the same time, the government is relying on rising commodity prices and a forecast lift in wages as unemployment […]
Investing lessons from the pandemic
When the coronavirus pandemic hit financial markets in March 2020, almost 40 per cent was wiped off the value of shares in less than a month.i Understandably, many investors hit the panic button and switched to cash or withdrew savings from superannuation. With the benefit of hindsight, some people may be regretting acting in haste. Although […]
Federal Budget Summary 2021
Investing in recovery In his third and possibly last Budget before the next federal election, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is counting on a new wave of spending to ensure Australia’s economic recovery maintains its momentum. As expected, the focus is on jobs and major new spending on support for aged care, women and first-home buyers with […]
Total & Permanent Disablement (TPD) tax in Super
How to minimise or allow for tax if your Total & Permanent Disablement (TPD) insurance policy is owned by your superannuation fund/account? Taxation of TPD policies owned by Superannuation Many people hold their TPD insurance covers in their superannuation account and don’t realise that a claim payment may be taxed if it is paid […]