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New SMSF trustees face something of a double challenge in 2017-2018: Coming to terms with the long-standing fundamentals of having your own fund together with the biggest changes to super in a decade. It is critical for new trustees not to neglect any of the fundamentals of self-managed super in their efforts to understand the...Read More
How to live in harmony with your adult children
May 15, 2017
If you thought you’d have the house to yourself once the kids reached adulthood, statistics paint a different picture, with more adult children remaining in the family home today than in years gone by. Not only are children living with their parents for longer, a high portion of those who move out end up coming...Read More
Renters need over $1m to retire comfortably
May 12, 2017
While the implications of housing affordability is often acknowledged when it comes to younger Australians, the repercussions it’s having on pre and post-retirees also requires attention. According to figures published last month, couples living in rental accommodation in Australian capital cities need over $1 million in super to live a comfortable lifestyle in retirement. And,...Read More
Buying A Tenanted Investment Property
May 8, 2017
There are plenty of upsides to buying an investment property that already has a tenant, as well as a raft of risks. Here’s how to minimise them. Purchasing an investment property that already has a tenant means you collect rent from day one, with no vacant period and no lease fees to find a new...Read More
The marriage and divorce statistics for 2015 sadly suggest that 43 per cent of Australian marriages may end in divorce. Significantly, this number-crunching does not include separations of de facto couples. Unfortunately, the breakdown of a relationship is a reality for many couples and it is a reality with typically damaging financial and emotional consequences....Read More
Two quick questions. How long did you take to plan your last Christmas holidays? And how long did you take to plan your investment portfolio? “It’s often said that many people spend more time planning a two-week vacation than they do on their investment plan,” say US-based Vanguard investment analysts Donald Bennyhoff and Colleen Jaconetti...Read More
In your interest: a mortgage buffer
April 28, 2017
Homebuyers who make higher repayments than the minimum required are developing a valuable buffer to help cope with future rate rises or unexpected financial setbacks. A mortgage buffer makes much sense. More than three years ago, the Reserve Bank reported that “anecdotal evidence suggests” that about half of households had not reduced their regular monthly...Read More
Don’t let your portfolio end up like a gym membership
April 20, 2017
New Year resolutions and portfolio rebalancing face common challenges. Both spring from the best of intentions. Both can drift into the background as the holiday season draws to a close and the urgency and demands of everyday life return. For self-managed super funds (SMSFs), the more relaxed pace of life earlier in the year often...Read More
Want a great retirement?
April 10, 2017
When the word retirement is mentioned in everyday discourse it’s often associated with numbers. The amount you’ll need to retire. The age at which you’ll stop working. The tax you’ll incur as you draw on your super. But what these numerical references neglect is the psychological dimension. As someone who’s decades away from retirement, I can’t...Read More
Divorcees suffer five-year financial hit
April 3, 2017
The warmth of January doesn’t always extend to our relationships. The New Year can be a peak period for divorce lawyers as couples call it quits after sharing one last Christmas together. No matter whether starting afresh as a newly single person brings heartache or a sense of relief, the fact is, separation and divorce...Read More