SMSFs

Australians are the richest they have ever been, with wealth pushed up by rising property and shares values to a record $14.9 trillion in the March quarter of 2022, while wealth per capita surged to a record high of $574,807, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The country’s largest super fund, Australian Super, has announced a new fee structure aimed at reducing member costs by $300 million this year, following what has been a busy year for consolidation in the industry.

The central bank expects house price growth to ease this year and house prices are already falling in Sydney and Melbourne; economists expect that price weakness will spread to other cities, which may limit the number of official interest rate rises this year that are needed to tame inflation. According to the Reserve Bank of…

White noise is broadly defined as the combination of sounds of all different frequencies together, typically being used to mask other sounds. Among the most common uses of white noise is to help babies (and adults) sleep without background noise. Whilst highly powerful for this purpose, one could easily make the opposite conclusion when it…

A bounce in share markets in March supported superannuation fund performance in the first quarter of 2022. However, with inflation concerns mounting, global share markets remain volatile, including the hard US share market, which is likely to dent superannuation returns for the current financial year.  Superannuation research house SuperRatings found the median balanced option rose…

Among the Federal Budget proposals that received the least fanfare was the extension of the ‘temporary’ relief on the minimum drawdowns for account-based pensions. Whilst the media attention on the legislative change immediately highlights the fact that it benefits the wealthy more than the rest, it affords an entire generation of Australians greater flexibility. Few…

Global consulting firm Mercer has joined a growing chorus of experts suggesting the Australian superannuation system should be means-tested retrospectively. In a recent white paper, Mercer echoed the views of the Australian Institution of Superannuation Trustees (AIST), which suggests that those with superannuation balances over $5 million are causing an “inequitable” and “unsustainable” system. In…

Whilst global sharemarkets have recovered much of the ground lost due to the Ukraine crisis, US Federal Reserve moves and surging energy costs, there is a general feeling that equities remain on the precipice of a bear market or extended correction. Whether it is our inherent pessimism towards markets, or simply tiring of one of…

Treasury Josh Frydenberg delivered his long-awaited, pre-election budget this week, seeking to offer respite to a ‘surge’ in the cost of living. The Federal Government, and next Government for that matter, face a difficult challenge in navigating what is likely a short-term surge in inflation and hit to the cost of living, with demands for…

Both houses of Parliament quietly passed what may well be the biggest changes to super contribution rules in a decade. With the Treasury Laws Amendment Bill only awaiting Royal Assent (that is, from the Governor-General, which is a mere formality), 2022 will see retirees and soon-to-be retirees provided with significantly greater flexibility in putting additional…

Australian super funds continued their incredible run of positive investment returns, with the median growth industry fund recording a double digit return once again. This markets the tenth straight year of positive results from the sector, and superannuation in general, that is central to funding the retirement of all Australians. Given the predictions of doom…

Strong super returns are about to encounter significant headwinds. And with the government prowling for more money, funds might once again foot the bill. It’s no secret that market conditions have been enormously supportive over the last decade – and that super has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of those conditions, particularly through 2020,…