superannuation

Unlike their counterparts at the big end of town, the trustees of SMSFs were given a glowing endorsement by Senator Jane Hume, the assistant minister for superannuation, at the SMSF Association annual conference this week. Her conference speech on the first day of the two-day virtual event (February 16) probably would have drawn rapturous applause…

In what was the first face-to-face investment industry gathering for more than a year, Senator Jane Hume, the minister for superannuation, appears to be holding the Government line on proposed ‘Your Future, Your Super’ changes. This is despite almost universal and bi-partisan criticism from industry experts about the efficacy of the process to be used…

The Australian Tax Office has flagged an increase in both the Transfer Balance (TBC) and Total Superannuation Balance (TSB) caps which impact everything from the eligibility to make contributions, tax exemption of earnings and even the co-contribution. Following the release of the Consumer Price Index figures earlier this week, the TBC and TSB will broadly…

WLTH is a brand-new financial services neo-platform providing Australians with a smarter, sustainability-focused solution to financial products but particular residential and commercial loans. WLTH is the latest ‘non-bank’ digital lending and payments platform seeking to disrupt the financial services industry in Australia. The launch follows the recent shutdown of neo-bank Xinja after it failed to…

I’ll do my best to avoid cliches, but to say 2020 was difficult would be an understatement. There is little doubt that we are all sick of hearing terms like ‘pivot’, ‘WFH’, or ‘iso’. Yet as we emerge, hopefully, from the darkest period for worldwide health and worldwide economic uncertainty in living memory [remember there…

Following forceful questioning by shareholders at its annual meeting last month, comes news that a class action against IOOF, undertaken by Shine Lawyers, has progressed through the funding stage. A previous proposed action, through lawyers Quinn Emanual, was dropped early this year. Patrick Liddy, the principal of MSI Group consultants, and Shine Lawyers have been…

There has been somewhat of a Cold War between the industry and self-managed sectors of Australia’s superannuation environment over the last decade. Words have been exchanged on a near daily basis, discussing with a particular focus on SMSFs coming at a significantly higher cost than the alternatives and requiring a substantial amount of input from…

Part of the “financial wellness” app category, WeMoney is a must-have for those that are bad with their money or anyone, for that matter, who is looking to streamline and manage multiple bank accounts. Founder Dan Joveski is a former banker at NAB and has experience with start-ups after launching a company called SwitchMyLoan, which…

As 2020 comes to a close, investors of all kinds are faced with what seems to be a once-in-a lifetime dilemma: how to generate an income in a zero-rate world. Despite clear evidence that investing in stocks solely for their income has generally detracted from, rather than added to, long-term returns, the nature of the…

Delivering value in spades It has been a difficult few years for financial advisers following the Royal Commission. The Commission uncovered some long-standing issues that were predominantly associated with the vertical integration of advice and investment management, resulting in a much needed professionalisation and cleanout of the industry. This has continued into 2020 with thousands…