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Corey and Brooke Selfe bought a holiday house together and haven’t looked back.

How to buy real estate with siblings (so it doesn’t end in tears)

As high property prices make it harder to save a deposit and service a mortgage, it may be tempting to buy with a sibling. Answer these 10 questions first.

  • Updated
  • Lucy Dean
Yao-Chung Chang and Jason Coates with their pug Valentino who cost $20,000 to bring to Australia when they moved here from Japan.

The ‘insane’ amount this couple spent on their pet pug, Valentino

If there’s a pet under your tree this Christmas, buckle up for a lifetime of expense (along with the love, of course).

  • Michelle Bowes
Sibling rivalry can turn nasty when it comes to inheriting the family home.

Sibling rivalry: what to do when inheritance goes horribly wrong

Millions of Australians will jointly inherit the family home with siblings. We explore four common scenarios, what can go wrong and how to resolve disputes.

  • Joanna Mather
Phill with wife Kerri Nixon is an investor who made 6-figure equity gains within 2 years.

10 suburbs for property investors to target in 2025

Investors can still score six-digit equity gain in 2025 despite the current housing market slowdown, but it requires thorough due diligence and smart property and area selection.

  • Nila Sweeney
While many in their 30s may not realise at the time, this decade presents significant wealth-building opportunities.

What to do in each decade of life to build wealth

It can be difficult to know what to do to get ahead financially as you age and your circumstances change. Here’s a quick guide.

  • Rob Pizzichetta
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These conversations can be some of the most difficult we ever have.

Give the gift of difficult conversations this Christmas

The festive season is an opportunity to initiate important family conversations about will-making, aged care and funeral costs.

  • Jenneke Mills
The arrangement might work well for everyone when the “children” are in their 20s but what about when their life situation changes?

3 things to consider before bringing children into your SMSF

Thinking about a multi-generational self-managed superannuation fund? They can be great, but it’s not a decision to make lightly.

  • Meg Heffron
Can I build my super balance to $1.9 million by contributing the proceeds of the sale of my business?

I’m selling my business for $5m. How much can I put into super?

Special tax relief is available for small business owners who sell and contribute some of the proceeds to super.

  • John Wasiliev
Private groups and their advisers are on notice about two new tax schemes.

ATO warnings will send shivers down the spines of private companies

The ATO has released its first two taxpayer alerts for the 2024 calendar year. Each a warning to private groups.

  • Mark Molesworth
There’s not a lot of new supply coming on in Sydney, so occupancy rates and room rates will keep rising.

5 opportunities for commercial property investing in 2025

Sydney hotels, data centres and regional shopping centres are among the segments tipped to grow next year.

  • Sam Tamblyn
Joanna and Justin Ryan are giving to charity using a sub-fund of the Sydney Community Fund.

Giving booms as donors maximise tax benefits

Joanna Ryan and her husband have established a sub-fund with an initial donation of $1 million.

  • Joanna Mather
Goldman Sachs recommended that investors “seek opportunities in mid-cap equities”.

Mid-caps could be the magnificent refuge tech investors need

With more modest valuations and less concentration risk, it might not be a terrible idea to sprinkle a mid-cap fund into broader equity portfolios.

  • Jonathan Levin
Kath and John in their home in Templestowe, Melbourne.

Seven ways to future-proof your savings in case of early retirement

The secret ingredients to a good retirement are preparation and control, but life can be unpredictable. Here’s how to build flexibility into your plan.

  • Michelle Bowes
The super sector suffers from being unnecessarily complex

Three ways to improve the SMSF sector in 2025

There is no doubt self-managed superannuation funds are unnecessarily complex, so top of next year’s wish list is the long-running call for greater simplicity.

  • Peter Burgess
A bonus on top of your super when you retire is a feature many funds are using to attract new members.

What is a pension ‘bonus’ and should I switch super funds to get one?

You might receive an additional $2500 on a balance of $500,000 or $9500 on a balance of $1.9 million, but funds typically impose clawback conditions so be careful.

  • John Wasiliev
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Each of three sons will get 30 per cent of the estate and 10 per cent will go to the Rebecca Jane Foundation.

Inheritance planning is hard with step kids. How this couple did it

The O’Connells are mum, dad, three boys and a lost baby girl. They put estate planning in the too-hard basket for years but eventually found the strength for tough conversations.

  • Alexandra Cain
Unshackling workers from their inner-city offices has expanded the appeal of commuter-distance regional locations.

Why now is the time to bag a holiday home bargain

New types of buyers will stoke demand for properties in holiday hotspots but until then, prices will probably remain subdued.

  • Jarrod McCabe
Private credit, or direct lending, is in a boom phase.

Why retirees should be wary about investing in private markets

Private market assets are being positioned as mainstream investments suitable for just about anybody, and that should ring alarm bells.

  • Ben Smythe
While some assets are easy to value, others can be more subjective and require the specialist skills of a forensic accountant.

‘So many zeros’: Why wealthy divorces are so complex

At the centre of every split is the question of how to divide assets. But the more money that is involved, the more complicated the task tends to be.

  • Michelle Bowes
Empowering yourself with knowledge about super investment options can lead to much better outcomes.

How to decode your super statement

The way super funds label their investment options can be confusing so be sure to pick the one that best suits your life stage and risk appetite.

  • Michael Hutton

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/afr-smart-investor-1mu8