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SMSFs

March

Donald Trump is reviving the tariff strategy that caused a depression in the 1930s.

My SMSF is cashed up for a Trump catastrophe

The global economic chaos unleashed by the president prompted this self-managed super fund to cut exposure to the United States and raise cash.

Deep research is like ChatGPT on steroids.

ChatGPT v DeepSeek: Which one won my SMSF challenge?

AI models are still far from flawless as data accuracy and privacy concerns persist AI’s deep research capabilities are staggering.

An underpayment can be forgiven once but it has to be the result of an honest mistake.

Underpaying an SMSF pension could land you in serious tax trouble

There are eye-watering costs involved if a self-managed superannuation fund fails to make the correct pension payment or, worse, does not make any payments at all.

February

SMSFs should analyse the performance of their fund’s investment strategy relative to what is happening in the market.

How does your SMSF stack up?

It is impossible to deliver a return each year consistently exceeding what you would receive outside a SMSF if your balance is less than $200,000.

The number of family offices, investment vehicles for the wealthy, is increasing.

What family offices are investing in

This booming sector likes to keep a low profile. But its secrets aren’t always far from the surface.

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What should you invest your super in right now?

After big gains in the equity market last year, the chances are your assets need to be rebalanced.

If there are multiple transactions it would make sense to use a software package.

What if my accountant still uses spreadsheets to calculate tax?

There are many good software packages that can keep track of all the different tax aspects that may arise in an SMSF.

Home bias “generally leads to suboptimal levels of investment diversification”. 

Does your SMSF have these serious weaknesses?

The surge in value of Wall Street’s mega cap tech stocks has been fantastic for many superannuation investors, but not for SMSFs.

“Money expert” Michael Kodari on Sky News.

TV money expert Michael Kodari runs into ATO ‘discrepancies’

It’s not the first time the “investment luminary’s” business has been served in the Federal Court.

More than 1 million people are missing out on thousands of dollars a year in benefits from the Commonwealth Seniors Heath Card because they may not know they are eligible.

1 million retirees are missing out on this $60,000 perk

Changes in eligibility rules mean that more than 1 million people are entitled to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card but do not claim it.

A special rule allowed market linked pensions to be much bigger.

Use this strategy to maximise tax benefits of large ‘legacy’ pensions

People with very large older-style pensions should do the sums on whether to act on an amnesty provided by the government.

January

Six easy steps to retirement readiness (and one hard one)

There are no courses on how to plan for retirement, so we have done some of the work for you.

The increase means you may be able to get more money into the tax-free environment from July 1.

Tax-free super cap for retirement phase set to reach $2 million

To benefit from the indexation increase, you need to delay starting the pension until July 1.

Running an SMSF can feel overwhelming.

What’s the right time to wind up an SMSF?

Sometimes the complexity of running a self-managed super fund outweighs the benefits.

Pensioners have a five-year window of opportunity to restructure their retirement savings.

More than 17,000 legacy pensioners set free but issues remain

The federal government is finally allowing SMSF members to exit old-style pensions.

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December 2024

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What happens to our SMSF if we die together?

Self-managed super funds aren’t covered by wills, so special arrangements need to be in place for when the final member dies, or if the members die together.

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.

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.

Now is a good time to consider the methodology for calculating your fund’s exempt current pension income (ECPI).

SMSFs that do this check each year could end up paying less tax

To get optimal results, choose carefully which method your SMSF uses to calculate tax-free pension amounts.

Perpetual Chairman Tony D’Aloisio with Perpetual CEO Bernard Reilly prior to the Perpetual AGM.

Nine private wealth advisers defect from Perpetual

Street Talk understands nine advisers resigned from the 138-year-old investment group on Friday.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/smsfs-61z