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Before you lock any money away in super, you should consider carefully whether you might need it before you retire, or whether you feel it might be better put to other uses, such as paying off a mortgage or investing elsewhere.

Super and the coming generational wealth transfer

Gens X, Y, and Z are about to come into some money. In what’s become known as the great wealth transfer, in the two decades from 2023 Australia’s over-60s are expected to hand down $6.2 trillion worth of assets to their heirs, says McCrindle.

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Not only have American stock markets hit record highs but other risk assets have also surged, with bitcoin jumping to its own record high of $US90,000.

How to invest in the Trump era

From bitcoin to navigating the new president’s Tudor court, investors should bear the following in mind.

  • Gillian Tett

The small luxury Australians just won’t give up

Australians are hanging onto their subscriptions, reflecting a world in which the little luxuries may be all they have left.

  • Lucy Dean

Bond investors may bet on Silicon Valley over Uncle Sam

The US tech sector, which is sitting on a cash balance approaching $US1 trillion, is well-placed to reward – and protect – creditors and shareholders.

  • Todd Hoare

Average tax refund revealed, and why you may receive ‘surprise’ bill

Bank depositors have had much to celebrate as rates have stayed higher for longer. But with more interest comes more tax. Here are some solutions.

  • Lucy Dean

How retirement communities forge friendships and boost health

The importance of ensuring people stay healthier, more engaged, and better connected for longer is becoming clearer.

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Wealthiest Australians

Doug Rathbone is a small shareholder and chairman of Delta Ag, which has been bought out by Elders Ltd in a $475m deal. He also owns luxury wine brands Yering Station, Mount Langi Ghiran and Xanadu.

Nufarm entrepreneur Doug Rathbone a winner in $475m Elders buyout

The 79-year-old, who made his fortune via the crop chemicals business, will pocket a small windfall from the buyout of Delta Agribusiness by its larger rival.

  • Simon Evans
Laurence Escalante built Virtual Gaming Worlds into a multibillion-dollar business.

Laurence Escalante’s VGW bulks up exec ranks as casinos bristle

Virtual Gaming Worlds was one of the early beneficiaries of a US legislative loophole in states where gambling is otherwise banned. It’s now under attack.

  • Primrose Riordan and Zoe Samios
Dom Pym has founded more than 22 companies, but you probably only know him as the guy who built neobank Up.

‘If we lose everything, we can just get a regular job’

From a childhood that was “pretty tough” in parts, Dom Pym founded 22 companies including neobank Up, which he sold for $116 million. Now he wants to elevate Australia’s venture ecosystem.

  • Yolanda Redrup
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Dom Pym has founded more than 22 companies, but you probably only know him as the guy who built neobank Up.

‘If we lose everything, we can just get a regular job’

From a childhood that was “pretty tough” in parts, Dom Pym founded 22 companies including neobank Up, which he sold for $116 million. Now he wants to elevate Australia’s venture ecosystem.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has delivered another rate cut that will push shares higher.

Why interest rates could be higher under Trump

New research finds that Trump’s policies could drive rates much higher than markets are assuming.

  • Christopher Joye
If a member of a super fund dies, the death benefit payable on their death can be received tax-free by only their dependants.

Why more retirees might dodge the death tax on super

Forcing people with superannuation balances above $3 million to pay more tax will give rise to a range of new strategies.

  • Michael Hutton
Super recontributions are growing in popularity.

This super loophole can create tax-free money for the kids 

There has been a surge in the number of people using so-called recontribution strategies, which allow older Australians to wash tax from super inheritances.

  • Michelle Bowes
Owen Hereford is determined to raise his three daughters Grace, Elizabeth and Bella without a sense of entitlement.

Signs you’re raising entitled brats (and how to avoid it)

Keeping children grounded and helping them understand the value of money is a perennial problem for wealthy parents. This dad reckons he has the answers.

  • Michelle Bowes
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The growing power of the super sector raises some big questions.

Cbus puts super sector on the edge of a systemic scandal

The banking royal commission taught us seemingly innocuous problems can have huge ramifications. The super sector may be about to learn that lesson.

  • James Thomson
Since your wife is over 65, she can start a pension at any time but will need to withdraw 5 per cent of the balance each year.

We have $5m in super as a couple. How can we contribute more?

The maximum amount of super that can be transferred into a tax-free pension account is $1.9 million, although investment earnings can grow the balance without penalty.

  • John Wasiliev
Stephen Pastor is working hard to reframe his attitude to money.

‘I’m worth millions but I still fret about money’

Money mindsets are established early in life and can lead to poor financial decision-making, but there are ways to reframe your approach.

  • Joanna Mather
Interest rate movements often have a greater effect on sentiment than affordability.

Spoiler alert: interest rate cuts will be small and slow

What property investors need to know is that interest rate increases often come in clusters, but drops tend to be far more spread out.

  • Jarrod McCabe
He’s back. A Trump presidency will shake up global trade and markets, but investors warn against making sudden moves.

What Trump’s victory means for your money

From a sugar-hit to your super, to higher-for-longer interest rates, and a trade-war on the horizon, here’s what Trump 2.0 means for your finances.

  • Lucy Dean, Michelle Bowes and Joanna Mather
Left to right: MinRes’ James McClements, founder Chris Ellison and L1’s Raphael Lamm.

MinRes saga exposes ESG’s existential crisis (and here comes Trump)

Scandals at Mineral Resources and WiseTech raise hard questions for investors who care about governance and culture. Now Donald Trump’s win raises existential problems for ESG.

  • Patrick Durkin
Division 293 tax applies to those who had income together with pre-tax concessional contributions greater than $250,000 in 2023-24.

Be on the lookout for the super surcharge for high earners

If you receive a Division 293 tax assessment from the ATO, you must pay the bill within 21 days to avoid penalties.

  • Colin Lewis
Australians are investing more money in foreign markets.

Why Australian investors of all ages are switching to offshore shares

Those aged 25 to 49 have a roughly half-half split between domestic and international markets, but the change has been most marked among over-50s.

  • Adam DeSanctis
Distressed investors have contacted AFR Weekend after they read our story about Alex and David Didlock.

Hundreds of SMSFs may have been misled into this illiquidity trap

The financial complaints authority says two people who set up SMSFs based on bad advice are owed almost $400,000. Hundreds of others may be in the same boat.

  • John Wasiliev
The highlight was 130 hours spent in the car with my wife and daughters.

A family road trip upended my thinking about how we advise retirees

Spending 130 hours in the car with my wife and daughters made me realise how easily we lose sight of what truly matters.

  • Renato Mota
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Aware Super COO Jo Brennan says technology has been key to improving customer service.

How Aware Super beat the sector’s reputation for bad customer service

The $180 billion super fund invested in service and advice before regulators forced it to. As the rest of the industry now scrambles to catch up, it’s eyeing bigger plans.

  • Hannah Wootton
Chinese stocks skyrocketed then slumped as traders grew impatient over the pace of stimulus measures.

What to know about investing in China’s volatile stock market

Investors are waiting anxiously to see details of a fiscal stimulus package expected to be confirmed by Chinese authorities this week.

  • Diana Li
Helping out the kids with your super? Here’s what you should know.

Tapping super to help your kids buy a home? Read this first

While accessing your super to help the kids buy property may seem like a good idea, there are a few things to understand first.

  • Ben Smythe
AI can be useful in financial advice, but caution is needed says Tim Mackay.

AI science won the Nobel Prize, but can it fix your finances?

Artificial intelligence could help younger people grow their wealth, but there’s a risk it could also result in “quirky” – if not risky – portfolios.

  • Tim Mackay
Warren Buffett: Emotions are fine in life but not in business.

Warren Buffett’s 11 tips for investing and life

An extract from “The New Tao of Warren Buffett” contains the great investor’s musings on business school and a few other pearls.

  • Mary Buffett and David Clark

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/wealth