NewsBite

Superannuation & SMSFs

Yesterday

The general transfer balance cap will increase for the third time in 2025-26 to $2 million.

I’m 72 with $2.3m in super. How much more can I contribute?

There is a lifetime limit on the amount of super that can be transferred into your tax-free pension accounts.

This Month

A breach can trigger significant tax penalties, non-compliance risks and potential trustee disqualification.

Why your SMSF is not a de facto private bank

Many self-managed super fund trustees continue to cite a handful of persistent myths to justify – or excuse – unlawful loans.

Members say it has been difficult to access their superannuation accounts, as a hacking incident collided with a sharp sell-off in markets.

Retirees are trying to change their super. They can’t log in

While market volatility is wiping billions off sharemarkets, super members wanting to check their balances or change investments are being hampered by outages.

It’s believed hackers used passwords obtained from other hacks to access member portals.

What you need to know about the massive superannuation cyberattack

Several super funds with millions of members have been subjected to a co-ordinated cyberattack. Here’s what you need to know.

The super sector has been caught short in another crucial area.

Big super is now a big target of criminals. It’s time for funds to step up

The super sector has been warned for two years to get its act together on cybersecurity. Once again it’s been caught out.

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March

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.

At age 71, you can access your super and make tax-free lump sum withdrawals.

I’m 71 with $253,000 in super. How can I boost my balance quickly?

Here’s how downsizers can immediately add $300,000 to their retirement savings.

AustralianSuper is in ASIC’s sights for repeated customer failures.

Super fund failures could cost you big

ASIC’s assault on big super’s failings points to a new phase that will determine whether the big industry funds are best placed to help retirees spend it.

Real-time payments transform superannuation.

How real-time payments may future-proof Australia’s superannuation industry

Real-time payments could be transforming superannuation, and potentially enhancing security, engagement, and efficiency as retirement numbers grow.

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by CBA

Investment platforms hope to capitalise on young investors’ penchant for ETFs.

No Boomers allowed in this new superannuation offering

Investment platform Pearler hopes to appeal to younger savers by allowing them to build ETF-only retirement portfolios. Oh, and no Boomers allowed.

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.

Moving superannuation back to accumulation mode could allow a partner to claim the maximum age pension, potentially worth more than $22,000 a year.

Couples can do the ‘switcheroo’ to increase age pension payments

There are ways couples can rearrange their financial affairs to maximise their eligibility for Centrelink entitlements.

Co-owning a home with your children is one option for helping the next generation into property.

There is a third option for helping your kids buy a home

Parents considering helping their kids into the property market must weigh up the risks and problems of each method of assistance.

February

In 2023 alone, Australians paid more than $32 billion in fees to super funds,

Superannuation fees cost us $100,000 - and many don’t even know it

New research commissioned by Vanguard Australia has revealed that 61 per cent of Australians do not realise their super fund is charging them multiple fees.

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by Vanguard

Financial advisers say it pays to plan early for a comfortable and trouble-free retirement.

A guide to living your best retirement life

With 4.2 million retirees in Australia, what are some of the key strategies to maximising your super?

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Mary Delahunty, CEO of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia

How to decide the best super strategy for you

Superannuation can be structured – and restructured – to suit individual account-holders.

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.

Amid an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape and trade tensions, the trade and investment opportunities between allies like Australia and the United States are never more important.

Big super bolsters US ties amid Trump trade tensions

The pool of workers’ retirement savings benefits not only to the domestic economy, but the relationship with our most important trading partner.

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.

What does sustainability mean to you as you head into your retirement years?

Sustainability has a very different meaning when retirement is around the corner

It’s a buzzword that won’t stop buzzing, but sustainability is also a key component of one of the biggest goals in life — retirement.

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by Industry SuperFunds

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.

A reversionary pension will ensure your super payments flow to your spouse.

The low-fuss way to transfer super to a spouse

Converting to a corporate trustee shouldn’t disrupt death benefit nominations so long as the paperwork has been done correctly.

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.

An investigation found Bunnings had breached the privacy of hundreds of thousands of Australians.

‘Follow the Bunnings’: Top tips for SMSF property investors

Industrial and retail properties are paying rental yields of anywhere between 5 per cent and 8 per cent.

Timing is important because significantly different tax rules apply.

How quickly will my super fund pay me a lump sum?

There are no rules requiring super funds to make payments within a set timeframe.

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