Paul Benson
Paul Benson is a Certified Financial Planner, and host of the Financial Autonomy podcast.
Opinion
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I’m about to receive my inheritance. Will I have to pay tax on it?
Inheritances are given a generous tax treatment in Australia, but if you invest the money, that’s a different story.
- by Paul Benson
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Opinion
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We just switched our super to an SMSF. How should we invest it?
Investing something as important as your life savings requires a great deal of careful thinking.
- by Paul Benson
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Should I ditch my low earning, but ‘safe’ investments?
Sharemarkets are booming now, but historically markets have fallen about one in every four years, so be careful before jettisoning safer assets.
- by Paul Benson
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We’re selling our holiday home - can we put the proceeds into our super?
A super top-up using the proceeds from your house sale is possible, but you need to be mindful of the size and timing of contributions.
- by Paul Benson
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How do I plan for retirement when I don’t know what I’ll inherit?
It can be helpful to have a conversation with your parents about their intentions for their estate, which can make planning easier.
- by Paul Benson
Opinion
Income tax
I lost a lot of money while investing. Will it reduce my tax bill?
Capital losses can only be applied against capital gains, so you if you’ve incurred a significant loss it might be time to sell some assets.
- by Paul Benson
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What should our nephew do with our $21,000 gift?
Locking your gift away inside the First Home Super Savers scheme would be a smart move for your nephew.
- by Paul Benson
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Should we sell or rent our elderly mother’s house?
Doing the calculations on the cost of renting versus selling a property can be necessary so you don’t get slugged with surprise taxes.
- by Paul Benson
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Why does my friend get a bigger age pension than I do?
While it may seem like your friend is getting a better deal, in the long run, you’re likely to find yourself better off.
- by Paul Benson
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If we use super to help our kids buy a house, can we top it up later?
Early inheritance is always a good idea, but make sure you can afford to give away the money first.
- by Paul Benson
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The self-managed super fund I was told to start is losing money. What do I do?
Generally, SMSFs don’t make sense unless there is a specific investment case that requires them, or your balance is above $1 million.
- by Paul Benson
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/by/paul-benson-p536xj