Need to know

super balancesSuperannuation

Retirement calculators could be misleading you, ASIC says

As many people fret over how much they may need in retirement, an ASIC commissioner says super calculator results are often ‘too high’.

James Kirby

SuperannuationBusiness

Regulator acts on ‘ethical’ fund’s $73m parent deal

Australia’s ‘most ethical’ super fund has been slapped with additional licence conditions by APRA after a review of related-party spending with its parent company.

Cliona O'Dowd

Split decisionsSuperannuation

This underused super strategy could save you a small fortune

Superannuation, tax and pension benefits await savers who consider dividing their nest egg with their partner.

Anthony Keane

Super hackSuperannuation

The super trick workers are now ignoring

Salary sacrificing promises instant tax savings and a bigger nest egg, but it seems to have lost its lustre. Here’s why.

Anthony Keane

Fund failuresBusiness

Doubts that super fund cooling-off plan would stop scandals

The financial advice association says adding a cooling-off period to super switching may do little to protect consumers from fund collapses like Shield and First Guardian.

Cliona O'Dowd

Unfair super taxesSuperannuation

Super trap catches 700,000 retirees in silver tsunami

Older Australians who stop working but fail to inform their super funds of their retirement are paying 15 per cent tax on their super when it should be tax-free.

James Kirby

SuperannuationSuperannuation

‘Archaic’ rules mean millions can’t choose their super beneficiary

Singles face ‘ludicrous’ restrictions on who they can leave their retirement savings to. A review of the rules is sorely needed.

James Gerrard

wealthy tacticsSuperannuation

Rich-poor divide grows over super death tax

Many people risk losing nearly one-fifth of their superannuation through a death benefits tax if they don’t follow this strategy.

Anthony Keane

CommentarySuperannuation

My biggest superannuation stuff-ups

Having super specialists on speed dial for two decades has not stopped this finance writer from making mistakes. Here’s what not to do with your nest egg.

Anthony Keane

revenue grabSuperannuation

80,000-plus super investors face new tax hurdles

Property investors with self-managed super funds could be hit twice as hard under the government’s new tax plan, with key questions still hanging over capital gains treatment.

James Kirby

super crackdownSuperannuation

Aware Super demands tighter controls on platform trustees

The nation’s third-largest super fund wants tougher oversight of platforms managing retirement savings after recent failures put $1bn of investors’ money at risk.

Cliona O'Dowd

Dollars & SenseCapital Gains

What retirees need to know about property tax and super

Our financial adviser explains two important milestones for a retiree when it comes to capital gains tax minimisation and superannuation contributions.

Jason Featherby

commentarySuperannuation

The next target after Chalmers’ Robin Hood super tax

After copying the Robin Hood playbook, the Treasurer is likely to chase the flood of assets leaving super destined for family trusts.

James Gerrard

unlocking valueRetirement

Why raiding your super to pay the mortgage could backfire

As mortgage-free retirement becomes out of reach for many Australians, financial experts say asset-rich, cash-poor retirees have alternative solutions.

Megan Neil

commentarySuperannuation

How wealthy Australians will dodge the new super tax

While 8000 wealthy Australians can dodge the Treasurer’s super tax changes through clever financial planning, 90,000 ordinary investors will be trapped paying double the previous tax rate.

James Kirby

ExplainerSuperannuation

What the Treasurer’s super tax surprise means for you

The government’s superannuation tax backflip certainly does not stick the landing, but there are six key takeaways for everyone.

Anthony Keane

money blundersRetirement

The financial mistakes that force you to keep working

There’s a trap many people fall into when building wealth or planning for retirement. Here’s how simple strategies trump complexity.

Julie-anne Sprague

Dollars & SenseCapital Gains

What disability insurance payouts mean for super and tax

Our financial adviser examines strategies for managing TPD insurance payouts and maximising superannuation contributions.

James Gerrard

sales tacticsSuperannuation

Cold callers still preying on nation’s retirement savings

Australia’s corporate watchdog says thousands of retirement nest eggs and potentially vulnerable investors continue to be at the mercy of cold callers exploiting a legal loophole.

Cliona O'Dowd

check your superSuperannuation

The super statement mistake that could cost you thousands

Australians are throwing away up to $125,000 in retirement savings by ignoring the most important financial document of the year.

Anthony Keane

Dollars & SenseCapital Gains

When super is better than term deposits for a couple’s savings

Our financial adviser examines if using the super bring-forward rule will benefit a couple, and the tax rules on inherited property.

Helen Baker

commentarySuperannuation

Why your super balance may not be what it seems

If your superannuation fund invests heavily in unlisted property, private equity or infrastructure, you should be uneasy.

Chris Brycki

Fund failuresSuperannuation

Shield, First Guardian trustees dig heels in after Macquarie payout

Macquarie’s move to make Shield investors whole has heaped pressure on other super trustees caught up in the Shield and First Guardian scandals, but none are backing down so far.

Cliona O'Dowd

number crunchingSuperannuation

Buying property with an SMSF may be ‘a million-dollar mistake’

A financial adviser was open to the strategy of using an self-managed super fund to buy residential property – until he ran the numbers.

Megan Neil

Picking an adviserWealth

How to vet your financial adviser after Shield fund collapse

Investors are rightly wanting to know how they can protect themselves from losing their super. Here’s what you need to ask before trusting a financial adviser.

James Gerrard

Dollars & SenseCapital Gains

What you must know before gifting property to your kids

Our financial adviser says many retirees unintentionally compromise their financial security out of good intentions to help their children, while a reader asks about super and tax.

Jason Featherby

super strategiesSuperannuation

Super’s ages and stages: what you need to know

Financial experts reveal the hidden complexities of accessing superannuation at 60 and beyond.

Anthony Keane

Dollars & SenseCapital Gains

Solving the family home, aged care and super equation

Our financial adviser examines tax-effective strategies when selling the family home to move into aged care, while a reader asks when super contributions are taxable.

James Gerrard

big superSuperannuation

Time to put regulatory handcuffs on super

Major super funds have dramatically reversed their pension minimum rules after media scrutiny exposed how the practice unfairly punished low-balance members.

James Kirby

living it largeRetirement

Retirement riches await Aussies who head overseas

Australian retirees are discovering they can live a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget in Southeast Asia on their age pension, thanks to a little-known Centrelink rule.

James Gerrard

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/topics/need-to-know