Note: This article is written by Ashley Owen, Joint Chief Executive Officer of Philo Capital Advisers and a director of Third Link Investment Managers. This article first appeared on Cuffelinks.com.au, reproduced with permission. There’s a never-ending debate about income inequality and how … [Read more...]
From 1 July 2013, the official Age Pension age for women increases to 65 years, from 64.5 years previously. (From July 2017, the Age Pension age increases to 65.5 years until it reaches age 67 from July 2023.) Historically, the Age Pension age for women was 60 years, but since 1 July 1995, only … [Read more...]
The question is a popular one among prospective retirees, and the answer can be best explained by dividing the question into four parts: What is the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC)? Who is eligible for the CSHC? What year of income does Centrelink use when testing for CSHC … [Read more...]
The 2013/2014 financial year is a huge year for SMSF trustees with a hefty batch of changes set to take effect from 1 July 2013. You also need to be aware that a raft of changes took effect from 1 July 2012 (2012/2013 year). As a SMSF trustee, you will need to ensure that your super fund complies … [Read more...]
Note: Starting date for the potential ban on off-market share transfers has now been deferred indefinitely (from its original start date of 1 July 2012, and then the later start date of 1 July 2013). At the time of writing, the federal government had not made a formal announcement confirming the … [Read more...]
This article is updated annually with new rates, or periodically to highlight changes (if any) to the Senior Australians & Pensioners Tax Offset (SAPTO) rules. This article includes SATO rates for the 2013/2014, 2012/2013, 2011/2012, 2010/2011, 2009/2010 and 2008/2009 years. Since 1 July 2012, … [Read more...]
Note: This article is regularly updated with new figures to allow readers to compare what a $2 million retirement can deliver if retirement savings are invested with returns of 7% a year, or if invested on retirement with returns of 5% each year. If you opt for a 5% investment return, rather than, … [Read more...]
Note: We regularly update this article with the latest data on superannuation funds issued by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). This article contains the latest data available as of May 2013 (for data as at March 2013). Unless you work in the superannuation industry, how the … [Read more...]
Note: We regularly update this article with the latest data on superannuation funds issued by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). This article contains the latest statistics available, as of May 2013 (for data as at March 2013). More than half a million self-managed super funds … [Read more...]
Note: This article is regularly updated with new figures (in particular the effects of Age Pension changes), to allow readers to compare what a $1 million retirement can deliver if retirement savings are invested with returns of 7% each year, or if invested on retirement with returns of 5% a year. … [Read more...]
Note: This article is updated regularly with the latest lifestyle/income data. The most recent data was released in May 2013 (for lifestyle costs as at March 2013), and includes Age Pension rates effective from March 2013 (until September 2013). Due to reader demand and the current market … [Read more...]
In the 2013 Federal Budget, the government announced a pilot program to assist senior Australians to downsize to a home more suitable to their needs without reducing their Age Pension entitlements. According to the Budget papers, “from 1 July 2014, senior Australian homeowners who have owned … [Read more...]
The federal government will be introducing a temporary concessional cap for over-60s from 1 July 2013, which will also apply to over-50s from 1 July 2014. Draft legislation has been prepared for this change. The government will be introducing an unindexed cap of $35,000 for over 60s (from 1 July … [Read more...]
Due to a budget blowout caused by “an over-hang from the global financial crisis and strong Australian dollar”, the federal government has informally announced (drip fed via a series of casual comments in various interviews) that the income tax cuts, that were to take effect from 1 July 2015, … [Read more...]
Q: Do you need to be 60 at July 1 or could you turn 60 any time in 2013/2014 to take advantage of the new $35,000 cap? A: For the benefit of other readers, I will first explain the background to the new over-60s cap. On 5 April 2013, the federal government announced that it will be introducing an … [Read more...]
