Note: This article is updated regularly when new financial advisers join the independence club (latest update June 2013). A financial adviser does not have to be a member of the IFAAA to join the SuperGuide list, provided they can declare that they satisfy the requirements of being an independent … [Read more...]
For the 2012/2013 year, only one concessional (before-tax) contributions cap exists for all ages, and that cap is $25,000. Before July 2012, we had a concessional cap for under-50s and a concessional cap for those 50 years and over. From the 2013/2014 year, we will have a special concessional cap … [Read more...]
I receive a lot of questions from readers seeking information about how the non-concessional (after-tax) super contributions rules work; in particular, how the bring-forward rule works. More recently I have received several emails from readers who have fallen foul of the bring-forward rules and … [Read more...]
You can make superannuation contributions up to the age of 74, and these can be concessional (before-tax) or non-concessional (after-tax) contributions. If you’re aged 65 or over, then you must satisfy a work test if you intend to make super contributions. Anyone under the age of 65 can make super … [Read more...]
Four years ago, in January 2009, we launched the SuperGuide website, and since that time we have received thousands of questions, from our millions of visitors, on different aspects of superannuation. We try to represent as many questions as possible in the articles we publish, while also ensuring … [Read more...]
Australian and global listed property sectors delivered the biggest returns for the 2012 calendar year (1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012), according to Warren Chant of rating company, Chant West. He says that the strong performance of super funds during 2012 however was driven primarily by the … [Read more...]
Investment returns for the growth investment options within super funds ranged from a high of 16% through to a low of 9.7%, according to figures released by rating company Chant West. The Top 10 performing super funds for the 2012 calendar year (January 2012 to December 2012), and the top 10 … [Read more...]
Each year, the superannuation regulator releases the latest performance data on the largest 200 superannuation funds in Australia. In January 2013, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) published its third annual report into the investment performance of Australia’s super funds … [Read more...]
Note: This article is updated each year to reflect the latest APRA performance data for Australia’s largest 200 super funds. The latest data was released by APRA in January 2013. The next APRA report is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2014. The Australian Prudential Regulation … [Read more...]
Note: Each year, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority releases performance data on the largest 200 super funds in Australia. The latest report was released on 9 January 2013, providing detailed performance data for the 2011/2012 financial year. This article provides some of the highlights … [Read more...]
Note: This article is the second in a series of special articles that SuperGuide will be publishing, designed to help SuperGuide readers more easily access the hundreds of questions and articles that we have published on the SuperGuide website. The first article in the series is Super Checklist: … [Read more...]
Note: Since the concessional contributions cap was halved to $25,000 for over-50s (announced in May 2012, and effective from July 2012), anyone using the popular transition-to-retirement pension/salary sacrifice strategy, or considering using such a strategy, will need to review this strategy, … [Read more...]
Salary sacrificing, by making before-tax superannuation contributions, is a popular strategy for employees on middle-to-high incomes. The deal is that you increase your superannuation balance (and pay 15% contributions tax) while reducing the amount of income tax payable (up to 46.5%) on your salary … [Read more...]
SuperGuide receives hundreds of questions every week from Australians wanting to create a better life for themselves in retirement. The types of questions we receive include: how much super should my employer contribute each year, how much money is enough, how can I work out if I am in a good super … [Read more...]
Note: SuperGuide updates this article periodically with the latest performance and super fund data. You can discover the best value superannuation fund of the year for 2013, the super (pre-retirement) fund of the year for 2013, and the pension (retirement) fund of the year for 2013. You can also … [Read more...]
