October 2018 newsletter

In this webinar super expert Garth McNally answers recent questions from SuperGuide members.

If you’ve made a capital gain this year, the tax office is knocking at the door. A personal tax-deductible super contribution could keep them at bay.

Have unused concessional cap from the past five years? How carry-forward (catch-up) contributions work, who’s eligible and how to find your unused amount.

The transfer balance cap limits the amount of your super savings you can invest in a tax-free pension for retirement.

How to start a super pension: A step-by-step guide, What lifecycle super funds can teach us about investment risk around retirement, What different types of financial advice should I consider?, Common ‘myth-conceptions’ about retirement income, How long you can expect to live and what it means for your super

There’s no official minimum balance for an SMSF, but your balance affects what you pay, how your fund performs and how diversified it can be.

Low-income earners may be eligible to reduce their tax bill by as much as $700, without lifting a finger. Check our guide to who’s eligible and for how much.

Making a personal contribution into your super can be a great way to boost your retirement nest egg and enjoy the benefits of the super system.

The tax on super balances over $3 million is now law. Find out who it affects, how it’s calculated and what it could cost you.

Downsizer contributions can be a great way to boost your super without falling foul of many of the rules affecting other super contributions.

Using the bring-forward rule is a great way to put a larger contribution into your super account in a single year. Here’s what you need to know.

Find out how a recontribution strategy can decrease tax for your beneficiaries and help you and your spouse share super balances more evenly.

In a world of ever-increasing prices, the ATO’s annual SMSF supervisory levy has been unchanged for more than a decade, but an increase is on the way.

Preservation age is now 60 for everyone. Here’s what reaching it lets you do with your super, and the extra condition you’ll usually need to meet first.

Setting up an SMSF involves upfront fees, ongoing expenses and a commitment of your time. Understand the costs before deciding whether to start your own fund.

The Low Income Superannuation Tax Offset (LISTO) pays up to $500 a year into the super of people earning $37,000 or less, refunding the tax on their contributions. From 1 July 2027 the limits rise to $45,000 and $810.

Lifecycle super funds start cutting growth assets at about 50 and keep going after 65. Here’s what APRA’s June 2026 figures show they hold through your 50s and 60s, and what changes when your pension starts.

The professionals who design super defaults for 25-year-olds put a median 90% in growth assets, against 76% in a typical single strategy default, and over the past decade that gap was worth almost 1 percentage point a year.

One of the challenges of retirement planning is working out how much income you will need to live the good life. Here are some tips to get you started.

As the cost of living rises, life and TPD insurance premiums inside super have bucked the trend with little or no movement in 2023.

While interest rates have lifted off their historic lows, franked dividends from shares are still a happy hunting ground for income-seeking investors.