The Senior Australians and Pensioners Tax Offset (SAPTO) won’t shower you in riches. But depending on your age, relationship status and income, it could provide a handy tax offset of up to $2,230.
What type of people have SMSFs?
According to the latest ATO statistics, more than 1.1 million Australians are members of SMSFs. This article looks at the most common characteristics of SMSF members.
How much super do you need to set up an SMSF?
The amount of money you should have in super to make it worthwhile setting up your own self-managed super fund (SMSF) is a contentious issue.
What does it cost to run an SMSF?
Many SMSF investors are in the dark about how much it will cost to set up and run their own fund, and whether they are paying a fair price for SMSF advice and services. And it’s easy to see why.
How to evaluate whether an SMSF is right for you
It may seem like everyone who’s anyone has a self-managed super fund (SMSF), if some financial advisers and property spruikers are to be believed. Yet the reality is that just 4% of Australians have one.
Advertisement
Super and pension fund performance: Where does your fund rank?
Have you ever looked at your super fund’s investment returns and thought “that looks pretty good”, or “that’s disappointing’’, and wondered how your fund compares with similar funds? Is it a consistently high performer or an inveterate underachiever?
Pension fund performance to June 2020
Superannuation pension funds, like accumulation funds, finished the financial year to June 2020 with returns at or close to zero. All in all, that’s a positive achievement, given the COVID-linked turmoil that rocked global markets from February this year.
How risky is your super?
The three drivers of investment success are time, returns and risk. Try to remove risk and in time you’ll rue your lost returns.
Top 10 Balanced super funds ranked by risk and return
Recent market volatility and its impact on super returns has highlighted the importance of managing investment risk. Some super funds manage this task better than others.
What is a growth asset? Time to set some standards
It’s been a long time coming, but a group of superannuation industry professionals is proposing a set of standards to categorise growth and defensive assets.
Advertisement
Balanced, Growth, Defensive: What’s in a name?
A rising chorus of superannuation industry professionals agree the current labelling of super investment options is past its use by date, but that’s where the agreement ends.
Early release of super due to COVID-19 (coronavirus)
On 22 March 2020 the federal government announced a temporary measure allowing individuals to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation in 2019/20 and a further $10,000 in 2020/21.
What are lifecycle super funds, and how do they perform?
Despite a partial rebound in April, all lifecycle fund age cohorts have had negative returns for the financial year to date. Younger members with higher exposure to risk assets have borne the brunt of the downturn, while older members with a more defensive asset allocation have been cushioned from the worst of the falls.
Asset Sector Performance Reckoner
SuperGuide’s Asset Sector Performance reckoner allows you to compare the investment performance of various asset classes over the short, medium and long term. The reckoner covers 12 asset classes over 1, 3 and 5 years and, where available, also over 7, 10 and 15 years.
Monthly super fund performance Reckoner: Monthly returns for 5 investment categories
In our reckoner below you can view the median monthly investment returns for 5 superannuation investment options. We’re grateful to Chant West for providing the statistics that power the reckoner.