January 2020 newsletter

This month we look at what support is available to Australians affected by the bushfires, changes to legislation allow high earners to opt out of some SG payments, warnings from the ATO and ASIC on early release of super schemes, the price of medications for pensioners has come down, FASEA’s ethics rules are now in place and APRA launches a new sustainability standard.

Besides being a great way to save for retirement, Australia’s super system offers some valuable – but little-known – benefits for super fund members. Here’s our list of the top 10 super benefits and how they can help improve your financial situation.

Superannuation is now very much super-sized, with 187 super funds and $2.9 trillion invested. Here we list the 20 largest super funds in Australia so that you can benchmark your own fund.

From 1 January 2020, your salary sacrificed super contributions can’t be used by your employer to reduce their SG payment obligations, regardless of the amount you elect to salary sacrifice.

In this article you can discover the top 10 performing Conservative super funds over 1 year and 10 years to 30 June 2020. Conservative funds have 21-40% invested in growth assets.

Super funds defied all expectations in 2019, recording their best calendar year since 2013. The median growth fund returned 14.7%, capping an eight-year run of positive returns.

The top performers over the last calendar year were International Shares, Australian shares, Global Listed Infrastructure, Global Listed Property and Australian Listed Property. However, all asset classes produced positive returns with cash bringing up the rear.

If you’re a member of a big super fund, chances are you are a part-owner in an airport, a pipeline or a major shipping port. So why have super funds embraced infrastructure and what’s in it for you as a super fund member?

Although you might want your super fund to produce a good investment return every year, many fund members also want their money invested responsibly and in line with their personal values. To help you ensure your super account is being invested the way you want, we have prepared a simple guide to what responsible investment means when it comes to your super fund.

Buy/sell spread fees are something we’re all likely to see a lot more of thanks to ASIC’s new disclosure rules for annual fund member statements. So just what are these mysterious charges and how do they work?

If you believe your super fund is not performing as well as you had hoped, or as well as other super funds, what can you do? Here’s our 5-step guide to help you assess whether your super fund’s investment performance is staying with the pack – or lagging the field.

If you’re unhappy with how your super savings have grown, it’s worth considering whether you’re in the right investment option in your super fund. To help you work through the process of making an investment option switch, check out our simple explainer.

SMSF trustees have a lot to remember. Along with trustee meetings and minutes, trustees need to keep up to date with current superannuation legislation and review their investments regularly. There are annual returns to lodge, auditor reports to arrange and actuarial reports to book as well if your SMSF is paying a certain kind of pension.

SMSFs provide members with a high degree of control over their retirement savings, but with that control comes responsibility. Here we look at the administrative, reporting and record-keeping obligations that trustees need to complete to ensure their fund complies with superannuation and taxation legislation.

Running your own self-managed super fund has many benefits. But unless you have a high degree of SMSF and investment knowledge, as well as plenty of time available to manage your fund, you’re likely to need some professional help. Here we look at the factors you’ll need to consider before you choose a provider.

Most super fund members are familiar with the process of making contributions to their super account. However, they may be less familiar with the process of transferring an asset such as property or shares in or out of their fund without any money changing hands. We take a look at the pros and cons of in specie transfers relating to SMSFs.

The concept of ‘arm’s length’ is familiar to businesses the world over. To ensure business transactions are conducted at commercial market values buyers and sellers must act independently, without colluding and without one party influencing the other. So how does this concept apply to your SMSF?

It’s a rare person who enjoys paperwork. But for trustees of a self-managed super fund, it’s a necessary evil. Find out what penalties apply if your fund isn’t set up and managed to comply with superannuation and taxation legislation.

Everyone loves a bargain, but once they turn 60 many people forget to grab one of the best deals on offer – their state government’s Seniors Card.

There are a range of concession cards that Australian seniors and pensioners may be eligible for. Depending on the card, you may be entitled to cheaper medicines and discounts on services such as public transport, council rates and power bills.

We asked 15 retirees, ‘If you knew when you were younger what you now know about retirement, what would you have done differently?’ Here’s what they said.

Life expectancy is a complex topic, so we’ve put together a straightforward guide to help explain the key concepts – enabling you to plan your retirement with a bit more confidence.

While older people often eat less than when they were younger, they actually have increased dietary requirements for a range of nutrients. This mismatch between food intake and nutritional requirements can potentially result in deficiencies and accelerate ageing and disease risk. Discover what nutrients you need to increase once you hit 70.