January 2021 newsletter

Against all expectations and a backdrop of escalating trade and geopolitical tensions, super funds continued their three-year winning streak in the 2025 financial year.

Against all expectations and a backdrop of escalating trade and geopolitical tensions, super funds continued their three-year winning streak in 2025 financial year.

Super funds navigated wave after wave of uncertainty to deliver an extraordinary return of 10.5% in the year to June 30.

TPD cover is a valuable benefit often provided as part of your insurance cover inside super. But there are important differences between funds, so ensure you check out the details.

Income protection insurance through your super fund can be invaluable for paying the bills if you can’t work temporarily. But it’s important to understand exactly how these policies work.

Holding death cover through your super fund can be a costeffective way to protect your family and financial dependents and to help pay off your debts if you die.

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

Income protection premiums continued to increase at a significantly higher rate than death and TPD premiums in 2023, but the cost of cover varies widely.

Forewarned is forearmed, as they say, so why not download our 2025 SMSF calendar to ensure you don’t miss any crucial dates, deadlines or opportunities in the year ahead.

After another wild year on investment markets, the summer break is a good time to review your SMSF and resolve to make it fit for whatever 2025 may bring.

SMSFs are required to value their assets at market value every financial year, this is easy enough for listed assets, such as equities, but it’s not so straightforward for unlisted assets like commercial property or collectibles.

Even if you have life insurance outside super or in a pre-existing fund, SMSF trustees are still required to consider their insurance strategy.

There can be a bit of a learning curve with MoneySmart’s Retirement Planner, and it may appear intimidating at first glance, so we created a short video to help you get an understanding of how the tool works.

Multi-generational households can make a lot of sense financially and for mutual care. But it’s worth making a formal agreement to avoid issues with tax and the Age Pension.

When (and if) you retire is up to you, but there are rules around when you can access your super and the Age Pension.

Now that we are living longer, and the cost of living has increased significantly, we ask retirees if they have any regrets over the timing of their retirement