Best performing super funds, Aged care planning, Maximise your Age Pension, Best time to retire, Death benefits
Highlights of the July 2019 edition of the SuperGuide Premium newsletter include:
- SUPER FUND PERFORMANCE: Find out how the median super funds performed over the last financial year, and who were the best performing super funds over one year and 10 years.
- THE BEST TIME TO RETIRE: Choosing when you retire can ultimately have a big impact on your retirement savings, so before you flick the switch to pension phase, we look at a few issues and strategies to consider. In a separate article we list the five questions you need to ask if you’re thinking of retiring in the next 12 months.
- AGED CARE PLANNING: Bina Brown walks us through what to consider when planning for the later stages of retirement.
- PROPORTIONING RULE AND SUPER TAX: What it is and why does it matter? The proportioning rule can impact retirement income, because it can influence the effectiveness of many superannuation retirement strategies in relation to tax. Find out what you need to know in this in-depth article.
- 12 TIPS TO HELP MAXIMISE YOUR AGE PENSION: Regan Welburn shares his top tips to get the most out of your Age Pension. In a separate article, Barbara Drury looks at the recent deeming rate changes and whether they are fair for pensioners.
- WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR SMSF WHEN YOU GO OVERSEAS? Want to live, travel or work in another country? Make sure you’re across the residency rules and what else you need to take into consideration before you pack your passport.
- HOW TO MAKE YOUR SUPER MORE SOCIALLY AWARE: If you care about responsible investing, check out our article on how to be sure your super and SMSF is backing ethical investments.
FEATURES
2018-19 year in review
As we look back over the 2018/19 financial year, it was a year in two halves.
Why aged care deserves to be part of your retirement plan
When you are planning your retirement bucket list, aged care probably doesn’t rate a mention, but it should if you want to live out your days in comfort and security.
Strategies for boosting your super in the gig economy
While working in the gig economy can be more flexible, it can also be a recipe for a much smaller retirement savings pot if you don’t take steps to fix it.
How to make your super more socially aware
Aligning your super investments with your values is increasingly important to many people, but before you switch you should understand what to look for.
Legal case a lesson in proper SMSF admin and record keeping
A recent court case, known as the Narumon case, demonstrates how important it is for self-managed super fund (SMSF) trustees to ensure their documentation is up-to-date, and that binding death benefit nominations are valid.
What are average super fund fees?
An easy way to determine if you believe your super fund is good value, is to assess the cost of your super fund against the average costs for the different types of super funds available.
SUPER FUND PERFORMANCE
Best performing super funds: Balanced category (41–60%)
In this article you can discover the top 10 performing Balanced super funds over 1 year and 10 years to 31 December 2023. Balanced funds have 41-60% invested in growth assets.
Best performing super funds: Growth category (61–80%)
The list of top 10 Growth funds in 2023 rounded up some of the usual suspects with a few newcomers, but over 10 years the top funds remain remarkably consistent.
Super fund performance over 31 calendar years (to December 2023)
Super funds surmounted a wall of worries in 2023 to post a return of almost 10%, thanks to buoyant global share markets.
RETIREMENT PLANNING
Retiring soon? Here are 5 questions you need to answer first
There’s a lot to think about in the run-up to retirement, from where your income will come from to where you’ll live, but answering these questions should help you prepare.
What to consider if you plan to retire this year and start a super pension
With the amount you can transfer into a retirement phase pension set to increase on 1 July 2023, there are pros and cons to delaying retirement until after that date.
Retiring overseas: Implications for your super and tax
If you dream of retiring to an exotic overseas location where the living is easy, be sure to look at the financial, health and other considerations before you make the leap.
AGE PENSION
How to maximise your Age Pension
If you receive a part-Age Pension or none at all due to the level of your assets or income, these 12 strategies may help you increase your pension entitlements.
Deeming rates (and calculator) for the Age Pension income test
Under the deeming rules, you are ‘deemed’ to earn a certain annual rate of return on your financial assets, regardless of the rate of return you actually earn.
SUPER DEATH BENEFITS
Who gets your super when you die? A guide to death benefit nominations
With 5 different types of death benefit nomination to choose from when deciding who gets your super death benefit, it’s important to know what each one means
A simple guide to what tax is payable on super death benefits
Your beneficiaries could end up paying more tax than necessary when they receive your superannuation death benefit if you don’t learn the rules that apply.
Reversionary pensions: What they are and how they work
Having your super pension automatically revert to an eligible beneficiary is an easy way to ensure your wishes are followed without the trustee’s involvement.
Proportioning rule and super tax: What it is and why it matters
Before withdrawing your super, it’s important to understand the proportioning rule and how it will impact the amount of tax you will pay on your super savings.