Being the trustee of a self-managed super fund can be a challenging task at times, and most people need a bit of help at certain stages when running a SMSF, particularly when a decision, or strategy, requires financial advice. Traditionally, many Australians have turned to their accountant for assistance, but ... Read more
Concessional contributions: What form do I use to claim a tax deduction?
Q: I want to make a tax-deductible super contribution to my super fund, in this case, a SMSF, although I also have a super account with an industry fund. I am trying to find the official form for claiming this type of deduction. Could you lead me to a link where I could find a generic S290-170 notice of intent to ... Read more
Employees can now make tax-deductible super contributions (since July 2017)
Note: The option for employees to make tax-deductible super contributions became law on 29 November 2016, and took effect from 1 July 2017.As an employee, the general rule when making super contributions is, you can take advantage of the concessional (before-tax) contributions rules by salary sacrificing, or by ... Read more
Super for beginners: 8 steps to super success
Merely thinking about your super means you’re straddling the first major hurdle that most Australians face when planning (or not) for their retirement and looking into your future.As an employee, you have your employer helping you with your retirement plans by making compulsory super contributions.If you’re ... Read more
Super for beginners: Top 10 must-know facts
Just over eight years ago, in January 2009, we launched the SuperGuide website, and in March 2009 we published the first monthly SuperGuide newsletter. Since that time we have received thousands of questions, from our millions of visitors, on different aspects of superannuation. We try to represent as many questions as ... Read more
SMSF investment: Three most popular asset classes, and the rest
Note: We regularly update this article with the latest data on self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) released by the Australian Taxation Office. This article contains the latest data available up to February 2017 (for data on SMSF growth as at December 2016, and for asset allocation data as at September ... Read more
Do you fit the latest profile of a ‘typical’ SMSF trustee?
Note: We regularly update this article with the latest data on self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) issued by the Australian Taxation Office. This article contains the latest data available as of February 2017 (for data as at September 2016, and in some instances, December 2016).The latest ATO statistics on ... Read more
Oops! Top 10 SMSF boo-boos for 2016 financial year
Note: Every year, the ATO publishes the top compliance mistakes made by SMSF trustees. This article contains data up to 30 June 2016 (latest available as at February 2017). The next update, for compliance data up to 30 June 2017, will be available in December 2017.The ATO has published the top 10 compliance ... Read more
SMSFs surge towards 600,000 controlling $650B-plus in assets
Note: We regularly update this article with the latest data on superannuation funds issued by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). This article contains the latest statistics available, as of February 2017 (for data as at December 2016).Close to 600,000 self-managed super funds (SMSFs) are now in ... Read more
SMSF confidential: the inside story on DIY super funds
Note: The ATO publishes an annual report about SMSFs for each financial year. This article covers the ATO’s 2014-2015 statistical review of SMSFs (released in December 2016). This report also contains data for the 2015-2016 year. The annual report for the 2016-2017 year will be available in December 2017.The ... Read more
Large funds outperform SMSFs over 9 years, just
Note: The ATO publishes an annual report about SMSFs for each financial year. This article covers the latest SMSF performance data available from the ATO, as at February 2017. The ATO will provide updated performance data (for year ending 30 June 2016) in December 2017.A common argument put forward against ... Read more
Five SMSF publications — for free!
More than 1 million Australians run more than 570,000 self-managed super funds controlling a third of the country’s superannuation assets. Over the past six years to June 2016, more than 210,000 SMSFs have been set up, which means the SMSF sector is growing, on average, by just under 36,000 SMSFs a year.The team at ... Read more
