Life Insurance – What Structure Works for Your Family?
[This article is from our partners, Quill Group] Welcome to the new financial year! Over the past six to twelve months we’ve had a number of people enquire about life insurance and how to optimally structure it for their family. It should come as no surprise that the best way to structure it will depend […]
What Auditors Want – Hear it Directly from an Auditor
Every year we get asked by advisers why our auditors ask for so much documentation relating to investment decisions or certain transactions within SMSF’s. As we prepare to enter a new financial year, we thought that it would be timely to understand some of the main issues our auditors look for when reviewing SMSF […]
2020/2021 EOFY Considerations for You & Your Clients
As another financial year draws to a close, it’s a good time for you and your clients to perform a little “financial housekeeping”. Here are a few important considerations that may prompt your clients, depending on their personal circumstances. Naturally, Superannuation is an important consideration at this time of year for many individuals. So, let’s […]
EOFY To-Do’s for Trustees
An article from our partner, Quill Group. The end of the 2020/21 financial year is approaching – a great time to perform some financial “housekeeping”, according to your personal circumstances. For many individuals, Superannuation and the management of their SMSF is often an important consideration at this time of year. So, let’s look at some […]
Caution needed on contribution reserving strategy when managing the TSB
I was at the First Tech Roadshow last week where the topic of the Contribution Reserving Strategy stimulated some interesting discussion! Here’s a recent article on the matter from Tony Zhang at SMSF Adviser. SMSFs thinking about implementing the unique contribution reserving strategy this financial year will need to be aware of possible unallocated contribution […]
SMSF Investment Strategy: Considerations for Trustees
What’s the Purpose of an SMSF Investment Strategy? An investment strategy for your self-managed super fund (SMSF) is a legal requirement, designed to assist Trustees when making investment decisions for the Fund. The SMSF Investment Strategy must be clearly articulated – the ATO recommends it is written down – to keep members aligned with the […]
The Top 5 Mistakes made on an SMSF: Advice from the Australian Tax Office
The ATO published a list of the most common mistakes made in the accounting process of SMSFs around the country last year. A few of the top five mistakes relate to the SMSF Annual Return (SAR) which is required to be lodged for some SMSFs next month. With recent growth of 15% in SMSF’s for […]
SMSF Auditor Independence Standards – The Tough Decisions for Accounting Firms
In preparation for a tougher clamp down on SMSF Audit Independence Standards as of July 1, many accounting firms face a predicament. Under the updated code, those firms that offer both non assurance and SMSF audit services to their SMSF clients to decide to offer one, or the other. The independence standard also affects those […]
SMSF Diversification Strategy – are you on top of your obligations?
Are you questioning your obligations and requirements aligning with your SMSF diversification strategy? The Australian Taxation Office has recently mailed around 17,000 SMSF trustees with a ‘please explain’ letter. The target was a batch of funds that have more than 90% of their assets in a single asset class. In many uninformed sectors of the […]
Can my SMSF invest in gold and silver bullion?
Yes – your SMSF can invest in gold and silver bullion and other precious metals as part of your investment strategy however there are a number of rules that you must comply with. Importantly, an SMSF investment in gold or silver bullion valued entirely on the spot price of the precious metal. Gold bullion is […]