Key points While reported new coronavirus cases in China have slowed, the pickup in cases outside China has led to a renewed sharp fall in share markets and bond yields. Our base case is that the outbreak will be contained allowing share markets and bond...
Salary sacrificing – making before-tax (concessional) contributions from your salary into your super – may be an effective way to help grow your super and set yourself up for a comfortable retirement. For most people, their salary sacrifice arrangements are on top of the 9.5% pa...
To help pay for the public health system which we call Medicare, you’re required to pay a 2 percent Medicare levy as part of your income tax. While the low-income tax offset can reduce your individual tax liability, sadly it does not reduce the Medicare...
In the wake of recent ferocious bushfires, the climate change debate has climbed the news agenda, with many Australians now considering what they can do to help. If you’d like your money to make a difference to the environment as well as your future, now might...
In Australia, special capital gains tax rules apply when dealing with assets of a deceased estate. The most common types of assets inherited by a beneficiary that could be subject to a capital gain are property, shares and managed funds. You may have just received (or are...
Everyone who’s approaching retirement wants to know how much money they need to save - how much is enough to leave work confidently and then live comfortably? Lately, we’ve been seeing $1 million dollars bandied around as the magic number but is $1 million enough? Well,...
When considering the financial position they’ve achieved in retirement, many Australian retirees share the same opinion: “I wish I’d saved more.” For some people, keeping up with day-to-day living expenses and staying on top of debts is challenging enough, and investing for the future can seem...
How to review your SMSF investment strategy Super law sets out some requirements that trustees of regulated super funds need to consider when formulating an investment strategy. These requirements include (but not limited to) the composition of investments, risk and return, liquidity, insurance and the ability to...
Market and Economic overview Australia Headline inflation rose slightly more than expected in the December quarter. Prices rose 0.7% over the three-month period, the fastest quarterly increase in three years. This took the annual inflation rate to 1.8%. The increase was partly due to higher food...
The Coronavirus is slowly jumping international borders after its initial spread in China, and markets have not been immune to its impact. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which have long been known to create illnesses. There is currently a new Coronavirus affecting people who...
