Superannuation
Most people think of superannuation as a tax-favoured way of saving for your retirement. For employees, it is compulsory. For self-employed people, it is optional. For everybody, it is a great idea.
But superannuation is about more than retirement planning. It is actually a cornerstone of most people’s financial plan. This is because ‘super’ touches every other aspect of your financial planning. The way you manage your super impacts on how you manage your insurances, your other investments, your tax planning, your retirement planning, your marriage, your divorce, how and when you might help your adult kids out financially, your estate planning and even how you repay your own mortgage.
It is super by name and even more super by nature.
There are several types of super funds, such as retail funds, industry funds, corporate funds and self-managed superannuation funds. Different clients are suited to one or more of these types, and sometimes it makes sense to use more than one type in combination. We help you select the appropriate type of fund. We then help you make best use of whichever option you take. This is important because super can and should be incorporated into your thinking about everything to do with your finances.
If you decide to manage your own super (a ‘self-managed super fund,’ or SMSF), we assist with all facets of establishing and maintaining this fund. This includes liaising with external legal professionals to facilitate the production of all documents needed to start, and our advice on the assets you hold within the fund.
Relevant Articles...
Winter means the end of the financial year!
Next week marks the start of winter and also the last month of what has surely been the most bizarre financial year in history. June 30 is a deadline for a whole range of things, so in this article we want to remind you of some of them. As the weather has gotten colder, why not make yourself a nice warm drink and read on.
Account-Based Pensions – Save the Other Half for Later?
In recent weeks we have discussed various Commonwealth responses to the Coronavirus. One response that has received relatively little ‘airtime’ is the announcement that people drawing account-based pensions from their super fund can reduce the amount they must withdraw in this and the coming financial year.
To Access or Not to Access (Your Super Early)? That is the Question.
Amid the raft of measures announced by the Commonwealth Government last month, one of the more contentious was the decision to allow limited access to superannuation benefits to people who are ‘under-age.’ This change took effect from Monday of this week. Whether withdrawing makes sense in your case depends very much on your unique situation.
Estate Planning and Super
When it comes to estate planning, many people overlook their superannuation. This is risky, because superannuation does not necessarily form part of your estate. This means that your regular legal will may not address what happens to your super when you no longer need it.