The most valuable planning happens before 1 July 2027 – and the single best lever, equalising balances between spouses, closes the moment one of them dies. What follows is general information for advisers and trustees, not advice on any particular fund.
Equalise balances while both spouses are alive
Division 296 measures each member as an individual, ...
For many couples, the family home is their biggest asset. It can also be the most emotionally complicated asset to deal with when one partner dies.
Complicating the situation further is tax. The main residence secures a CGT exemption, and the ATO allows a two-year grace period from the date of death to sell the home. If the asset is not disposed of ...
The investment analysis and historical FIIG client return figures referred to below were prepared by FIIG Securities Limited (AFSL 224659), a wholly owned subsidiary of AUSIEX.
Fixed income exchange traded funds (ETFs) have become a popular way for investors to access the bond market. They are familiar, liquid and easy to trade, making them a ...
For decades, Australians have been told a simple story about retirement. Work hard, build your super, pay off the mortgage and retire debt-free.
That vision has shaped everything from financial advice and retirement calculators to the way Australians think about financial success itself. Owning a home outright by retirement has been more than an ...
When we think about retirement planning, the first component that often comes to mind is the dollars and cents – and the first question we ponder is how much we need to enjoy a great one.
And that’s with good reason. After all, superannuation is likely to be the biggest asset we hold in retirement, and it can be vital to have sufficient savings to ...
I was sitting in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio last October; my flight wasn’t until later, and I was basking in the glow of a successful Bogleheads conference. (Bogleheads are investors who believe in minimalist index-based investing as espoused by Vanguard founder Jack Bogle.)
Conference attendees were streaming out of the hotel to ...
This article is the first in a new mini-series, Eight Temptations of Market Lore, which explores popular investing rules of thumb and the pitfalls that can accompany them.
Before there were seven deadly sins, there were eight temptations. In the fourth century, the monk Evagrius Ponticus listed eight thoughts that lead people astray. Two centuries ...
One of the challenges with investor surveys is separating what respondents say from what they actually do.
The State of the Australian Investor study attempts to test the gap between intention and reality by combining survey responses with portfolio and transaction data from almost 100,000 investors.
The stereotype of the typical retail investor can be ...
In September I wrote that testamentary trusts, the trusts created under a will after death, had survived the Government's new 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts, but that the drafting battle had just begun. The exposure draft pointed one way and its Explanatory Memorandum pointed another. The question was whether the exemption turned on who ...
Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.- Tony Robbins
Last week I proposed a scorecard for retirement where readers could self-assess their retirement prospects using four criteria:
Understanding the maths of retirement
Knowing how much you will spend
Estimating how much you need to support annual spending
Defining an ...
Glencore's arrival on the ASX gives Australian investors a new choice. Should they stick with BHP and Rio Tinto, or allocate some capital to Glencore (GLC)?
BHP and Rio offer franked dividends, stronger governance credentials and established places in Australian portfolios. Glencore is cheaper, has a trading arm and ambitious copper growth potential. ...
The new CGT regime announced in the May 2026 Federal budget now sees capital losses treated differently to capital gains in two important ways.
Gains are taxed, but losses cannot be deducted against other income. Instead, capital losses can only offset capital gains, otherwise they are quarantined to offset against future gains. This has always been a ...
The most valuable planning happens before 1 July 2027 – and the single best lever, equalising balances between spouses, closes the moment one of them dies. What follows is general information for advisers and trustees, not advice on any particular fund.
Equalise balances while both spouses are alive
Division 296 measures each member as an individual, ...
For many couples, the family home is their biggest asset. It can also be the most emotionally complicated asset to deal with when one partner dies.
Complicating the situation further is tax. The main residence secures a CGT exemption, and the ATO allows a two-year grace period from the date of death to sell the home. If the asset is not disposed of ...
The investment analysis and historical FIIG client return figures referred to below were prepared by FIIG Securities Limited (AFSL 224659), a wholly owned subsidiary of AUSIEX.
Fixed income exchange traded funds (ETFs) have become a popular way for investors to access the bond market. They are familiar, liquid and easy to trade, making them a ...
For decades, Australians have been told a simple story about retirement. Work hard, build your super, pay off the mortgage and retire debt-free.
That vision has shaped everything from financial advice and retirement calculators to the way Australians think about financial success itself. Owning a home outright by retirement has been more than an ...
When we think about retirement planning, the first component that often comes to mind is the dollars and cents – and the first question we ponder is how much we need to enjoy a great one.
And that’s with good reason. After all, superannuation is likely to be the biggest asset we hold in retirement, and it can be vital to have sufficient savings to ...
I was sitting in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio last October; my flight wasn’t until later, and I was basking in the glow of a successful Bogleheads conference. (Bogleheads are investors who believe in minimalist index-based investing as espoused by Vanguard founder Jack Bogle.)
Conference attendees were streaming out of the hotel to ...
This article is the first in a new mini-series, Eight Temptations of Market Lore, which explores popular investing rules of thumb and the pitfalls that can accompany them.
Before there were seven deadly sins, there were eight temptations. In the fourth century, the monk Evagrius Ponticus listed eight thoughts that lead people astray. Two centuries ...
One of the challenges with investor surveys is separating what respondents say from what they actually do.
The State of the Australian Investor study attempts to test the gap between intention and reality by combining survey responses with portfolio and transaction data from almost 100,000 investors.
The stereotype of the typical retail investor can be ...
In September I wrote that testamentary trusts, the trusts created under a will after death, had survived the Government's new 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts, but that the drafting battle had just begun. The exposure draft pointed one way and its Explanatory Memorandum pointed another. The question was whether the exemption turned on who ...
Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.- Tony Robbins
Last week I proposed a scorecard for retirement where readers could self-assess their retirement prospects using four criteria:
Understanding the maths of retirement
Knowing how much you will spend
Estimating how much you need to support annual spending
Defining an ...
Glencore's arrival on the ASX gives Australian investors a new choice. Should they stick with BHP and Rio Tinto, or allocate some capital to Glencore (GLC)?
BHP and Rio offer franked dividends, stronger governance credentials and established places in Australian portfolios. Glencore is cheaper, has a trading arm and ambitious copper growth potential. ...
The new CGT regime announced in the May 2026 Federal budget now sees capital losses treated differently to capital gains in two important ways.
Gains are taxed, but losses cannot be deducted against other income. Instead, capital losses can only offset capital gains, otherwise they are quarantined to offset against future gains. This has always been a ...
