Being an executor of an estate is an enormously important role with a huge impact on the lives of those named in a Will, and it is vital the right person is appointed, says Anna Hacker, National Manager - Estate Planning at Australian Unity Trustees. “Choosing...
Superannuation rules in effect for the 2018/19 financial year continue to limit the amount of money Australians can contribute to the tax advantaged superannuation system. So, how much can you contribute this financial year? Here’s a brief summary. Contributions which qualify for a tax deduction: Concessional contributions (which include...
All Victorian employers need to be aware of the significant changes to long service leave (LSL) entitlements that commence from 1 November 2018. An employee will be entitled to take LSL after completing a minimum of 7 years' 'continuous employment' with 'one employer'. LSL is calculated as...
From 1 July 2018, people aged 65 and over will be able to sell their main residence and then make a ‘downsizer’ contribution into superannuation of up to $300,000 from the sale proceeds of their main residence. Both members of a couple can take advantage of this...
Leaving your family home and moving to a residential aged care residence can be a challenging time with many personal and financial decisions needing to be made but early planning and good advice can minimise the impact for you and your family. In this article,...
Your SMSF is a long-term plan. Much can happen during this time including illness, incapacity or death of a member. It is best practice to have contingency plans in place to deal with unexpected events. For example, if a fund member dies, leaving you as the...
With the end of the financial year fast approaching, now is the perfect time to ensure everything is in place for your SMSF before 30 June. The following are some superannuation strategies that you might want to know more about to get the best out...
An SMSF friendly budget is the good news coming out of the 2018-19 Federal Budget. With SMSF members still working through the wide-reaching and complex superannuation changes which took effect from 1 July 2017, this Federal Budget will provide much needed stability while looking to...
What do you know of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency? Are you invested? Have you considered your taxation consequences? The term cryptocurrency is generally used to describe a digital asset in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of additional units and verify transactions on the...
The Federal Treasurer, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, delivered his third Federal Budget on the 8th of May 2018. Like many Australians, we tuned in to find out how the announcement would impact our clients. The Government is pitching a plan to deliver tax relief...