Summary The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Board met on 7 February 2017 and as widely expected, left the official cash rate on hold at 1.5%. There has been no change in the official cash rate since August 2016. The S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index rose by 2.3% during February, with strong gains in the first […]
Smashed Avo for breakfast or buying your First Home? Why not both? In response to the increasing house prices in Australia, parliament has passed new legislation allowing first home buyers to save for their home deposit (residential home) within superannuation. Saving a deposit to buy your first home can seem unattainable. To be approved […]
Prior to 1 July 2017 Salary Sacrifice contributions was one that involved lengthy discussions with your Financial Advisor and Employer to ensure the money saving scheme was actually saving you money. Now, in this new super world, new legislation has made it even easier to boost your superannuation balance and save on tax. If you […]
We have had some pretty major changes to the superannuation legislation in this last round. As always, the devil is in the detail and there is a great deal to consider. The summary below gives you an idea of the broad changes that are coming through. 1. Pre-tax super contributions The pre-tax superannuation annual […]
Self Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSF), provided that the governing trust deed allows for it, have the capacity to borrow money to purchase property. This is called a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement (LRBA). We have a video on how it works and you can get it by clicking here. With any strategy like this it is […]
Australians buying their first home or downsizing in retirement are about to receive a helping hand thanks to new superannuation rules which come into effect on July 1 2018. From that date, first home buyers will be able to contribute up to $30,000 into their super fund towards a home deposit while downsizers can put […]
Blockchain is only at the tip of the iceberg of its immense potential. Industry leaders like Bob Greifeld, CEO of Nasdaq, have already pegged the emerging technology as “the biggest opportunity set we can think of over the next decade”.i From the humble origins of Bitcoin, blockchain has since captured the imagination of everyone from Richard […]
It probably comes as no surprise to anyone that there is a significant gap between what we would need to maintain our standard of living should the unthinkable happen, and what we are actually covered for in the way of insurance. Australia is one of the most underinsured nations in the developed world, ranking 16th […]