Media

Recent media releases:

January 2012

Big Win for Property - Money Magazine
The biggest drawback of the decision to allow self-managed superannuation fuds to borrow to buy property is the way the ability came enmeshed in a set of sometimes complicated rules.

December 2011

FOFA Lays Down the Law on Brokers' Best Interests - InsuranceNews
There is a new world on the horizon for brokers. They will have to be more careful when selling a policy in the future.

November 2011

Floods Bring Small Blessings for DIY Funds - The Australian Financial Review
They say an ill wind blows no good, but the Queensland floods did an unlikely favour for DIY super funds.

Property Becomes All About Income - The Australian Financial Review
As with the sharemarket, investing in property has become more about income than capital growth. While the gentle slide in housing prices of the past year appears to be petering out, rental returns are picking up.

Peter Townsend has Appointed Gareth Johnson as Special Counsel - Independent Financial Advisor
Townsends Business & Corporate Lawyers, principal Peter Townsend said: "With over 30 years' experience as a solicitor, he is well placed to help our clients protect themselves from the legal liabilities of doing business and achieve the best outcome possible.

October 2011

Excess Contributions Tax a Siginificant Penalty - Independent Financial Advisor
Newly-released Australian Taxation Office (ATO) figures have confirmed the superannuation excess contributions tax is having a significant impact on fund members in regard to both the number of people who have been issued with an assessment and the monetary amount raised by the penalties.

Property Problems - Peter Freeman says SMSF Loans can be Minefields - Money Magazine
It is now four years since Self-Managed Super Funds were granted the right to gear into property, be it residential, commercial, retail or industrial.

It was Twenty Years ago today, Mr Keating said we all must save - Professional Planner
Just on 20 years ago the Hawke Government introduced the Superannuation Guarantee 1501. Tony Negline says now would be a good time to review the system to make sure it's doing what it should.

Devilish Detail in Simple Plan - The Australian Financial Review
Many would like to use what appears a simple pre-retirement strategy for someone concerned about share market volatility.

STORM Case Study put to the FOFA Test - Independent Financial Advisor
The elephant in the room in relation to Storm Financial clients is the issue of the size of the adviser's commission; in the real life case study apparently 7 per cent.

Doing it the Right Way - SMSF Magazine
The ability to use gearing within an SMSF has been permitted for just over four years. In this time a number of bad and recurring errors have been made by trustees in an attempt to use borrowing to acquire asset.s

September 2011

Keeping it Simple - Morningstar
The federal government has signaled a more flexible approach to limits on how much can be stashed away in superannuation accounts at the concessional rate of 15 per cent. Superannuation experts just want one thing: simplicity.

ATO Draft Ruling welcomed, with caveats - Money Management
A number of specialist laws firms have endorsed the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) draft ruling as generally good news for self-managed superannuation funds (SMSF) trustees.

Gossip Leads Trustees Astray - The Australian Financial Review
The Australian Taxation Office says it is doing all it can to stamp out dodgy behaviour in self-managed superannuation amid talk that members are relying on hearsay advice and trying to bend the rules.

August 2011

Cheap and Easy Trust Deeds may Proove Costly - The Australian Financial Review
Lawyers have raised concerns that trustees of self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) could be putting themselves at risk by using low-cost trust deeds available over the internet.

SMSFs Must Thread a Careful Path - Financial Standard
Self-managed super funds can buy property from related parties but they are better off paying market rates and behaving as if at arm's length, a superannuation legal expert has said.

Trustee Used Money as Business Life Raft - The Australian Financial Review
The case of a self-managed super fund member who illegally withdrew money to prop up an ailing business highlighted the temptations facing trustees, legal experts said.

July 2011

Jumping the Gearing Hurdles - The Australian Financial Review
Experts suggest that geared property investing is a strategy vulnerable to a range of mistakes which could cause problems for do-it-yourself superannuation funds at a future date.

Dealer Groups Baulk at Lending Certificate - The Australian Financial Review
Financial planners may be putting themselves at risk if they sign off on loan documents for self-managed superannuation fund clients who want to borrow to buy property in their fund.