Investing for a comfortable retirement

As we approach and enter retirement, it’s important to ensure our investment strategy is appropriate for our time of life. Our circumstances change over time – even in retirement. For instance, your home may need a new roof, or one of your children may fall ill and need to be cared for at home. What’s … Read more

A super end to the financial year

As the end of the financial year approaches, now is a good time to check your super and see what you could do to boost your retirement nest egg. What’s more, you could potentially reduce your tax bill at the same time. There are a handful of positive changes to super due to start next … Read more

Working from home tax deductions: COVID

Key takeaways The ATO has introduced a new shortcut method for claiming work-related tax deductions until 30 June 2022 Under this method, you can claim 80 cents per hour for your additional running expenses that you have incurred You’re not required to keep receipts or calculate the specific costs of items you may have bought during … Read more

Close the super gap, whatever your age

The numbers say that the average Australian woman retires with barely half (53 per cent)1 the super of the average man. As statistics go, it’s a shocking one. That gap starts to open early in working life, with women aged 25 to 34 having an average super balance of $31,600, compared to an average balance of … Read more

The road ahead for shares

Trying to time investment markets is difficult if not impossible at the best of times, let alone now. The war in Ukraine, rising inflation and interest rates and an upcoming federal election have all added to market uncertainty and volatility. At times like these investors may be tempted to retreat to the ‘’safety” of cash, … Read more

Tax deductible super contributions

Key takeaways There are a whole range of strategies that make it worthwhile putting a little extra effort (and money) into your super Personal super contributions—those made from money you’ve already paid tax on such as savings or your take-home pay—are tax deductible Your personal super contribution is taxed at 15% which is significantly lower … Read more

Budgeting for success in 4 easy steps

With the end of financial year approaching, it’s a good time to review your personal balance sheet. If it’s not as healthy as you would like, perhaps it’s time to do a little budget repair of your own. Just as governments need to set policy objectives and budget for future spending commitments, households need to … Read more

Salary sacrifice to cut tax and boost your super

This time of year, people’s thoughts start turning to their tax return, but it can also be a good time to set things up so you don’t pay more tax than required next financial year. Simply talking to your employer about setting up an arrangement to “sacrifice” some of your pre-tax salary could potentially lower … Read more

End of financial year tax tips

Key takeaways: If you contribute some of your after-tax income or savings into super, you may be eligible to claim a tax deduction Making a ‘salary sacrifice’ contribution could see you pay less tax than if you received the money as take-home pay If your spouse is not working or earns a low income, making … Read more