News

Buyer beware tip as fixed income fragments

March 31, 2015

The latest Zenith Investment Partners fixed income sector review has shown managers are adopting innovative strategies to maximise return, with some solid results.

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Economy

AREITs, industrial sector to stay buoyant

March 31, 2015

Elizabeth Somerville

Real estate will continue to benefit from a low interest rate environment as investors increasingly turn away from cash and term deposits to chase higher-yielding assets, real estate wealth solutions provider Folkestone has said.

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International Shares

US buy-back programs obfuscating performance

March 31, 2015

Wouter Klijn

The United States equity markets’ outstanding performance over the past five years was largely an artificial phenomenon created by mammoth share buy-back programs, according to Tempo Asset Management.

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ATO

ATO calls for SMSF SuperStream urgency

March 31, 2015

Darin Tyson-Chan

The ATO is urging SMSF trustees who have not taken the necessary steps to make their funds SuperStream ready to receive contributions from medium to large employers to do so before this year’s 30 June deadline.

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Business news

Perennial provides direct access to Wealth Defender

March 31, 2015

Darin Tyson-Chan

Perennial Value Management has broadened access to its Wealth Defender Equities offering, aimed at providing additional self-directed investor and in particular SMSF member appeal for the product via a listed investment company structure.

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Business news

Mafematica brings robo-advice to SMSFs

March 31, 2015

Darin Tyson-Chan

Financial services firm Mafematica has launched a robo-advice offering to the SMSF market designed to help trustees overcome their ‘loneliness’ in regard to their retirement planning.

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Compliance & Regulation, Strategy

Caution still required over excess contributions

March 31, 2015

Krystine Lumanta

The recent removal of the punitive tax rates on excess non-concessional contributions was not a free pass for SMSF advisers to neglect the caps, according to an expert SMSF lawyer.

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Investments

Low interest rates favour gold

March 31, 2015

Darin Tyson-Chan

SMSF investors should consider an allocation to gold in light of the poor returns term deposits and cash were currently delivering in the low interest rate environment in Australia, according to a chief economist.

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Compliance & Regulation

Ex-treasurer criticises proposed LRBA ban

March 31, 2015

Darin Tyson-Chan

Former federal treasurer Peter Costello has argued against banning the use of direct borrowing within superannuation, saying the reasons for the proposal are not factually based and not enough credit has been given to SMSF trustee competency.

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ATO, Business news

Industry body calls for sensible tax talks

March 2, 2015

Darin Tyson-Chan

The SMSF Association has called for the government and industry to have informed dialogue about superannuation tax concessions without reliance on flawed measures like the Treasury Tax Expenditures Statement as justification to make changes to the system.

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