The 2015 federal budget announcements regarding the age pension and the fairness contained in the initiatives have been applauded by respected quarters of the SMSF sector. The SMSF Owners’ Alliance welcomed the fact the age pension had been afforded the appropriate acknowledgement in the budget as one of the cornerstones of Australia’s retirement system, evidenced […]

A well-constructed trust deed could help avoid common disputes involving SMSFs, in particular those involving family members, according to a specialist law firm.

Sector lobbyist the SMSF Owners’ Alliance has refuted opposition treasury spokesman Chris Bowen’s claim in his budget response that the tax incentives on superannuation will equal the cost of the age pension in 2018/19.

Specialist listed investment company (LIC) provider Argo has introduced a new offering to the market, giving investors access to global listed infrastructure.

Practitioners around the nation feel an interest charge of between 7 and 8 percentage points above the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cash rate would be suitable to demonstrate a related-party loan had been conducted at arm’s length, according to a survey conducted by leading SMSF legal firm DBA Lawyers.

Accountants must be wary of the opportunity costs associated with acquiring an Australian financial services licence (AFSL) in assessing their course of action when the exemption regarding SMSF advice was abolished, according to the head of an accounting firm.

Rules governing the acquisition of assets from related parties are strict but there is a little flexibility stemming from various exceptions, according to an SMSF specialist auditor.

The indexation of compliance penalty units announced in last week’s budget has reinforced the case for SMSFs to have a corporate trustee structure in place, a specialist lawyer has said.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has made submissions to the Federal Court seeking orders to impose bans on parties involved with ActiveSuper and Royale Capital, who are deemed to have been in breach of the Corporations Act and to have been carrying on an unlicensed financial services business.