The use of partial pension commutations in satisfying the minimum pension payments in an income year is currently unclear following a recent ATO ruling on the matter, according to an SMSF technical expert.

The ATO will soon clarify its compliance stance on the segregated method for SMSF assets being used to fund a pension after it recently received a significant number of queries on the subject.

Superannuation veteran and SMSF technical specialist David Shirlow will be leaving Macquarie Bank at the end of this week. Shirlow has been involved in the superannuation industry since 1985 and was head of Macquarie Adviser Services that provided technical support to financial advisers. More recently he was an executive director with Macquarie Bank. Shirlow be […]

SMSF advisers recommending reserving strategies for their clients need to be aware the reserves in question must be set out for a specific purpose, according to an industry expert.

The SMSF Association has launched an accreditation program to provide independent validation of fundamental sector knowledge and practical skills.

A leading SMSF law firm has criticised the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) recommendation that an SMSF should in most circumstances not be established unless superannuation benefits of $200,000 are in existence.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has released two information sheets detailing areas it considers should be covered if advice given to SMSF clients is to be recognised as quality financial advice.

SMSF financial planning practices should look towards the adoption of employee stock ownership plans as more than just a succession planning strategy, according to an expert in the field.

The director of an accounting firm that has successfully incorporated financial advisory services into its operations has stressed the culture of a particular practice and the associated client proposition should be the two guiding factors for the direction taken under the new accountants’ licensing regime.