The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will soon clarify its position over the validity and tax treatment of related-party limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBA) charging zero interest being used by SMSFs.

The SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia (SPAA) has released lending and advice guidelines for practitioners providing advice on limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBA).

SMSF trustees no longer need to specifically address the use of reserves in the investment strategy of their funds.

CPA Australia has stipulated that while it can support its members in relation to education and guidance in their efforts to obtain a licence to provide financial advice for SMSF clients, it cannot provide an actual licensing solution.

A large portion of limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBA) within SMSFs are still not being executed properly, resulting in auditors having to file contravention reports about them, a leading specialist auditor has said.

The changing legislation governing the provision of SMSF advice by the accounting profession is prompting many practitioners to assess their succession planning options, according to an industry expert.

The SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia (SPAA) has endorsed the federal government’s decision to set up an enhanced public register of financial advisers.

The latest market research from Vanguard Investments has revealed while SMSF portfolios in the main have outperformed their retail fund counterparts, they have taken on substantially more risk in doing so.