The SMSF sector must have been well behaved in 2014. Why? Because the report handed down by the Parliamentary Joint Committee (PJC) on Corporations and Financial Services on the cusp of Christmas Eve was the best present our sector could have hoped for.

SMSF investors have shifted their approach to international investments, showing a willingness to use and pay for good management capabilities, instead of choosing options with the lowest management fees.

The cloud is now beginning to make a noticeable impact on the operation of SMSFs. Amreeta Abbott outlines how this is happening.

Trustee association the SMSF Owners’ Alliance has hit out at proposals to ban the use of gearing within superannuation and abolish the dividend imputation system.

SMSF investors who felt confident with their financial adviser were relying on their expertise to seek and recommend initial public offering (IPO) opportunities.

The implementation of real-time or continuous audits of SMSFs will not happen in the immediate future and will likely be offered as a service by the large administration platforms, according to a sector specialist.

A possible solution for lost or misplaced SMSF trust deeds could be to implement new governing rules via a carefully drafted deed of variation if the client can accept a degree of risk, according to a specialist SMSF law firm.

Accounting firm Count Financial has begun preparing for potential capacity constraints that will be faced by the industry as the deadline for SMSF accountants to become licensed draws closer.

The ATO has published a fact sheet detailing its approach to treating income from assets purchased under a related-party loan as non-arm’s-length income, while at the same time warning SMSF trustees not to treat its latest interpretive decisions (ID) on the subject as definitive.