The inclusion of hedge funds in an SMSF portfolio could be beneficial as they provided greater degrees of diversification and lessened the impact of market volatility for fund members, according to a global fund manager.

Count Financial launched an online facility today that will assist accountants who are considering obtaining an Australian financial services licence (AFSL) to provide financial advice to SMSF clients in gaining a better practical understanding of what the process involves.

Providing monetary compensation to accountants who provide client referrals is a practice financial planners should not reject as it can establish the most effective path to signing up new clients, according to the head of an advisory firm.

SMSF trustees are more open to exploring relationships with advisers and accountants akin to a second opinion or sounding board, according to an industry executive.

OneVue has partnered with Spring Financial Group (Spring FG) in what it expects to be the first of several new private label partnerships designed to strengthen and expand its self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) footprint.

The ability for SMSFs to refund non-concessional contributions cap (NCCC) breaches when the yearly $180,000 limit was exceeded would be a more practical application of the rule, according to a superannuation industry technical expert.

Criticism is often directed towards SMSFs on the premise trustees are acting in a selfish and self-serving manner, but this perception ignores their obligations to serve all members of the fund, according to the SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia (SPAA).

A Melbourne-based financial planning group has appointed a compliance expert and is bolstering its adviser training requirements after ASIC surveillance identified concerns surrounding the appropriateness of advice the group had provided to clients.

Former Macquarie Group SMSF division director Sarah Penn has launched a consultancy business for all financial services firms wanting to obtain greater traction in the sector through a better understanding of how it works.