While the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has withdrawn its proposed action seeking to legally outlaw excessive contribution provisions within an SMSF trust deed as a means to prevent trustees from breaching the non-concessional contributions cap, the practical application of this course of action seems unworkable, according to an expert superannuation lawyer.

Advisers can use behavioural finance principles to help their clients feel more satisfied with the services they provide and more willing to pay for advice, an expert in the area has said.

Effectively managing risk within an advisory practice or an SMSF comes down to a few key elements, Marcus Turner writes.

Ben Anderson provides a snapshot of the current state of the domestic housing market.

A discussion panel of regulators containing representatives from Treasury, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has unanimously given a positive assessment of the SMSF sector.

The deeming rates to assess income from financial investments for pensions and allowances are expected to become controversial as the rates increase and affect a wider range of account-based pensions.

The SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia (SPAA) has appointed Peter Crump as its new chair.

Financial advisers and their clients alike should consider transferring any business premises into their SMSFs as they begin to shift into pension phase, according to a sector expert.

Trustees can rely on a reasonable approach to be applied by the regulator in situations of genuine adversity, according to an SMSF technical expert.