The federal government has released two out of three tranches of exposure draft legislation for superannuation reforms that were announced in the 2016 federal budget. In a joint statement, Treasurer Scott Morrison and Revenue and Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer said the reforms would make the super system fairer, more flexible and more sustainable, and […]

Global investment manager Spire Capital is set to add to its suite of Real Estate Opportunity Capital (ROC) funds in late October, providing investors with access to the United States aged-care property sector. The offering, the Spire USA ROC Seniors Housing Fund, will be run in conjunction with its partner, Bridge Investment Group Partners, and […]

The County Court of Victoria has convicted and sentenced Barry Patrick to six years and three months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to six charges following an investigation by ASIC. Patrick, 73, from Sunbury, Victoria, pleaded guilty to three charges of obtaining property by deception, two charges of obtaining a financial advantage by deception, and […]

Investment management firm Rushton Financial Services has unveiled a new fund that seeks to address the need for alternative opportunities due to elevated risk levels in the Australian share market.

The federal government has changed the proposed super legislation, replacing the $500,000 lifetime non-concessional contributions cap with a yearly limit of $100,000. Addressing a press conference on 15 September, Treasurer Scott Morrison said: “The measures are as follows to replace the lifetime non-concessional cap with an annual cap of $100,000 with a three-year bring-forward limited […]

Fixed interest sovereign bonds cannot provide the best investment solution for SMSF members looking for capital preservation while generating a reasonable yield, according to a global fixed income manager. Speaking at the recent SMSF Trustee Empowerment Day 2016, Supervised Investments portfolio manager Phillip Carden said: “We need to consider what the risks are of buying […]

SMSF investors must make sure the definition of infrastructure applied by fund managers they are considering engaging is proper in order for the portfolio allocation to achieve its coveted benefits, according to a specialist portfolio manager. Magellan Asset Management portfolio manager Gerald Stack defined those coveted traits as being highly defensive, inflation linked and having […]

The ATO will concentrate on cases of serious non-compliance from SMSFs in the coming financial year. Speaking at the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand 2016 National SMSF Conference in Melbourne, ATO superannuation assistant commissioner Kasey Macfarlane said: “We’ll be looking at those instances, number one, where trustees are persistently, deliberately not complying with their […]

Women were becoming increasingly confident in taking control of their superannuation, signalling it was time for the federal government to create a legislative and regulatory environment that further encouraged them to do so, according to the SMSF Association.