News

Retirement

Cost of living rises marginally

cost of living, retirees, Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, Retirement Standard, comfortable retirement, superannuation returns, Mary Delahunty

Retirees experienced a very small increase in the cost of living in the December quarter 2024, with the price of goods and services falling and superannuation returns pushing past 10 per cent.

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Compliance, financial advice, SMSF

Unlawful acts an industry-wide issue

Instances of illegal acts involving SMSFs must be treated as issues for the financial services industry as a whole to address and not sector-specific problems.

Instances of illegal acts involving SMSFs must be treated as issues for the financial services industry as a whole to address and not sector-specific problems.

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Auditing, Legislation, SMSF, Superannuation

Cold-caller operations a concern

SMSF Association, Peter Burgess, 2019 Hayne Royal Commission, Code of Ethics, SMSFs,

The SMSF Association is concerned about the rise in the number of cold-calling operations encouraging people to set up a fund, noting they breach consumer protection laws.

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ATO, Auditing, SMSF, Superannuation

Share registry valuations questionable

SMSF members should not rely on old valuations sourced from a share registry when valuing stocks that will form part of an in-specie contribution.

SMSF members should not rely on old valuations sourced from a share registry when valuing stocks that will form part of an in-specie contribution.

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ATO, Auditing

Detail evidence provided to ATO

Administrative Review Tribunal, ATO, audit evidence, audit files, Bryce Figot, burden of proof, DBA lawyers, SMSF auditors, soft copy

Audit evidence provided to the ATO should be done in soft copy with a complete list of all documents to prevent loss and mistakes impacting its decisions.

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Compliance, Legislation

Financial assistance can be indirect

SIS Act, SMSF, financial assistance, superannuation Superannuation Industry (Supervision) (SIS) Act, compliance, SMSF trustees, section 65, family trusts, unit trusts, Cooper Grace Ward, Scott Hay-Bartlem, SMSF Association National Conference 2025, Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Merchant v Commissioner of Taxation

The legal provisions in the SIS Act preventing an SMSF from providing financial assistance to any parties are very broad in their application.

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Auditing, Property

Title search primacy confirmed

Title search, SMSF, property, ART, SMSF auditor, Administrative Review Tribunal, asset ownership, DBA Lawyers, Bryce Figot, Murphy and ASIC, Terence Murphy, ASIC

The status of a title search as the central document to prove an SMSF owns property has been confirmed in a recent ART case involving an auditor.

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financial advice, Financial Planning, Tax

Trustees obliged to approve advice payments

SMSF trustees, financial advice, superannuation, tax, IPFA, Institute of Financial Professional Australia, Natasha Panagis,Treasury Laws Amendment (Delivering Better Financial Outcomes and Other Measures) Bill 2024, financial advice fees, tax deduction, ATO, draft practical compliance guideline

Trustees should be reminded advice fees can now be charged back to an SMSF, but they will need to examine and sign off each time a member requests this type of payment.

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Retirement

Women lacking retirement surety

women, confidence, Colonial First State, comfortable lifestyle, retirement, retirement savings, superannuation, financial advice, Kelly Power, contributions

Research commissioned by a major financial institution has found women are lacking in confidence with regard to aspects of their retirement.

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Pensions

Cap-free reserve allocation unlikely

The allocation of reserves associated with a legacy pension recipient who has died will only be contribution cap-free in very rare circumstances.

The allocation of reserves associated with a legacy pension recipient who has died will only be contribution cap-free in very rare circumstances.

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