An environment of sluggish, low and no growth was making it difficult for SMSFs to locate quality investment opportunities, but paying attention to the patterns playing out in markets can help trustees to make more confident decisions. “This is probably one of your biggest issues – where do I find safety?” Henderson Maxwell chief executive […]

Industry research specialist CoreData, in conjunction with , hosted the third annual SMSF Service Provider Awards in Sydney in September, recognising the best market participants as determined by SMSF trustees and members. Excellence in the sector was acknowledged across 11 categories of member services, amid a challenging environment of shifting trustee behaviours, CoreData principal Andrew Inwood […]

The issue of whether SMSFs can receive United Kingdom pension rollovers has taken a positive turn, with the latest release of the Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) list including one self-managed fund.

SMSF investors were buying between $150,000 to $200,000 worth of gold for their portfolios as they recognised the advantages of investing in the asset class, according to a precious metal and gold bullion specialist.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has introduced two new online services for SMSF members using its CommSec or NetBank services. “We have been servicing the SMSF market for more than 20 years and we continue to listen to trustees about their evolving needs,” CBA head of SMSF customers Marcus Evans said. “There is significant opportunity […]

The need to have a written investment strategy within an SMSF has been emphasised by the volatility of worldwide equity markets over the past week, according to the SMSF Association.

The ATO has announced it will come down heavily on SMSFs participating in what are perceived as tax avoidance schemes during the 2016 financial year. Speaking at the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand National SMSF Conference 2015 on the Gold Coast last month, ATO superannuation acting assistant commissioner Kasey Macfarlane said: “These arrangements are […]

Financial advisers needed to assist SMSF trustees to dispel some of the myths about the sector and superannuation in general to ensure the best strategies could be implemented for those funds and that they remained compliant, according to a former ATO official said.