SMSFs could begin to consider lifetime annuities as a viable retirement income option rather than traditional account-based pensions (ABP) as more trustees entered the sector with lower fund balances.

Specialist software provider BGL Corporate Solutions has facilitated a threefold boost to its Simple Fund 360, with the inclusion of a licensing solution for accountants, an actuarial certificate capability and an increase in the data feeds associated with the application.

Dealer group Sentry has partnered with technology company IDS Super to provide its advisers with leading-edge online self-managed super fund (SMSF) services, starting in August.

The use of partial pension commutations in satisfying the minimum pension payments in an income year is currently unclear following a recent ATO ruling on the matter, according to an SMSF technical expert.

Investable mega-trends were poised to profoundly impact on investment strategies within the next five years, but identifying their turning point was key to capitalising on the emerging opportunities, according to a Zurich Financial Services Australia white paper.

Execution-only SMSF establishment was dangerous territory for accountants choosing not to be licensed for SMSF advice, as clients could assume the set-up was a recommendation, according to an industry executive.

The ATO will soon clarify its compliance stance on the segregated method for SMSF assets being used to fund a pension after it recently received a significant number of queries on the subject.

Superannuation veteran and SMSF technical specialist David Shirlow will be leaving Macquarie Bank at the end of this week. Shirlow has been involved in the superannuation industry since 1985 and was head of Macquarie Adviser Services that provided technical support to financial advisers. More recently he was an executive director with Macquarie Bank. Shirlow be […]

SMSF advisers recommending reserving strategies for their clients need to be aware the reserves in question must be set out for a specific purpose, according to an industry expert.