The overwhelming majority of SMSF auditors believed their existing skill set would exempt them from having to sit an exam to gain Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) registration, according to the latest survey conducted by the SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia.

The ability to establish an existing interdependency relationship to qualify for concessional tax treatment of SMSF death benefits is complicated and needs to be approached in a specific manner, according to a superannuation commentator.

SMSF members belonging to the baby boomer demographic and requiring a retirement income stream should have their pension arrangements in place before the new deeming rules come into effect, a leading industry expert has said.

The federal government’s proposed tax on pension earnings over $100,000 is unlikely to be implemented due to its complexity, according to an SMSF sector expert.

Bailey Roberts Group’s internal web-based SMSF administration software is being developed for independent financial advisers (IFA) outside of the business to use.

Advisers, accountants and brokers servicing the SMSF sector are looking for more insurance education, training and information in order to boost their skills.

The latest research into the SMSF sector has shown a significant number of trustees would be willing to use an accountant currently only being used for tax advice for investment advice if they decided to offer it.

Younger people are becoming more attracted to SMSFs and are showing a greater level of engagement, debunking the myth that an interest in retirement comes later in life, a Macquarie Bank and SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia (SPAA) study has revealed.

Financial adviser exchange-traded fund (ETF) usage has doubled in the past year, almost exclusively driven by their SMSF clients.