AJ Financial Planning Blog

We like the quote by R. Bennett when he summed up the following "Top 15 things money can't buy; time, happiness, inner peace, integrity, love, character,... respect, morals, trust, patience, common sense, dignity."

Our blog shares our latest ideas, critical thinking, thought-provoking insights, innovative exploration of the markets, economies, investments and areas in the financial markets that require change.

 
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How to beat regulators on the $1.6 million cap limit on superannuation

If you have more than $1.6 million in super, presently you might find that you are unable to make any further after-tax contributions (non-concessional contributions) into your super.

This cap limit is based on a per person limit and was introduced as a result of the government’s idea of restricting how much one person can have in their super at retirement at a reduced tax rate of 0%.

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How can I tell if my super fund provider is in financial difficulty?

I recently reviewed Media Super’s Annual Report after reading a media article that reported them purchasing a 429-year-old violin as an investment. I thought this was an odd investment for a regulated super fund. Was this a responsible decision given the opaque market of collectables and the high transactional costs associated with such investments? And, how did this get past APRA? It triggered me to investigate Media Super’s investment policy.

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Is it better to retire on a $350k super fund, or a $900k super fund balance?

When it comes to retirement most people believe more is best, but is this always the case? Have the Centrelink changes that came into effect last year distorted reality; has the $350k super fund become the new $900k – without all the extra effort of squirrelling away so much for retirement?

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Are industry super funds headed for an asset allocation disaster?

Superannuation funds within the retail and industry super fund market usually offer ‘balanced’ or ‘growth’-based investment options. But what does this really mean; and aren’t these funds all the same?

On 31 May 2017, Vanguard’s Balanced Index Fund reported an allocation to growth-based assets of 49.9%.

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The Super catch up… Are you chasing a $541K shortfall?

How do you catch up if you haven’t contributed to your superannuation for a while?

Perhaps you’re self-employed, have taken time off to start a family, or are just enjoying some time off work to travel the world. Whatever the reason, it’s likely that as a result, your superannuation might be a little light on. The question is does it matter if you miss a few years of contributing?

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Drawing the right level of income from your super

How much you should really draw as an income from your superannuation?

When you hit retirement age, you have the ability to access your superannuation and draw an annual income stream. Once you are fully retired, you have the ability to select how much you want to take from your superannuation—and making the right decision is critical.

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50’s and super – what’s important to know…..

I was recently went around the corner from my office to eat at an Italian restaurant. It was one of those restaurants where the entire menu is in Italian. Now my Italian is sketchy at the best of times, but what was a little more tricky was the menu items. Normally when you look at a menu you can quickly identify a couple fail safe options, this place however had me stumped.

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