Can your super fund collapse?
I am 52 years old and have all of my savings in super. Therefore most of this money is in shares, or other listed investments such as property securities and fixed interest. With all of this market turmoil, my question is: Can a super fund collapse? Should I be worried about having all of my…
Are allocated pensions all that they are cracked up to be?
My question is about allocated pensions. As I understand it a person between the age of 55 to 60 yrs, can reduce the tax paid in his super fund from 15% to zero by entering an allocated pension. However could you consider this self-defeating if say the person did not need that pension to live…
Dumping cash into super before retirement
I have triggered the bring forward rule which allows me to invest 3 years non concessional contributions in 2007/8. ie 3 by $150000 = $450,000. However I have only contributed $400,000 as at today’s date. I turn 65 on 6/1/2009. Could you please advise me as to whether I can contribute the outstanding balance of…
Clever DIY super strategy – but is it legal with the ATO?
Question: I have a large taxable component in my self-managed super fund. My financial advisor suggests I withdraw $140,000 and deposit it into my own bank account for one day then deposit it back into the SMSF and repeat this transaction for the next five years. Is this legal with the ATO? Answer: Super re-contribution…
How best to handle retirement payouts without jeopardising the age pension
I do have a financial planning question. I’m 64 years old and working for a government statutory body, which is Legal Aid Qld. I’m also a member of the Centrelink pension bonus scheme. I earn approx $50,000 pa, but salary sacrifice a bit less than 50% of this. That’s made up of the max amount…
What sort of investments will reduce tax in my family trust?
I have a family trust structure for my business income and am looking at a large tax bill this coming year. What sort of investments are available to reduce the tax I will have to pay? I’ve heard of things like investing in trees or olives, but are these more trouble than they’re worth? And…
How do I predict commodities prices?
Traders are generally of two breeds with each being at very opposite sides of the trading spectrum. The chartists employ technical analysis to study price and market action by using various charting instruments as a vehicle to price forecasting. Technical analysis considers only the actual price behaviour and assumes all relevant factors have been already…
How can you hedge a US portfolio of shares when the US Dollar is going down?
Hedging is a strategy used as a means of removing or at the very least reducing the uncertainty of exchange rate fluctuations on your portfolio returns. The method you employ to hedge your portfolio will depend on a variety of factors. The first step in choosing a hedging strategy is to quantify your exposure. For…
What is the uptick rule, and how does it affect forex trading?
US regulators revoked the “uptick rule” on the 6th July 2007. Previously the uptick rule, which was implemented in the 1930s following the US stock market crash, was designed to ensure it was more difficult to short sell stock. Under the so called uptick rule, a short sale may only take place if the market…
How do currencies move in relation to each other?
In order to be an effective trader, it is important to understand how different currency pairs move in relation to each other. There are a few reasons why this is significant, but most importantly, it allows traders to understand their exposure. As we have stated time and again, correlations between different currency pairs will inevitably…
