On Tuesday the 29 March 2022, the Treasurer delivered a budget that focuses on key spending measures to drive Australia’s economic recovery in a post-pandemic, natural disaster and conflicted international environment. Considering the timing of this budget, the Government's message centred around job creation, temporary stimulus to low- and middle-income Australians, as well as infrastructure and regional recovery spending measures. Superannuation was largely untouched in this budget; however, some changes announced in the 2021-22 budget have been legislated to commence 1 July 2022. We’ve sum ..read more

On Tuesday the 11 May 2021, the Treasurer handed down the Federal Budget for the 2021-22 financial year, focussing on job creation and measures to stimulate the economy. We have compiled some of the key announcements we think are likely to impact you. These proposals are yet to be legislated and will only come into effect after they have been legislated. Important observations to note It is important to note that the government did not announce any amendments to the increases in the legislated superannuation guarantee. Thus, the rate of superannuation guarantee will increase from 9.5% to 10% f ..read more

With the indexation of the December 2020 quarter of the Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE), the various superannuation caps and thresholds are set to change from 1 July 2021. Concessional Contributions The concessional contributions caps are set to change from $25,000 to $27,500 per annum from 1 July 2021. Non-concessional Contributions The non-concessional contributions cap is generally calculated as 4x the concessional contributions cap. Thus, as the concessional contributions have increased to $27,500, the non-concessional contribution caps will increase from $100,000 to $110,000 ..read more

On Tuesday 6 October 2020, the Australian Government handed down its Federal Budget with the focus on supporting individuals and businesses to stimulate growth in the economy through job creation opportunities and boosting household spending. It’s important that you take the time to understand what the Budget proposals mean – and how they might affect you personally. Do note that these are proposals only at this stage and will come in effect once legislated. This year has been a challenging time for everyone. This document is a snapshot of some of the key areas that may impact you. The changes ..read more

Another reporting season has come and gone and this has not been like any others we have experienced in the last decade. Companies reported lower than normal profits, dividends were either cut or suspended altogether and companies moved to cut costs aggressively as they shore up their balance sheets for the short-term. Despite the current climate and a subdued reporting season outcome, the markets went up in August which continues to lead to the question we are mostly asked – “are stock markets out of touch with economic reality?” This article seeks to summarise the activities we’ve seen in t ..read more

Did you know that superannuation regulations have changed quite a bit in the last few years? This article focuses on some of the superannuation changes that may be relevant to you. Understanding the Bring-forward rule under the Total Super balance caps Generally, an individual can bring forward 2 additional years of non-concessional contribution, in the year they choose to make a non-concessional contribution. To understand this better, let us step back to understand what a non-concessional contribution is. Superannuation contributions There are 2 main categories an individual can contribute i ..read more

In signing off 2019 in our last newsletter, we were reasonably confident that although markets may continue to be volatile, we’d have some indication of market trends to help us better manage risk and at the very least, see some trends in Q1 2020. Instead, we had COVID-19 virus which has now infected 1,214,466 across 211 countries and sent the global economy into a tailspin. Some global markets are now well and truly in bear market territory (a fall of greater than 20%) What we know… The global pandemic has taken a severe toll on people and world economies, killing many and even for the healt ..read more

The Australian Government has made some announcements around a stimulus package to support the economy in these challenging times. It is important to understand how you could benefit from these changes once they’re passed into law. INCOME SUPPORT PAYMENT   The Newstart allowance will have a temporary supplement of $550 per fortnight - on top of the current amount - for the next 6 months. This effectively doubles the Newstart allowance. For the self-employed or sole traders, you must make a declaration to Centrelink that your business has suspended trading or has had a significant reducti ..read more

The year 2019 has been one with two interesting halves. One half saw an increased economic activity after Central Banks introduced aggressive monetary policies in major economies such as the US, Australia and Europe. The other half saw a drag on major economies due to increased tensions between the US and China, concerns in Europe and the UK and major unrest in the Middle East. I think the only constant we all had was uncertainty. 2019 2019 started off with many Investors worried about markets, following sharp declines we experienced in the last quarter of 2018 as Central Banks started to pul ..read more

The global economy has seen some challenging times in recent months. We started off in July generally strong in markets across most asset classes but the last few months have seen some challenges across most global economies. What has contributed to the turbulence we’re currently facing? Is it a phase, ready to pass us by or this is here to stay? To make sense of it all, let’s consider some key factors. The Australian Economy The Reserve Bank Board decided to leave the current cash rate at 1% at their last meeting. This is following the aggressive cutting of rates in June and July to try and ..read more