The ATO has issued guidance on its approach to commutation requests, which is an essential piece of information for SMSF trustees because it explains which commutation requests will not be subject to an ATO review. With recently introduced superannuation rules now in effect (from 1 July 2017), superannuation members with income streams that are valued...

While bitcoin may be the most well-known cryptocurrency, there are nearly 1,500 in existence. In its simplest form, a cryptocurrency is a “peer-to-peer electronic cash system”, which means that the currency is not in a physical form like cash but sits in an electronic register. What makes bitcoin work, where previous attempts at electronic cash...

The days of a lax approach to valuations are over.  While there is not always the need to employ a qualified independent valuer for each valuation, there are important circumstances where it is mandated, and others where it is recommended.  Where one is not used then appropriate documentation needs to be kept of how valuations...

The ATO has been sending some mixed messages about property development involving an SMSF, and has indicated that it is one of the issues on its radar for 2018.  So is property development an allowable investment for an SMSF? The short answer yes, but be careful. A longer answer is be very careful — it...

Limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBAs) were once all the rage in SMSF land. However, with the tightening of banking rules this frenzy has begun to abate somewhat over the last few years. LRBAs are great in a growing market as they allow an SMSF to grow the value of assets it holds in the expectation...

After waiting for what seems like an eternity, the government has finally put to Parliament its proposed legislation around two of its proposed schemes, the First Home Super Saver and Contributing the proceeds of downsizing to superannuation.  This legislation is an attempt to bring into action proposals from the 2017 federal budget. The proposals aim...

The ATO has recently released the latest of what has become a regular update on the state of the SMSF market. The Self-managed super fund statistical report, with the latest covering the quarter to March this year, has become an anticipated overview for many in the SMSF arena — containing as it usually does some...

As if the new transfer balance cap rules were not complicated enough, the government has passed legislation that complicates it further where an SMSF starts a limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA) from 1 July 2017. Treasury was concerned that some trustees would try to get around the $1.6 million transfer balance cap (TBC) through the...

One overarching fundamental that SMSF trustees should ideally keep in mind is the sole purpose test — that is, every decision made and action taken is required to be seen as being undertaken for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits for the fund’s members. If an SMSF trustee incurs an expense in the usual...

The death of a parent is hard on all those involved, however once the grieving  has eased, a time comes to address financial matters.  One of these issues can be what happens to any superannuation they have left. Making things harder is the fact that the new transfer balance cap (TBC) brought in as of...