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16 May 2024
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Super reviews aggregate retirees into an impersonal number on a chart, but the 2,700 Australians who retire each week are undergoing a major change in their lives. Why and when do they retire and then what?
Australians don't need dodgy schemes in Caribbean islands to hide their wealth. There are plenty of legal ways to avoid paying tax but they will leave personal income tax carrying a heavy burden for future generations.
Like negative gearing, discounted capital gains tax, especially on residential investment properties, is criticised for giving investors an edge over first-home buyers. A discount is justified but at what level?
Labor's proposed policies on negative gearing and capital gains may come at a time when residential property is already weak, and it's unlikely to make buying a property easier for first-home buyers.
Negative gearing makes it hard for renters to become home owners. Now would be a pain-free time to wind it back.
Confirmation that Labor's proposals on negative gearing will apply not only to investment property but all investments will require a rethink on many tax management strategies.
Institutional investors have little interest in investing in residential property due to the low yields and favourable taxation concessions offered to owner occupiers and retail investors.
Estimates of the cost savings from abolishing negative gearing are overstated because the property becomes positively geared and incurs capital gains tax on sale, and allowing it on new homes only is dangerous.
Negative gearing and capital gains policies are points of difference between the two major political parties, and our survey shows a preference for change but not towards the policy proposed by Labor.
Residential property in Australia represents 65% of net household wealth, and is worth three times the superannuation pool. Depending on the outcome of the Federal election, the rules could change from 1 July 2017.
A look at some misconceptions around superannuation, negative gearing and capital gains tax and suggested ways to make our tax system fairer through better tax reform. It's a debate we need to have.
The majority of Australians using negative gearing earn less than $80,000 a year, and it's part of a long term wealth creation strategy that should be encouraged, especially with such uncertainty about pensions and super.
If you’re like me, you may have put money into term deposits over the past year and it’s time to decide whether to roll them over or look elsewhere. Here are the pros and cons of cash versus other assets right now.
How useful are the retirement savings and spending targets put out by various groups such as ASFA? Not very, and it's reducing the ability of ordinary retirees to fully understand their retirement income options.
Australia will have 3.7 million more people in a decade's time, though the growth won't be evenly distributed. Over 85s will see the fastest growth, while the number of younger people will barely rise.
There's been little debate on how spending changes as people progress through retirement. Yet, it's a critical issue as it can have a significant impact on the level of savings required at the point of retirement.
Recently, I compiled a list of ASX stocks that you could buy and hold forever. Here’s a follow-up list of US stocks that you could own indefinitely, including well-known names like Microsoft, as well as lesser-known gems.
The $3 million super tax will capture retired, and soon to retire, public servants and politicians who are members of defined benefit superannuation schemes. Lobbying efforts for exemptions to the tax are intensifying.