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Noel Whittaker

Time and tide should dampen negative gearing proposal

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.

There’s still time for some SMSFs to use 'anti-detriment' provisions

Superannuation's anti-detriment provisions may be abolished as part of the government's upcoming budget. It's worth checking whether your own circumstances can take advantage of these rules.

A lifetime of investing insights

Future retirees will be expected to be even more reliant on their own superannuation instead of the age pension. For the younger generation, your lifetime of investing should begin now, while time on your side.

How safe is my super from rule changes?

A common concern for superannuants is how changes to the super system will affect their retirement outcomes. In reality, the proposed changes won’t affect the majority, but poor investment choices will.

We should be encouraging self-sufficiency

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.

Adapting to new pension asset testing

The government has announced changes to the pension asset test and taper rate effective 1 January 2017. While good news for many less affluent recipients, it means wealthier pensioners will receive less, or none at all.

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SMSF strategies

Meg on SMSFs: The CGT changes don’t impact super but what about Div 296 tax decisions?

New CGT rules could tip the scales in the super vs non-super debate. For those facing the Division 296 tax, the case for withdrawing has gotten more complex. A "comparison rate" tool may help assess decisions.

Planning

Testamentary trusts post-budget: Estate planning, tax reform and the ‘death tax’ debate

Proposed Budget changes to taxation are casting new uncertainty over testamentary trusts, prompting closer scrutiny of estate planning structures and the real implications of reforms still taking shape.

Taxation

Income tax and bracket creep

Examining how five "tax cuts" stack up against bracket creep. Why offsets and incremental changes may do little to ease rising average tax burdens, compared to structural reform through indexation over time.  

Exchange traded products

The limits of a quality investing approach in Australia

Quality strategies shine globally, but Australia's concentrated market tells a different story. Limited diversification and sector dominance can constrain the defensive outcomes investors have seen in broader markets.

Investment strategies

Balancing opportunity and complexity

As private markets expand, investors face a growing mix of structures, a stabilising private equity cycle and uneven AI disruption. Fresh questions are being raised about where the real opportunities now sit.

Investment strategies

Why strong returns matter as much as generosity

As EOFY approaches, structured giving offers a tax-effective way to support charities, while allowing donations to grow over time and play a longer-term role in family wealth and legacy planning outcomes.

Investment strategies

The most important investment decision you’ll ever make

Stock picking often gets the spotlight, but research shows asset allocation explains the vast majority of long‑term returns. Understanding your mix of growth and defensive assets is the real key to investment success.

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