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22 December 2024
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The use of discounted pricing by insurers to attract new business is unsustainable and leaves existing policyholders on higher premiums for what is essentially the same product.
Disability insurance can be either inside or outside of superannuation. There are premium, payout amount and tax consequences of those decisions that should be analysed to achieve the best cover.
SMSF trustees should understand the tax consequences when death benefits include insurance proceeds because it can vary greatly according to circumstances, and these should be planned for in advance.
Superannuation’s current tax benefits are far from certain given the government’s need for more revenue. Changes are likely to increase the competitiveness of investment bonds (sometimes called insurance bonds).
Serious illness is something we think will happen to somebody else and insurance, like making a will, is easy to put off. It’s only when the problems start that we realise it’s too late to do anything about it.
Insurance bonds may be a good fit for high income earners looking for a long-term investment option. Although a life insurance product, there are early signs of an SMSF-like structure to increase the appeal and availability.
When writing your will, take care to understand the tax consequences of the benefits paid to your beneficiaries, especially when a life policy is involved. Your estate could be left with a hefty tax bill.
There is little written about why insurance came to be included in the superannuation system. It might address the problem of under-insurance but it's a poor fit with superannuation's core purpose of funding retirement.
Jeremy Cooper answers a question from one of our subscribers about the risk profile, regulatory standards and track record of lifetime annuities. If you have something to add, we invite you to join the debate.
Superannuation members have been getting a great deal, but this is clearly not sustainable, and many superannuation funds are finding their insurance premiums rising significantly.
Protecting your wealth and standard of living is just as important as building it in the first place. You are gambling with your financial future if you do not have adequate insurance.
It’s with heavy hearts that we announce Firstlinks’ co-founder and former Managing Editor, Graham Hand, has died aged 66. Graham was a legendary figure in the finance industry and here are three tributes to him.
Last year, I wrote an article suggesting returns from ASX stocks would trample those from housing over the next decade. One year later, this is an update on how that forecast is going and what's changed since.
Australia is in the early throes of an intergenerational wealth transfer worth an estimated $3.5 trillion. Here's a case study highlighting some of the challenges with transferring wealth between generations.
The Future Fund's original purpose was to meet the unfunded liabilities of Commonwealth defined benefit schemes. These liabilities have ballooned to an estimated $290 billion and taxpayers continue to be treated like fools.
ASFA provides a key guide for how much you will need to live on in retirement. Unfortunately it has many deficiencies, and the averages don't tell the full story of the growing gender superannuation gap.
The Big Four banks have had an extraordinary run and it’s left income investors with a conundrum: to stick with them even though they now offer relatively low dividend yields and limited growth prospects or to look elsewhere.