Financial Planning

Superannuation

Superannuation is a type of long term investment designed specifically to help you accumulate the savings you need to live the life you want in retirement. Money is put aside by your employer over your working life to live on when you retire from work.

Why is super so important?

The main idea behind superannuation is to help you build a nest egg which you then use to create an income in retirement (or semi-retirement). You might think of super as just a percentage of your salary that you can’t access. But it’s important to remember – it’s your money, it’s just being held for you until you retire. Including it as part of your financial plans can be important for several reasons:

• The Age Pension may not be enough for a comfortable retirement.
• You may not be eligible for the Age Pension.
• You may spend over twenty years in retirement and your money will need to last
• Your super enjoys the benefits of compound interest and a long investment time frame, it could be your largest asset by the time you retire.
• The government is offering attractive tax incentives.

How tax-effective is super?

For most people, saving through super can be much more tax effective than saving the same amount outside super. Firstly, any contributions your employer makes (up to a certain limit) and any returns on your super are taxed at a maximum of 15%, rather than your marginal tax rate which could be as high as 45%.

Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs)

SMSFs make up a significant part of Australia’s superannuation pool with an increasing number being used to provide income streams in retirement. SMSFs are run by you, for you and other members, with the sole purpose of building retirement savings. They provide control, flexibility, choice and diversity around your retirement nest egg. An SMSF can be used to invest in property, shares, cash or any other assets that suit your financial objectives and will return most types of pensions. Importantly, they are highly tax effective, particularly in the pension phase. Almost 1.1 million Australians have invested more than $575 billion into self-managed super funds (SMSFs)1to take control of their retirement. They have chosen to manage their super today in order to make their own decisions and optimise the choices they will have in retirement.

Why are SMSF’s so popular?

Control- SMSF provides maximum control over your superannuation assets, allowing you the flexibility to decide how your funds are invested. Investment Choice- A SMSF can be structured to meet the specific investment needs of members who can exert greater control over investment strategies. The fund can invest in a wide range of investments including property, shares, cash or any other assets that suits the investment objectives of the fund.

Tax Effectiveness

• The earnings within your superannuation fund are taxed at only 15% and the earnings within the pension phase are tax free.
• Capital gains on assets held for longer than 12 months are discounted by one third before being added to the taxable income, which means an effective tax rate of only 10%.
• There is no tax paid on income or capital gains on assets that are backing a pension.
• Franking credits earned through investment in Australian companies are refundable to your fund. As these credits are earned at the company tax rate of 30% they help lower the effective rate of the fund even further.
• Concessional contributions you or your employer make to your fund are taxed at only 15% and this level of tax is generally less than your marginal rate of tax.
• The premiums for some form of insurance can be a tax deduction for the fund. When combined with concessional contributions, this effectively allows you to pay for insurance with pre-tax dollars.

Purchasing Power – The establishment of a SMSF allows up to 4 people to put their super savings to buy costly assets such as direct property that may otherwise be beyond their reach. Many people like the idea of setting up a SMSF to buy an investment property.

Why invest on property via SMSF?

1. You like property as an investment – Australians love property investments, particularly residential property. Property has a place in a well-diversified portfolio and can offer good income and capital growth over the long term. Property is also attractive to people who like to be able to see and touch their investment and get involved in the management.

2. Reduced or no Capital Gains Tax when you sell – Provided you keep your property investment in your SMSF until you are over 60 and retired, when you convert your SMSF into the pension phase, you will pay no Capital Gains Tax if you decide to sell.

3. Reduced or no income tax on rental income – You may also save tax on the rental income from the property. Provided you keep the property inside your SMSF, you will pay no tax on rental income in retirement and you will only pay 15% tax on the rental income while you are saving for retirement. That can be a big saving on your marginal tax rate.

4. You own your business premises – According to ATO statistics, around $62 billion or 12% of SMSF assets are invested in what they call “non-residential real property”, most commonly business owners who own their business premises through their SMSF. The great thing about this strategy is that you get rid of the tenants/landlord problems that plague commercial property and you may generate significant tax savings.

5. You want to leverage your super investment – If you decide to borrow money to buy your property inside super, you increase your exposure to the investment, thereby magnifying the gains (and the losses) from the investment.

Investment Advice

We provide advice on a full range of investments including cash, fixed interest, property, and Australian and International shares/equities. Asset allocation and investment portfolios are tailored to each client’s investment objectives and risk profile. Once a client’s investment portfolio has been established, we provide ongoing regular reviews. These reviews contain a statement of the investment portfolio, our investments recommendations and market updates.