ATO Small Business Newsroom

ATO Small Business Newsroom

  Help to keep up with the ATO.               Visiting the ATO's website can be daunting but here is a page that links to information important to small businesses everywhere.  For example: Schemes such as Jobkeeper, tips on claiming GST credits,  information on...
Why benchmarking will be good for super funds

Why benchmarking will be good for super funds

  Your Future Your Super reforms have recently resulted in strong public debate. Here's why the proposed introduction of benchmarks for super funds may help further strengthen Australia's superannuation system.           Scoreboards can tell uncomfortable...
Cost of retirement up in December quarter

Cost of retirement up in December quarter

  The cost of retirement for Australians has gone up, with the increases in health insurance and domestic holiday prices, according to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia’s (ASFA) latest figures.               The cost of retirement for Australians...
Early access boosted interest in advice

Early access boosted interest in advice

  Public interest in financial advice rose significantly in 2020, with consumers focusing their online searches on super topics as the government launched its COVID-19 early access scheme, according to new data from fund manager Allan Gray.             New research...
Retirees proceeding with downsizing plans as confidence rises

Retirees proceeding with downsizing plans as confidence rises

  Downsizer contributions were the top query received by the BT technical services team in the December quarter, with many retirees looking to downsize for lifestyle and health reasons.             During the December quarter, one of the most frequent questions...
The perks of staying invested

The perks of staying invested

  In times of severe market disruption 'doing nothing' often feels unacceptable. Surely such market movements means you have to respond.             Around this time last year, as with every year, forecasts of how investment markets would perform in 2020,...
Rollout of Director ID Numbers (DIN) is ahead of schedule

Rollout of Director ID Numbers (DIN) is ahead of schedule

  Director identification numbers may be introduced sooner than expected for SMSFs with corporate trustees, with the government moving quickly with the rollout of systems and processes, according to a technical expert.               In June last year, the government...
How to pass the diversification test

How to pass the diversification test

  Diversification, spreading your money across a range of different assets rather than putting it all into one place, is one of the core principles of investment risk management. That's because investment returns from different assets are never consistent.      ...
ASIC sounds warning around high-yield bond scams

ASIC sounds warning around high-yield bond scams

  The corporate regulator has warned of a rise in scammers targeting Australian investors by pretending to be associated with well-known domestic and international financial service firms.           The high-yield bond scams usually occur after an investor completes...
Taking a deeper dive into indexation of the transfer balance cap

Taking a deeper dive into indexation of the transfer balance cap

  With the recent indexation of the general transfer balance cap causing discussion around its complexities, technical experts take a deeper look into what will happen on 1 July.             From 1 July 2021, the transfer balance cap will be indexed to $1.7 million,...