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Opinion
Opinion
Does an inheritance impact the age pension?
It can take up to 12 months for an estate to be finalised, but Centrelink needs to know when your share of an estate is received.
- by Noel Whittaker
Latest
Opinion
Opinion
Capital losses can offset gains for overseas will beneficiaries
If a deceased person had been carrying forward unapplied capital losses, these can offset a capital gain from those assets transferred to a charity or foreign resident.
- by George Cochrane
Opinion
Opinion
Merger deal may come with nasty tax surprise
The “in-specie” dividend treatment of the merger of BHP’s petroleum assets with Woodside means that some investors will have a gross dividend that requires them to pay additional tax.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Opinion
Tax treatment of a short-term Airbnb rental
Anyone renting their home in NSW home on AirBnB, or similar, must first obtain a STRA registration number from the state government’s planning portal.
- by George Cochrane
Opinion
Opinion
How to avoid the ‘death tax’ on your super fund
The best way to avoid the ‘death tax’ on bequeathed superannuation funds is to withdraw the entire balance before you die.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Opinion
How much super do you need to retire?
The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia’s estimate of annual expenses for a couple retiring comfortably at 65 is $64,771 a year.
- by George Cochrane
Opinion
Opinion
Negotiating the CSHC income limits
To be eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, you must meet certain criteria, including an income test. The test looks at adjusted taxable income for the relevant financial year and a deemed amount from account-based income streams.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Opinion
Why rule from the grave? Let kids decide how to spend inheritance
If your kids are mature enough to manage their own finances, why bother to set up such things as testamentary trusts in your will?
- by George Cochrane
Opinion
Opinion
Gift or loan? The best way to help your children
If your superannuation fund is in pension mode, there would be no CGT on assets liquidated to help provide the money you wish to gift.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Opinion
Putting money into super is better than taking a punt on market prices
If you cash out of your super to buy silver and gold, you are simply taking a punt on the price of those commodities, whereas super funds spread their holdings across a broad range of investment assets.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Opinion
Is putting long-service leave payment into super a good idea?
Where a person has an option to take long-service leave as regular payments, a good option is to stretch it out for as long as possible, say by taking half-pay, before starting to access your super.
- by George Cochrane