A Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) is very similar to public super funds, but they have some key advantages for investors, which are not available in public super funds. The Investor Selects the Investment Public super funds pool monies from all of their members and then the fund's manager decides which investments to buy, sell or keep. A SMSF is effectively restricted to a maximum of four members, and are usally family members (e.g. husband, wife, and children). As they are ...

Congratulations to Vicky, for completing her very first trail race last Saturday! Here are Vicky's statistics for the race: 3rd in age group (females - a lady doesn't disclose her age!) 7th for females (out of a total of 108 female competitors) 40th overall (out of a total of 213 total male and female competitors) Distance 15 klm Total time 1hr 54 mins Not bad for her very first race! ...

With such high rents and property prices, it may difficult to purchase a property, but in some cases your family may be able to help, without having to actually give you any money. Mortgage Insurance Most mortgage lenders will offer mortgage-insured products, but usually a minimum deposit of 5% of the property purchase price is required. An median-price house may cost between $400-$500,000, which means you would need to have saved at least $20-$25,000, plus the mortgage insuran...

Most Life Insurance policies offer Optional Benefits, but how do you choose which ones are likely to benefit you the most, and fit within your budget? Cost/Benefit Analysis Usually, Optional Benefits increase the cost of the policy premium, so you need to ensure the options you choose are likely to benefit you. For example, why would you need Needlestick Injury cover, if you weren't a medical practitioner? But if you were an active person and enjoyed a lot of physical ac...

It may be possible for your to reduce your Finance Repayments by using the GST you've paid on the vehicle or equipment purchase. Consider this scenario: You purchase a new vehicle for $50,000 + GST ($5,000) You Finance the entire $55,0000 (purchase price, including GST) You estimate you will receive $5,000 GST refund in the next BAS (the GST you just paid on the vehicle) You structure the Finance to include a $5,000 payment after the BAS refund is due ...