Keeping You Up To Date

We’re all now only too aware of the risk of cybercrime after the well-publicised data hacks of Medibank Private and Optus. Although these crimes involved large organisations, email scams, cyberattacks and online scams also represent a major risk for small businesses, particularly if you don’t have the funds or knowhow to strengthen your digital security. The latest Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Annual Cyber Threat Report warned no-one was immune to cyber threats, with ...

Trusts and the New Super Tax Rules Ensuring you’ve structured your finances tax-effectively is always a concern, but with new tax rules for super on the horizon, many people with large balances are considering alternative vehicles to save for retirement. Unsurprisingly, this has sparked a renewed interest in an old favourite – trusts. Trusts have always been popular in Australia, with the government’s Tax Avoidance Taskforce (Trusts) estimating more than one million&...

As our superannuation balances grow larger, it makes more sense than ever to keep track of the many rules changes that have recently happened or are coming up soon. Australians are investing more in super - almost $151 billion dollars in the year ending March 2023, an increase of 11.3 per cent.i Those extra contributions, plus the rebound in the financial markets, have resulted in super assets of around $3.5 trillion.ii And it is being put to good use. We took out lump sum payments totalli...

With the rise in sophistication of banking scams, the ACCC is warning all Australians to be extra vigilant about any unexpected phone calls or text messages purporting to be from their bank. Scammers are using new technology to make it look like their phone call or text is coming from a genuine bank phone or text number, often urging an immediate response from the consumer. Messages will often refer to suspicious activity on the account or freezing of funds to prompt an immediate response. ...

How do interest rates affect your investments? Interest rates are an important financial lever for world economies. They affect the cost of borrowing and the return on savings, and it makes them an integral part of the return on many investments. It can also affect the value of the currency, which has a further trickle-down effect on other investments. So, when rates are low they can influence more business investment because it is cheaper to borrow. When rates are high or rising, economic ...