The new year is just around the corner and, while many are thinking about the holidays, a little planning now can help get your finances off to a flying start in 2026. It’s not just getting your paperwork done or starting your end-of-financial-year preparations, it’s also about spending some time considering the strategic side of your personal finances or business operations to make it more successful. Where the ATO is focusing With some changes to personal tax rules this finan...

In a world of constant financial noise, from market updates and interest rate speculation to economic forecasts, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and choose to do nothing. But inaction can be costly when it comes to building long-term wealth. Whether it’s leaving money in cash, delaying investment decisions or ignoring the power of regular contributions, the financial consequences of sitting still can quietly erode your future goals. Small, consistent actions can make a significant...

SMSFs - Keeping it in the Family Self managed super funds (SMSFs) can offer their members many benefits, but one that is often overlooked is their potential as a multigenerational wealth creation and transfer vehicle. Family SMSFs are relatively rare. According to the most recent ATO statistics (2022-23), the majority of SMSFs (93.2 per cent) have only one or two members.i Just 6.6 per cent have three or four members and only 0.3 per cent have five or six members (the maximum allo...

How to end the financial year on a high note   As the financial year draws to a close, it's the perfect time to review your financial affairs and set the stage for a successful new financial year. By taking care of essential tasks and implementing strategic planning, you can position yourself for a smooth transition and a strong start for the year to come. Topping up super One important item for the To Do list is to top up your super with either concessional (pre-tax) or non-conc...

New Increased Super Contribution Caps As the end of financial year gets closer, some investors are thinking about the most effective ways to boost their super balance, particularly with an increase in the caps on contributions from 1 July. The concessional contributions cap, which is the maximum in before-tax contributions you can add to your super each year without paying extra tax, is increasing to $30,000 from $27,500 in the new financial year.i The cap increases in line with average we...