Here at Michael's Musings, a Perth planner will help you sort out the real information in amongst all that noise. Feedback and comment cheerfully received, even if sometimes ignored. To log-in using your Facebook, LinkedIn or other network ID, please click this image.
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This web site is operated by Michael O'Hara, an Authorised Representative of WSP Financial Services Pty Ltd (AFSL 237463), which trades as Wealth & Security Planners.The views expressed within this website are Michael's personal views, and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the views of WSP Financial Services Pty Ltd.
Monday morning and we sit down to digest the raft of professionally prepared updates from various analysts who have spent the weekend poring over the Federal Government’s announcements on tax simplification. The documents released on the government website are beautifully written. Someone has clearly invested a lot of time and energy distilling some fairly...
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Just a quick note today… With the broohah surrounding the government announcements on legislating to remove commissions from superannuation and investment accounts there are all sorts of comments being made on the likely impacts – some more informed than others. Feedback in a number of online forums suggests that many people are happy with...
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From a financial advisors’ point of view, a lot of the current debate on the value of advice is more than a little bemusing. Over many years the role of advisor has evolved from what was predominantly an insurance advice role (~40 years ago) through superannuation advisor (~30 years ago), investment advisor (~20 years...
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Todays Australian Financial Review (p3) carries an artile titled “Super funds warned” in which Jeremy Cooper (“chairman of the federal government’s review of the $1.2 trillion superannuation industry”) suggests that Australian super funds need to increase returns and gain greater scale to increase opportunities. The example given is “Two Canadian pension funds with a...
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There has been quite a bit of debate in recent times on various clauses in various "Awards" as they relate to superannuation.
Some argue that this takes away "member choice" and that it unfairly promotes "industry funds" (i have not used capital letters, as i have not investigated whether all awards with these provisions specifically...
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We mere mortals here in Wealth & Security Planners have been bemusedly scanning the various reactions to Australian Securities & Investments Commission guidelines for the Trustees of super funds to be able to provide advice to their members. In case you missed it, the guide is set out here. The impetus for the change...
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For many years various pressure groups around the country have been trying to have legislation brought in to ban the payment of commissions from superannuation accounts. Pressure has mounted even further as links are drawn between commissions generated and the recent failures of MIS scheme operators Great Southern and Timbercorp, as well as the...
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How to start in an area that is so little understood, even by those who set out to regulate or administer the laws of advice? Let’s start in a place called Mar-a-Lago, a Donald Trump owned private club in the salubrious Palm Beach in the good ol’ US of A. The cream of the...
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Sometimes it seems that the Federal Budget could be improved through a strong dose of Taoist thinking. Here is my logic… The budget is supposedly one of those things that involves balance. That is, Government receipts are balanced with Government expenditure. The Budget updates in May are a time where past income/expenses are published and...
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