PLANNING

ASIC to take on SMSF property spruikers

John Collett Watchdog warns on online ads touting the tax advantages of holding property inside superannuation's low tax environment.

SUPER

Drive your own fund and save

Max Newnham Blaming superannuation for your losses makes as much sense as blaming a car that cuts you off. The vehicle is not at fault, it's the driver.

SUPER

Property advice not all safe as houses

John Collett The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has been warning on the dangers of investors rushing headlong to join the stampede to set up their own superannuation funds.

Superannuation

Call for super safety net

Eric Johnston The government has left the door open for an industry-wide ''last resort'' compensation scheme.

Strategies to fix the super shortfall

Mark Bouris What can be done to fix a superannuation system that favours men over women?

Comments 102

Better advice to help you through the super maze

Jo-Anne Bloch Sweeping financial advice reforms will help improve one of the most powerful tools for maximising retirement savings.

Superannuation

Super industry gets out the claws, but happy with result

Madeleine Heffernan Funds showed their muscle this week, and they've pledged to fight tooth and nail if any government makes changes they don't like.

Contribution you should care about

Mark Bouris From July 1, compulsory superannuation contributions will start to increase.

Money

Life's looking good for ING's Living Super

John Collett More than than 9000 people have put more than $220 million into ING's Living Super product since its launch last September.

The debenture dilemma

Fund Pick With interest rates on term deposits not as good as they used to be, there is a temptation to chase returns elsewhere.

SMSF advisor cops 18-month sentence

Lucy Battersby A self-managed superannuation advisor, Craig Gerard Dangar, received an eighteen month suspended sentence yesterday for taking $250,000 from two clients.

Clancy Yeates

Reforms improve scrutiny on super

Clancy Yeates As the retailers are finding out, people won't hesitate to take their business elsewhere.

Do your homework

Fund Pick Finding a home loan is one of the biggest financial decisions we make, but many people spend less time finding the right mortgage than on planning a holiday.

SMSF alert on property

John Collett The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is warning trustees of the rapidly growing self-managed superannuation funds (SMSF) sector to be cautious when investing in property.

Actuaries walk the walk on women's super

John Collett Rice Warner Actuaries wants to pay its female employees more superannuation than its male employees and has applied to the Human Rights Commission for an exemption from the Sex Discrimination Act.

Insight: SMSF

Clancy Yeates After years of below-par sharemarket returns, it's hardly surprising more people want to manage their own superannuation.

Self-managed super attracting crime: ASIC

The increase in self-managed superannuation funds is attracting crime organisations to Australia, says corporate watchdog.

Full disclosure for funds

Lesley Parker A proposed change would force super funds to tell members precisely where their money is invested.

ATO takeover of inactive super is good on all counts

Peter Martin and Clancy Yeates Handing lost and inactive super accounts over to the Tax Office will be good for their owners, Treasury has told a Senate committee.