Say goodbye to tax troubles

Do you find yourself drowning in random receipts when EOFY comes around? Learn to lodge your tax return the easy way with these last-minute and longer-term tax hacks.

Tax paperwork is something few of us take in our stride. In fact, the majority of people hand over much of this responsibility to someone more qualified. In the 2016/17 financial year almost three-quarters of Australians lodged their return via their tax agent. But even your accountant can’t do it all for you. Gathering together receipts and records you need to pass along can become a headache when you leave it all to the last minute.

The key points are as follows:

  • Maximize deductions

  • Be super savvy

  • Know your offsets

  • Investment costs

  • Tidy up for next time

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The nine most important things I have learned about investing over the past 35 years

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Dr Shane Oliver
AMP Capital

I have been working in and around investment markets for 35 years now. A lot has happened over that time. The 1987 crash, the recession Australia had to have, the Asian crisis, the tech boom/tech wreck, the mining boom, the Global Financial Crisis, the Eurozone crisis. Financial deregulation, financial reregulation. The end of the cold war, US domination, the rise of Asia and then China. And so on. But as someone once observed the more things change the more they stay the same. 

The key points are as follows:

  • There is always a cycle

  • The crowd gets it wrong at extremes

  • What you pay for an investment matters a lot

  • Getting markets right is not as easy as you think

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Is this your year to retire?

If you’ve got retirement in your sights this year, we’ve got the ultimate checklist to help you retire in style. Discover how to prepare for this exciting new chapter in your life, safe in the knowledge that your finances will be taking care of you.

The key points are as follow :

  • Explore your goals and make plans

  • Work on your budget

  • Reduce your debts

  • Budget for big ticket items

  • Check your eligibility for government benefits and super

  • Find out about tax

  • Make a retirement income timeline

  • Take care of family matters

  • Find the right financial planner for you

  • Plan to be in the best of health

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Your retirement income options

When you leave work for good and retire, where will your money come from? Discover your income stream options for covering living costs in retirement.

The main points are as follow :

  1. Account-based pensions

  2. Annuities

  3. Other investments

  4. Age Pension and other Centrelink benefits

  5. Working part-time

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How to budget: Your five step plan to brilliant budgeting

Budgeting doesn’t have to be complicated. In this guide you’ll find a simple five-step guide to becoming brilliant at budgeting so you can start saving and spending to achieve your personal and financial goals.

The key points are as follow :

  1. The right mindset

  2. Money in, money out

  3. Organise your accounts

  4. Get strict on spending

  5. Team up and keep going

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9 steps to a better retirement at any age

The key points are as follow :

In your 40s: time to start planning

  1. Work out what you’ll need

  2. Sort out your super

  3. Manage your debt

If you're aged between 55 and 65: transitioning to retirement

  1. Work out a practical retirement plan

  2. Boost your super

  3. Take greater control

If you're over 65: time to act

  1. Think long-term

  2. Consider where you'll live

  3. Leave a legacy

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Your end of financial year checklist

The end of financial year has a way of creeping up and catching us unprepared. But this time you can be ready, with a to-do list of tasks that you can tick off as you go. For instance, now may be the perfect time to put a bit extra into your super before 1 July to make the most of the annual contribution caps. And if you’re a business owner, we’ve also got some useful tips to help you manage your financial obligations and plan for the year ahead.

So, as the countdown to 30 June begins, here’s our checklist to start you on your way.

 The key points are as follows:

  • Getting ready for the tax man

  • Sorting out your super

  • Taking care of business

  • Start the next financial year on the right foot

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Raising money confident kids

Set your kids up for financial success by teaching them about money and taking care of your own financial wellbeing.

 The key points are as follows:

  • What type of money parent are you?

  • Learning from ‘engaged’ money parents

  • How you can look after your own financial wellbeing and role model good money behaviour

  • Start a conversation today

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5 reasons to save for retirement

Saving for retirement might not seem important, especially when there’s the super guarantee and aged pension to fall back on. But employer contributions and government benefits may not keep you as comfortable in later life as you’d like. Here are 5 reasons to make saving for your super a priority in the coming year.

 The key points are as follows:

  1. You can expect to live longer

  2. You have a bucket list

  3. You don’t have a crystal ball

  4. You could save on your tax bill

  5. You can harness the power of compounding

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7 Steps to wealth and living well

In more than a decade working as a financial planner, Elliot Watson CFP® has met with hundreds of clients and learnt a great deal about what it takes to build a wealthier and happier life. Above all, he believes planning for a better future is as much about people as their money. Here Elliot shares 7 key insights into how you can transform your fortunes.

 The key points are as follows:

  1. Time is critically important

  2. No one has a crystal ball

  3. Cure yourself of debt

  4. Face the music, feel the pain

  5. Make the leap

  6. Being retirement ready

  7. Bring your ideas - and commitment

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Inflation undershoots in Australia

Dr Shane Oliver, AMP Capital.

Surprisingly weak Australian inflation has led to expectations the Reserve Bank will soon cut rates. But what’s driving low inflation? Is it really that bad? Why not just lower the inflation target? Will rate cuts help?And what does it mean for investors?

 The key points are as follows:

  1. Surprisingly low inflation in Australia has increased the pressure on the RBA to cut interest rates again.

  2. We continue to see the cash rate falling to 1% by year end and now see the first cut coming as soon as May.

  3. For investors, it’s going to remain a low interest rate environment for some time to come.

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Is working more the answer to your financial problems?

When working more means earning more, it makes sense to take that promotion or extra shift to get ahead financially. But when expenses go up and quality of life goes down, is the price you’re paying for longer hours too high?

 The key points are as follows:

  1. Where will you be spending more?

  2. What will you be missing out on?

  3. Could you be better off without earning more?

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A time for imagining

Market leaders have changed dramatically over the last ten years. We’ve seen the rise of companies that have either disrupted an existing industry or challenged incumbents. So what have we learnt from the past decade that we can apply for the future?

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The financial power of women

A state-of-the-nation report on the barriers to women investing.

The key points are as follow :

  • The hurdles women face

  • What women want

  • Unlocking our financial power

  • Myths busted

  • What the investment industry can do

  • A level playing field in retirement

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Australia slides into a “per capita recession”

This article looks at the outlook for the Australian economy following another quarter of very weak growth and what it means for investors.

 The key points are as follows

  • Australian growth slowed even more in the December quarter. Growth may bounce back a bit this year, but the housing downturn will likely constrain it to around 2-2.5%.

  • As a result, unemployment is likely to drift up and wages growth and inflation remain lower for longer.

  • The RBA is on track to cut rates this year and the housing downturn will likely see Australian shares continue to underperform global shares.

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Five charts and a table that are critical to watch regarding the global economy and markets this year

This note looks at  five charts and a table that are critical to watch this year regarding the outlook for the global economy and markets.

 The key points are as follows:

  • After a strong rebound since December share markets are at risk of a short-term pull back. However, despite this we see this year as being a decent year for share market returns.

  • Five key global charts to watch as to whether this will be the case are: global business conditions PMIs; global inflation; the US yield curve; the US dollar; and global trade growth.

  • US recession indicators remain ok, but the yield curve is worth watching.

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Women and money: What needs to change?

Money & Life

With gender pay and super gaps coming up more often in the equality conversation, are we seeing meaningful change for women’s financial security and well-being or is there still a long way to go?

The main points are as follows:

  • Measuring to keep moving forward

  • Redefining relationships at home and work

  • A fresh perspective on finances

  • Support from experts and leaders

  • The drivers of change

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Super Contributions Guide

Money & Life

As well as super guarantee payments from your employer, there are all sorts of ways to save more into super and boost retirement savings. 

The main ways are as follows:

  • Super Guarantee contributions

  • Concessional contributions

  • Non-concessional contributions

  • Government contributions for low-income earners

  • Tax offset for low-income earners

  • Spouse contributions and tax offsets

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