Despite well formulated investment strategies and appropriate investment advice, no trustee could have foreseen the impacts of COVID-19 on financial markets globally. Whilst history suggests that a strong recovery is likely within a relatively short period after large market corrections, it is still too early to know the impact of COVID-19 on members’ retirement plans.
Over the past two weeks the Government has announced two economic stimulus packages to cushion the economic impact of the Coronavirus.
A total of $189 billion is being injected into the economy by all arms of Government in order to keep Australians in work and businesses in business.
This includes $17.6 billion for the Government’s first economic stimulus package, $90 billion from the RBA and $15 billion from the Government to deliver easier access to finance, and $66.1 billion in yesterday’s economic support package.
The ATO will be writing to SMSFs that have all their retirement savings tied up in CryptoCurrency and Property. This is an interesting article from the Australian.
In February this year, the Government passed legislation which prevents trustees of APRA-regulated funds from providing insurance to members with inactive superannuation accounts, unless a member has directed otherwise.
It is a common practice for many individuals with an SMSF to also have a secondary APRA-regulated fund which provides them with insurance.
Your SMSF is a long-term plan. Much can happen during this time including illness, incapacity or death of a member.
It is best practice to have contingency plans in place to deal with unexpected events. For example, if a fund member dies, leaving you as the sole member are you happy to continue with the SMSF?
Outlined are some issues to consider planning for as trustees. Leaving the planning to when, and if an event happens may be too late.
The directly held property makes up approximately 19% of all SMSF assets, indicating that many SMSF trustees consider it’s an important and significant part of a diversified portfolio. There are numerous strategies and ways for property to form part of an SMSF’s investments and each must be carefully considered.
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This is an area that is becoming increasingly discussed within the self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) environment and we encourage those that are interested in this type of investment contact us first to discuss the implications as there is no ‘one size’ fits all.
Some areas of compliance to review but not limited to, are:
Please note that there are taxation rulings and determinations issue by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and capital gains tax rules may apply to the disposal of the asset.
Always Keep Your Investment Strategy in Your Mind
You have made it through the financial year and navigated the new superannuation laws that took effect on 1 July 2017 but there is one thing you should always think about and that is your investment strategy. Additionally, there is no better time than right after a financial year end where you can review your SMSF investment strategy and its performance.
