Trauma insurance is the middle child of the personal insurance family. It’s overshadowed by its better-known siblings but it’s a quiet achiever that will do the heavy lifting when the circumstances require it. Trauma insurance – sometimes known as critical illness insurance – provides a lump sum payment in the event of a major illness [...]
Treasurer Scott Morrison’s first budget of the Coalition’s second term in office marked a significant shift in tone from the tough stance of its three previous budgets. The centrepiece of the budget is the use of ‘good debt’ to fund $75 billion worth of infrastructure projects to create jobs and promote economic growth. To achieve [...]
As life changes, so should your Insurance Your insurance needs will vary at different stages of your life. So it’s sensible to get into the habit of reviewing your insurance cover annually or, at the very least, whenever major events, such as the following, occur. You welcome or farewell a child. Kids are expensive, something [...]
On 14/12/2016, The Minister for Revenue and Financial Services announced a taskforce into the Black Economy. While there is no single, internationally-agreed definition, typically, the black economy refers to people who operate entirely outside the tax system or who are known to tax authorities but deliberately misreport their tax (and superannuation) obligations. The black economy [...]
Changes to the pension assets test that came into force on January 1 have resulted in some retirees losing some, or all, of their pension entitlements. The big question now is whether the tighter assets test will encourage people to change the way they plan and behave in the years leading up to retirement to [...]
Australia’s cash rate remains at 1.5 per cent but there are signs that we may have reached the bottom of the rate cycle. The major banks have already begun lifting home loan rates and this trend looks set to continue as mortgage funding sourced from overseas becomes more expensive. Donald Trump’s election victory also marked [...]
The Turnbull Government’s revision of the Superannuation reforms have now been legislated. Retirement savers will need to ensure they are swimming between the new flags from 1 July 2017. New $1.6 million limit on tax-free super One of the major reforms is the introduction of an indexed $1.6 million limit on the total amount of [...]
