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July 7, 2021
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In Family, Financial Advice, Kids and Money, Latest Updates, Retirement

Supporting your kids, without sacrificing your own retirement

Supporting your kids, without sacrificing your own retirement

With careful planning, you can give a helping hand to your adult children financially, while still enjoying a comfortable retirement.

In the past, wealth was often passed on through inheritance. But with our longer lifespans, and the higher cost of living (especially housing), the desire to help our kids while we’re alive and well is increasing.

If your children are young, you may have twenty or thirty years to save and invest on their behalf, while also saving for your own retirement. If this is the case, it pays to put a strategy in place early on.

For those nearing retirement age, or already retired, you may have a large lump sum you’d like to gift to one or more of your kids. Giving money is a wonderful thing to do, but it’s not always simple. It can have tax implications and may affect your income support payments from Centrelink. On the other hand, gifting may enable you to increase your government pension payments or benefits, if done right.

So how can you help your children without compromising your own financial security and comfort in retirement?

Ensure you’re on track for a comfortable retirement.

Before you give away your wealth, it’s important to remember that you need to fund your own retirement for many years.

Australians are living longer than ever, with more years spent in retirement. If you were to retire at age 60 and live to 90, that’s one whole third of your life spent in retirement.

As well as wanting to enjoy your retirement through travel or leisure activities, older age often comes with more medical and health expenses.

So it’s really important to make sure you have enough funds saved and invested to get you through. This might sound selfish, but in reality, it means you won’t become a financial burden on your children later in life.

How much will you need to retire, and, how much can you afford to give away now? It’s always best to seek professional financial advice to ensure you have enough put away to see you through. A financial planner will be able to give you tailored advice about the impact of your giving on your retirement plans.

Related: Super 101 – Your guide to a happy retirement

What am I giving money for?

Next, consider what it is you’d like to help your son or daughter with. Are the funds for a property deposit? To pay for a wedding. Education expenses? This might offer some clue as to the right amount of support.

Following on from this, consider how many children you need to help. If you gift funds to one child, do you need to match that for others when the time comes? If you have several children, but some are doing better than others, do you need to help them all equally?

Balancing the family dynamics around money is important, as it can be a sensitive issue. The last thing you want to do is cause a rift in the family over some perceived inequality. If you do have several children you need to help, keep this in mind, as it will limit how much help you can offer each child.

Giving an incentive

Often the best way to support children financially is to match their own contribution. Rather than purchasing something outright, offer to base your assistance on their own savings. This also means they have a vested interest in the item, which means they’re likely to treat it more carefully.

Related: How to help your children with buying property

How should I give money?

If you receive the Age Pension or other benefits from Centrelink, there is a limit to how much you can give away. The gifting rules allow you to give $10,000 over one financial year, or $30,000 over five years. You’ll need to let Centrelink know when you’re planning to give a gift of this type.

If you’re considering giving your children a substantial amount of money, it’s worth taking the advice of Dr Brett Davies at Legal Consolidated. He recommends always giving funds as a loan ‘payable on demand’, not as a gift. Creating a written loan agreement helps keep the money in your family, even if things don’t go to plan.

As Dr Davies explains, a correctly worded and executed loan agreement can protect the money in case your child was to:

  • divorce
  • go bankrupt.
  • suffer from an addiction.
  • suffer from a mental health problem.
  • you run out of money and need it back.

He gives this as an example. You gift your daughter $400,000 to buy a house. Five years later, she divorces her husband and the house is the only asset of the marriage. The Family Court awards half of the value of the house to the husband, including $200,000 of your donated funds.

If you instead had a valid loan agreement in place, the loan must be paid out before the assets are distributed. Hence, the $400,000 comes back to you, to do with as you please. You can read more examples of a loan agreement in action here.

Always seek professional legal advice when drawing up a loan agreement to ensure that it’s compliant with the law, properly worded and correctly executed.

Get professional advice.

If you’re nearing retirement and looking to give up work, downsize your home and/or gift funds to your children, it’s important to seek financial advice.

Reach out to the Sherlock Wealth team here so we can help you work out a strategy for meeting multiple goals, such as giving to several children while funding your own comfortable retirement.

Source: Money and Life
(Financial Planning Association of Australia)

July 1, 2021
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In Financial Advice, Latest Updates, Tax

Advice for couples at tax time

Advice for couples at tax time

Unsure how your relationship status affects your taxes? We’ve made it simple with our couple’s guide to tax.

If you’re newly married, engaged or living with your partner, you might not be aware that there are some implications for your taxes.

In Australia, you’re not required to lodge a combined tax return with your spouse each year. Instead, you need to declare your spouse’s taxable income on your individual tax return.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) uses your joint income to work out whether:

  • you’re entitled to a rebate for private health insurance (and how much)
  • you need to pay the Medicare levy surcharge.
  • you’re entitled to a Medicare levy reduction.
  • you’re entitled to the seniors and pensioners tax offset.

So, first things first, how do you know if you have a ‘spouse’ in the ATO’s eyes?

Do I have a spouse or de facto partner?

As far as the ATO is concerned, your spouse “includes another person (of any sex) who:

  • you were in a relationship with that was registered under a prescribed state or territory law
  • although not legally married to you, lived with you on a genuine domestic basis in a relationship as a couple.”

You must declare all of the taxable income your spouse receives in your return, including:

  • salary and wages
  • dividends
  • interest
  • rental income
  • foreign-source income
  • pensions and child support payments.

How does this affect my tax return?

There are some implications for your taxes, especially in the following areas.

Private health insurance rebate

The amount of rebate you qualify for is based on your income, so you might receive a different level of rebate as a couple than you did as an individual. You can check the rebate rates and income thresholds here.

Medicare levy surcharge

High-income earners who don’t have private patient hospital cover are charged a Medicare levy surcharge.

If you have a spouse, the ATO will use your combined income to work out your Medicare levy surcharge. It’s calculated as a percentage of your income (up to 1.5%) and is payable in addition to the Medicare Levy.

You may need to pay the Medicare levy surcharge if you don’t have private patient hospital cover and your income is over:

  • $90,000 for singles
  • $180,000 for families.

If you’ve recently gained a spouse for tax purposes, and you don’t have private patient hospital cover, make sure to check whether your combined income puts you over the income threshold. Taking out private patient hospital cover will mean you don’t need to pay the surcharge – and you’ll be covered in case of an emergency.

Medicare levy reduction

There’s also a Medicare levy reduction available to low-income earners. If you have a spouse and your family taxable income is equal to or less than $48,092, you might be eligible for a reduction.

Combining your homes?

Something that’s often overlooked when moving in with a spouse is the way it affects the capital gains tax (CGT) exemption on your main residence. If you both owned and lived in your own homes before moving in together; or you’re in an established relationship but lived separately during the year; and you plan to sell one or both of the properties, there could be CGT implications. Working out your CGT obligations can be tricky, so seek advice from a tax professional when preparing your return.

If you’re still not sure whether you need to include your spouse’s details on your return, seek advice from a tax agent or speak to the ATO. If you leave your spouse out, the ATO could amend your tax return and there could even be financial penalties.

Need help? Please reach out to the Sherlock Wealth team here to help you look at what’s right for you.

Source: Money and Life
(Financial Planning Association of Australia)

June 25, 2021
admin
In Economy, Financial Advice, Financial Planning, Investments, Latest Updates, Money

Bonds, inflation and your investments

Bonds, inflation and your investments

The recent sharp rise in bond rates may not be a big topic of conversation around the Sunday barbecue, but it has set pulses racing on financial markets amid talk of inflation and what that might mean for investors.

US 10-year government bond yields touched 1.61 per cent in early March after starting the year at 0.9 per cent.i Australian 10-year bonds followed suit, jumping from 0.97 per cent at the start of the year to a recent high of 1.81 per cent.ii

That may not seem like much, but to bond watchers it’s significant. Rates have since settled a little lower, but the market is still jittery.

Why are bond yields rising?

Bond yields have been rising due to concerns that global economic growth, and inflation, may bounce back faster and higher than previously expected.

While a return to more ‘normal’ business activity after the pandemic is a good thing, there are fears that massive government stimulus and central bank bond-buying programs may reinflate national economies too quickly.

The risk of inflation

Despite short-term interest rates languishing close to zero, a sharp rise in long-term interest rates indicates investors are readjusting their expectations of future inflation. Australia’s inflation rate currently sits at 0.9 per cent, half the long bond yield.

To quash inflation fears, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe recently repeated his intention to keep interest rates low until 2024. The RBA cut official rates to a record low of 0.1 per cent last year and launched a $200 billion program to buy government bonds with the aim of keeping yields on these bonds at record lows.iii

Governor Lowe said inflation (currently 0.9 per cent) would not be anywhere near the RBA’s target of between 2 and 3 per cent until annual wages growth rises above 3 per cent from 1.4 per cent now. This would require unemployment to fall closer to 4 per cent from the current 6.4 per cent.

In other words, there’s some arm wrestling going on between central banks and the market over whose view of inflation and interest rates will prevail, with no clear winner.

What does this mean for investors?

Bond prices have been falling because investors are concerned that rising inflation will erode the value of the yields on their existing bond holdings, so they sell.

For income investors, falling bond prices could mean capital losses as the value of their existing bond holdings is eroded by rising rates, but healthier income in future.

The prospect of higher interest rates also has implications for other investments.

Shares shaken but not stirred

In recent years, low-interest rates have sent investors flocking to shares for their dividend yields and capital growth. In 2020, US shares led the charge with the tech-heavy Nasdaq index up 43.6%.iv

It’s these high growth stocks that are most sensitive to rate change. As the debate over inflation raged, the so-called FAANG stocks – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google – fell nearly 17 per cent from mid to late February and remain volatile.v

That doesn’t mean all shares are vulnerable. Instead, market analysts expect a shift to ‘value’ stocks. These include traditional industrial companies and banks which were sold off during the pandemic but stand to gain from economic recovery.

Property market resilient

Against expectations, the Australian residential property market has also performed strongly despite the pandemic, fuelled by low-interest rates.

National housing values rose 4 per cent in the year to February, while total returns including rental yields rose 7.6 per cent. But averages hide a patchy performance, with Darwin leading the pack (up 13.8 per cent) and Melbourne dragging up the rear (down 1.3 per cent).vi

There are concerns that ultra-low interest rates risk fuelling a house price bubble and worsening housing affordability. In answer to these fears, Governor Lowe said he was prepared to tighten lending standards quickly if the market gets out of hand.

Only time will tell who wins the tussle between those who think inflation is a threat and those who think it’s under control. As always, patient investors with a well-diversified portfolio are best placed to weather any short-term market fluctuations.

If you would like to discuss your overall investment strategy, please reach out to the Sherlock Wealth team here to help look at what’s right for you.

i Trading economics, viewed 11 March 2021, https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/government-bond-yield

ii Trading economics, viewed 11 March 2021, https://tradingeconomics.com/australia/government-bond-yield

iii https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oecd-economy-idUSKBN2B112G

iv https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/growth-prospects-for-australia-and-world-upgraded-by-oecd-20210309-p57973.html

v https://rba.gov.au/speeches/2021/sp-gov-2021-03-10.html

vi https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/31/stock-market-record-2020/

vii https://www.corelogic.com.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/210301_CoreLogic_HVI.pdf

June 17, 2021
admin
In Financial Advice, Financial Planning, Latest Updates, Money, Superannuation, Tax

Salary packaging – worth the sacrifice

Salary packaging - worth the sacrifice

The principle of ‘salary sacrificing’ may not sound very appealing. After all, who in their right mind would voluntarily give up their hard-earned cash. But it can have real financial benefits for some in terms of reducing your taxable income, which could see you pay less at tax time.

As we nudge ever closer to the end of the financial year, it’s worth taking a look at salary sacrificing to see if it’s a worthwhile strategy to put into place for you.

A salary sacrifice arrangement is also commonly referred to as salary packaging or total remuneration packaging. In essence, a salary sacrifice arrangement is when you agree to receive less income before tax, in return for your employer providing you with benefits of similar value. You’re basically using your pre-tax salary to buy something you would normally purchase with your after-tax pay.

How does salary sacrifice work?

The main benefit of salary sacrificing is that it reduces your pre-tax income, and therefore the amount of tax you must pay. For example, if you’re on a $100,000 income, you may agree to only receive $75,000 as income in return for a $25,000 car as a benefit.

Doing this would reduce your taxable income to $75,000 which could lower your tax bill because you’re essentially earning less as far as the tax office is concerned.*

This arrangement must be set up in advance with your employer before you commence the work that you’ll be paid for and it’s advisable that the details of the agreement are outlined in writing.

What can you salary sacrifice?

According to the Australian Tax Office (ATO), there’s no restriction on the types of benefits you can sacrifice, as long as the benefits form part of your remuneration. What you can salary sacrifice may also depend on what your employer offers.

The types of benefits provided in a salary sacrifice arrangement include fringe benefits, exempt benefits and superannuation.

Fringe benefits can include:

  • cars
  • property (including goods, real property like land and buildings, shares or bonds)
  • expense payments (loan repayments, school fees, childcare costs, home phone costs)

Your employer pays fringe benefit tax (FBT) on these benefits.

Exempt benefits include work-related items such as:

  • portable electronic devices and computer software
  • protective clothing
  • tools of the trade

Your employer typically does not have to pay fringe benefits tax on these.

Superannuation

You can also ask your employer to pay part of your pre-tax salary into your superannuation account. This is on top of the contributions your employer is already paying you under the Superannuation Guarantee, which should be no less than 9.5% of your gross (before tax) annual salary, though this may rise in the near future.

Salary sacrificed super contributions are classified as employer super contributions rather than employee contributions. These contributions are called concessional contributions and are taxed at 15 per cent. For most people, this will be lower than their marginal tax rate.

There is a limit as to how much extra you can contribute to your super per year at the 15 per cent tax rate. The combined total of your employer and any salary sacrificed concessional contributions cannot exceed $25,000 in a single financial year. If you exceed the cap, you could be charged additional tax on any excess salary sacrifice contributions.

Most employers allow employees to salary sacrifice in super, but not all employers will allow salary sacrificing for other benefits.

Is salary sacrifice worth it?

Salary sacrifice is generally most effective for middle to high-income earners, while there is little to no tax saving for people who are already in a low tax bracket.

If you are a middle to high-income earner, then it may be worth considering salary sacrifice to reduce your taxable income and to take advantage of some of those benefits.

Before you do, make sure you talk to us so we can help ensure it is an appropriate strategy for your circumstances.

*Note: This example illustrates how salary sacrifice arrangements can work and does not constitute advice. You should not act solely on the information in this example.

Source for all information in this article: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Fringe-benefits-tax-(FBT)/Salary-sacrifice-arrangements/

May 31, 2021
admin
In Financial Advice, Insurance, Latest Updates

Choosing an income protection policy

Choosing an income protection policy

MoneySmart
(ASIC)

Some of the things you’ll need to consider when choosing an income protection policy are:

Policy type

Income protection policies are provided as either an:

  • Indemnity value policy — the amount you’re insured for is a percentage of your salary when you make a claim. If your salary has decreased since you bought the policy, you’ll get a smaller monthly insurance payment. Indemnity value policies are generally cheaper and can be useful for people with a stable income.
  • Agreed value policy — the amount you’re insured for is a percentage of an agreed amount when you sign up for the policy. These are generally more expensive but can be useful if you have income that changes from year to year.

Waiting period

This is the amount of time you must wait before your payments start. Most income protection policies offer a waiting period between 14 days and two years.

In general, the longer the waiting period, the cheaper the policy. When you’re choosing the waiting period, think about how much you have in sick and annual leave, savings and emergency funds.

Benefit period

The benefit period is how long the monthly payments will last. Most income protection policies offer two or five years, or up to a specific age (such as 65). The longer the benefit period, the more expensive the policy. But it also means greater protection if you’re unable to work for a longer time.

Stepped or level premiums

You can generally choose to pay for income protection insurance with either:

  • Stepped premiums — recalculated at each policy renewal, usually increasing each year based on the higher chance of a claim as you age
  • Level premiums — charge a higher premium at the start of the policy, but changes to cost aren’t based on your age so increases happen more slowly over time

Your choice of stepped or level premiums has a large impact on how much your premiums will cost now and in the future.

If you would like to discuss what income protection options are available for you, please reach out to the Sherlock Wealth team to discuss your unique situation here

May 18, 2021
admin
In Financial Advice, Insurance, Latest Updates

Deciding if you need TPD insurance

Deciding if you need TPD insurance

Total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance

A permanent injury or illness can make it difficult or impossible to return work. TPD  insurance can provide a financial safety net to help support you and your family, and pay for medical and rehabilitation costs.

What TPD insurance covers

TPD insurance pays a lump sum if you become totally and permanently disabled because of illness or injury.

Each insurer has a different definition of what it means to be totally and permanently disabled. It can cover you for either:

  • Your own occupation — you’re unable to work again in the job you were working in before your disability. This cover is more expensive and is usually only available outside super.
  • Any occupation — you’re unable to ever work again in any job suited to your education, training or experience. This cover is cheaper but has a higher threshold to claim, so it’s less likely to payout.

Read the product disclosure statement (PDS) so you know how your insurer defines a total and permanent disability. Call the insurer or your super fund if you have questions about the policy.

Decide if you need TPD insurance

When deciding if you need TPD insurance, and how much, think about the expenses you’ll need to cover if you were permanently disabled and unable to work. These could include:

  • living expenses for you and your family
  • repaying debts such as a mortgage or credit card
  • medical and rehabilitation costs
  • savings you want for retirement

Also, think about what you have that could help pay for these costs. This could include:

The gap between the amount you have and the amount you’ll need can be a guide as to how much TPD cover you may need.

If you need help deciding if you need TPD insurance, and how much, speak to a financial adviser.

How to buy TPD insurance

Check if you already hold TPD insurance through your super. Most super funds offer default TPD cover that’s cheaper than buying it directly. You can increase your level of cover through your super fund if you need to.

You can also buy TPD insurance from:

  • a financial adviser
  • insurance broker
  • an insurance company

TPD insurance can be bought on its own or packaged with life cover. If it’s packaged, your life cover may be reduced by any amount paid out on a TPD claim. Check the PDS or ask your insurer.

Before buying, renewing or switching insurance, check if the policy will cover you for claims associated with COVID-19.

TPD insurance premiums

You can generally choose to pay for TPD insurance with either:

  • stepped premiums — recalculated at each policy renewal, usually increasing each year based on the higher chance of a claim as you age
  • level premiums — charge a higher premium at the start of the policy, but changes to cost aren’t based on your age so increases happen more slowly over time

Your choice of stepped or level premiums has a large impact on how much your premiums will cost now and in the future.

Compare TPD insurance policies

Before you buy TPD insurance, compare policies to make sure you get the right one for you. Check:

  • if it covers ‘your own occupation’ or ‘any occupation’
  • exclusions
  • waiting periods before you can claim
  • limits on cover
  • premiums – now and in the future.

A cheaper policy may have more exclusions, or it may become more expensive in the future.

Use our Life insurance claims comparison tool

Compare how long different insurers take to pay a TPD claim and the percentage of claims they pay out.

What you need to tell your insurer

You need to tell your insurer anything that could affect their decision to provide you with TPD insurance. You need to give them this information when you apply, renew or change your level of cover.

Insurers usually ask for information about your:

  • age
  • job
  • medical history
  • family history, such as a history of disease
  • lifestyle (for example, if you’re a smoker)
  • high-risk sports or hobbies (such as skydiving)

If an insurer doesn’t ask for your medical history, it may mean their policy has more exclusions or narrower policy definitions.

The information you provide will help the insurer to decide:

  • if they should insure you
  • how much your premiums will be
  • terms and conditions for your policy

It is important that you answer the questions honestly. Providing misleading answers could lead an insurer to decline a claim you make.

Please reach out to the Sherlock Wealth team to discuss what insurance cover you may need here.

MoneySmart
(ASIC)

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