Market movements & review video – March 2021

March 2, 2021
Stay up to date with what's happened in Australian and global markets over the past month.   Our…

There’s more than one way to boost retirement income

March 2, 2021
After spending their working life building retirement savings, many retirees are often reluctant to eat into their “nest egg” too quickly. This is understandable, given that we are living longer than previous generations and may need to pay for aged care and health costs later in life. But this cautious approach also means many retirees…
Superannuation Planning

Superannuation Announcement

February 26, 2021
With yesterday’s announcement of the AWOTE (Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings) figure for the December 2020 quarter, the super contributions caps are set to increase from 1 July 2021 as follows: Concessional cap increases from $25,000pa to $27,500pa Standard NCC (non-concessional contribution) cap increases from $100,000pa to $110,000pa Max NCC (non-concessional contribution) cap under bring…
Gold Coast Financial Planners

2021 Morningstar Australia Awards Announcement

February 25, 2021
A little over a week ago, Morningstar, a leading provider of independent investment research,  announced the finalists of the 2021 Morningstar Australia Awards. This annual awards program is designed to recognise and celebrate the best of the Australian fund management profession, and the AAN Investment Committee are pleased to see that several funds in our portfolios have been…
Contractor or employee - Which are you

Contractor or employee: Which are you?

February 4, 2021
With COVID-19 having a significant impact on traditional employment, many people are working as a contractor for the first time either by choice or necessity. It’s not just a lifestyle decision; from the tax and superannuation perspective, there are important differences between being an employee and a contractor. For employers, you also need to recognise…
Turning redundancy into opportunity

Turning redundancy into opportunity

February 4, 2021
As the economy starts to recover from COVID-19 shutdowns, some sectors may take longer than others to return to their normal operating capacity and some companies may never fully recover. That means there is still the chance that some employees could be made redundant. If you are offered redundancy, how can you turn a potentially…

Review of 2020, outlook for 2021 – from Pandemic to Recovery

December 10, 2020
Key points 2020 was dominated by the Coronavirus pandemic but shares saw okay returns on the back of policy stimulus and vaccine optimism, resulting in constrained but positive returns for balanced growth super funds. For 2021, the combination of massive policy stimulus and the prospect of vaccines allowing a return to something more normal by…

JobKeeper – Easing eligibility

August 31, 2020
More businesses and not-for-profits will be eligible for JobKeeper payment extension under a $15.6 billion change to the scheme announced on August 7.  The Government initially outlined the JobKeeper extension guidelines on July 21 but says it needs to extend its criteria after the Victoria Government implemented stricter lockdowns across the state this week. Changes…

Extension of the JobSeeker program

August 5, 2020
The Government is extending the Coronavirus Supplement to eligible recipients to 31 December 2020. The amount of the Supplement will be adjusted to reflect the gradually improved economic conditions and improving labour market. Both existing and new recipients eligible for the Coronavirus supplement will continue to be $550 per fortnight up to and including 24…

JobKeeper changes announced

August 5, 2020
The JobKeeper Payment has been extended by a further six months to March 2021, targeting support to those organisations which continue to be significantly impacted by COVID-19. From 28 September 2020, eligibility for the JobKeeper Payment will be based on actual turnover in the relevant periods. The payment rate will be reduced, and a lower…

JobTrainer skills package

August 5, 2020
The Australian Government will invest $2 billion to provide hundreds of thousands of Australians with access to new skills by retraining and upskilling them into sectors with job opportunities, as the economy recovers from COVID-19.  The JobTrainer package has two aspects to it. The first aspect of the package, which is worth $1.5 billion, is…

Tax Alert June 2020

June 30, 2020
With COVID-19 dominating everyone’s thoughts, employers are being offered a brief window of opportunity to get their tax affairs in order with the new Superannuation Guarantee (SG) amnesty. There is also a range of virus related assistance on offer to help affected business and individual taxpayers.  Here’s a roundup of some of the latest tax…

Instant asset write-off extended

June 23, 2020
To further support Australian businesses through the fallout resulting from COVID-19, the government has extended the $150,000 instant asset write-off for an additional six months to 31 December 2020.  Initially announced on 12 May and intended to last until 30 June, the government’s $17.6bn stimulus package in part temporarily increased the threshold of the instant…

5 Tips to work productively remotely

April 14, 2020
In the current climate, many businesses are needing to make changes to accommodate staff working remotely. If you are able to work from home the ensuing changes to your work habits can be challenging to negotiate, however there are things you can do to ensure that you maintain productivity and motivation while you’re not in…

Commercial tenancies rent relief package

April 20, 2020
On April 7, the Government announced new commercial rental waivers and deferrals for tenants that have been severely impacted by the coronavirus crisis. The draft Code of Conduct is to impose a set of ‘good faith leasing principles’ and intended for landlords and tenants to share a proportionate financial risk and cashflow impact during this…

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