Duncan Hughes

Melbourne

Reporter at Australian Financial Review

Senior Journalist at Australian Financial Review

Finance Journalist at The Golden Times

Articles

Five ways to maximise new tax break to boost retirement income

1 week ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes

Retirees and those nearing retirement with $1.9 million in super can boost their pension account by an extra $100,000 to $2 million when the limit is lifted from July 1, providing an opportunity to increase income and improve financial security. Those with $1.76 million in their income account can increase contributions by an additional $360,000 by maximising the bring-forward rules under the new caps, according to financial advisers.
Australian mining, energy stocks hearing the siren call of Canada

2 weeks ago | ioandc.com | Duncan Hughes

Increased demand for key commodities from gold to critical minerals is set to maintain record numbers of Australian mining and energy companies listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) – Canada’s largest stock exchange – this year, according to exchange officials.
Grey divorces hit record high as wives decide it's time to split

2 weeks ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes

Record numbers of older Australians are seeking advice about divorce, with women leading men in the number of inquiries about living alone, particularly over their concerns about superannuation, according to research.
Proposed tax changes to 'hit' the well-heeled and the low paid

3 weeks ago | ioandc.com | Duncan Hughes

The nation’s wealthiest and lowest-paid employees are being warned to brace for a superannuation shake-up affecting how much they can save for their retirement. The changes could affect millions of super savers, increase the system’s complexity, lead to lower savings and, in some cases, increase reliance on the age pension, critics warn.
Owners fear retirement means loss of family business: NAB report

3 weeks ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes

About half of all small and medium-sized business owners fear retirement will mean the closure or sale of their business rather than its transfer to a family member, according to analysis by NAB, the nation’s largest business bank. But only one-third have devised a retirement strategy, or considered the complex tax, legal and family issues involved in finding a successor or selling the business to someone outside the family, the analysis shows.
Looming super tax change prompting high-net-worth rethink

1 month ago | insideadviser.com.au | Duncan Hughes

Investment strategists are reviewing high-net-worth client portfolios and readying for major changes to the treatment of superannuation following the Albanese government’s landslide election victory. Strategies being considered for dealing with an expected increased tax on the earnings of superannuation accounts with more than $3 million range from asset-splitting between spouses to increased use of discretionary trusts and investment companies.
Looming super tax change prompting high-net-worth rethink

1 month ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes

Investment strategists are reviewing high-net-worth client portfolios and readying for major changes to the treatment of superannuation following the Albanese Government’s landslide election victory. Strategies being considered for dealing with an expected increased tax on the earnings of superannuation accounts with more than $3 million range from asset splitting between spouses to increased use of discretionary trusts and investment companies.
Ageing seniors with SMSFs are ‘at risk’ from family, advisers

1 month ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes

Self-managed super fund (SMSF) members with declining mental capacity, typically because of ageing, are creating a “honey pot” for unscrupulous family members or advisers, according to investment specialists and lawyers. Anna Hacker, client director for Pitcher Partners in Melbourne, warns that failure to protect the fund assets of affected members is often the “big missing piece” from estate advice intended to protect members at risk of making the wrong decision.
Private credit funds experiencing explosive growth: Zenith

1 month ago | ioandc.com | Duncan Hughes

Australia’s private credit funds are more than 30 times larger than regulatory estimates, triggering concerns about the experience and expertise of some providers cashing in on booming private and institutional demand, according to analysis by Zenith Investment Partners. The research found about $60 billion in private credit broadly split between retail and wholesale investors compared with a recent estimate of about $2.8 billion by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
How to avoid late-life financial threats to your wealth, welfare

1 month ago | thegoldentimes.com.au | Duncan Hughes

A Sydney widow facing legal fees of more than $400,000 over a fight with her de facto children about whether she could remain in the family’s Sydney apartment highlights the growing late-life financial risks to many retirees.