From July 1 Earnings on Your Pension Assets Will No Longer be Tax Free

by Dominique Schuh

The Australian share market swung in and out of the red before closing firmer as iron ore prices fell and geopolitical tensions drove buying of safe-haven government bonds. The S&P/ASX remained in outperformance mode as it opened 0.3 per cent up on insatiable demand for the major banks, but it dropped to a 0.2 per cent loss and bounced again to close up 4.7 points, or 0.08 per cent, at 5934. Weaker Chinese inflation data signalled the reflation narrative was rapidly losing steam. The Australian dollar has fallen as global concern rises over the conflict in Syria and tensions on the Korean peninsula. At 6.30am AEST, the Australian dollar was at 74.96 US cents, down from 75.03 cents on Thursday.

What this means for you:
We've got some superannuation changes that are fast approaching as we get closer to 1 July. One of these changes is the tax effectiveness of the Transition to Retirement Pension, with the earnings on your pension assets no longer being tax free. Our suggestion would be to cease taking a transition to retirement pension if you don't need the income to support your lifestyle.

With the current international events around Syria and North Korea, a lot of people are asking what our opinion is on the future. The only certainty is uncertainty, when it comes to future events. However, if you have a well-structured and diversified investment portfolio, you'll be able to ride out all the ups and downs that may or may not happen.