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Loans and encumbrances; a pension minefield

For most people, being debt free in retirement is a priority. Others find the concept of ’good debt’ in retirement less stressful.

From an age/service pension perspective the correct structuring of good debt is important to ensure that any entitlement you may receive is not adversely affected.

When it comes to the Social Security Act – loans and encumbrances can be complicated and, in some cases, a little illogical. It is very important to understand that the taxation rules relating to debt are not necessarily the same as social security rules. For example; real estate investments can be considered.

So – let’s consider this real estate investment scenario:

An offer ‘too good to ignore’ comes your way and you decide to buy an investment unit down the road from where you live and rent it out. You then visit your bank (or your mortgage broker) to enquire about an investment loan.

The broker (or bank) are most impressed with you and decide that they will lend you the money to buy the unit. However; in addition to taking a mortgage out over the investment property they also need to secure the loan against your residential home as well.

From a taxation and a social security income perspective this is not an issue as (in both cases) the interest payable is deductible from the rent for the purposes of your tax and pension assessment.

However; there is one very important issue to consider. A person’s pension entitlement is also based on the value of their assets. The fact that the loan is secured against an exempt asset (family home), and an assessable asset means that the portion of the loan secured against the exempt asset (your home) is not used to reduce the asset value of the investment unit.

Care needs to be exercised here – as net rental income being received may not necessarily cover the reduction in a person’s pension in some circumstances.

When it comes to borrowing money to invest into shares or managed funds, the assessment side of things are slightly different.
The value of the asset shares, in this case, is reduced by the amount borrowed. For example – $50,000 is borrowed to purchase a parcel of shares valued at $100,000. Provided the loan secured against the shares – for the purposes of the assets test – the portfolio has a value of $50,000. The ‘hidden nasty’ here is that for the assessment under the income test, the whole value of the portfolio is viewed as a $100,000 share portfolio.
This is treated as a financial asset and it is this value that is subject to the relevant interest rates.

Unlike tax – the interest expense is not deducted from the income being deemed against the $100,000 portfolio.

“Oh…” I hear you say! And that is without even discussing the issues associated with loans to family trusts and companies, going guarantor, and associated loans.

When you are retired and receiving the Age Pension – borrowing and lending money (as well as going guarantor for loans taken out by your kids) can be a minefield with unwanted consequences.
So before you dive into the world of borrowing to invest – seek out the appropriate advice from an expert in the area.

 

Source: Mark Teale, Centrepoint Alliance

Keeping up with Ageing

Thanks in part to the Baby Boomer generation and their fixation on living longer and maintaining their health, we can all anticipate longer lifespans.

The German demographer James Vaupel estimates that the average girl born now in Western societies will live to 100. Many of today’s boys, he says, will also make it to a century.

Our lives have been improved by technology, advances in health and the many measures at our disposal to prolong our productive years.

But quality of life is the real issue and the pressures of providing for everyone, with the cost of healthcare, aged care and nursing homes, senility and other diseases and their impact on families – have made ageing a key social issue.

100 years ago, men could expect to live to about 55, and women 58. Today, the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates, men can hope to hit 79 and women, about 83. The ABS estimates that there are currently almost three million Australians aged 65 and over, and close to 4 million baby boomers will join them in the next 15 years.

This is all great news for our nearest and dearest, but who will fund the retirement, healthcare, facilities and infrastructure required for this new era of the aged?

In 2006, there were 14 million Australians aged 15 to 64, typically referred to as ‘of working age’, and 2.7 million over 65. The ratio of workers to retirees was roughly five to one. By 2056, on conservative assumptions, the bureau projects that those of working age will grow by half, to 21.5 million, but the number of us 65 and over will treble to 8.1 million. The ratio of workers to retirees would then be about three to one.

How can the kids and teens of today be expected to finance so many retirees? Especially when those aged 85 and over, with the most chronic needs for care, are projected to increase from 322,000 to 1.72 million?

Treasury and the Reserve Bank warn we are facing a shortage of workers. Yet as the first baby boomers turn 65, that is still our pension age for men, the same as 100 years ago. Women can take the pension at 64. We can take our super payouts tax-free at 60, or with low taxes at 55.

Confronting ageism in the workplace, encouraging seniors to contribute later in life, rolling back the age at which people can take their super, and investing in aged care as well as in research into the causes of disease and disability in older age are some measure we can take to tackle the challenges ahead.

But of paramount importance is preparation. Each and every one of us should be mindful that we stand a chance of living much longer lives than our parents, and we need to ensure our lifestyles, ambitions, plans and dreams correspond with our financial means.

It’s never too early, or too late, to put the structures in place that will enable you and your family to enjoy the benefits of long, happy, healthy lives.

 

Source: Australian Bureau Statistics

What will the 2016 budget hold for pre-retirees?

In recent weeks, the media has been overrun with commentary about what the 2016 federal budget may contain in relation to superannuation.

But this year – things are a little different.

The Australian Federal Government has already departed from convention by bringing the budget forward by one week. The budget is usually brought down annually on the second Tuesday of May. But this year it has changed, and will be delivered on 3 May 2016.

To add an additional layer of complexity to these proceedings – 2016 is an election year. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was quoted in question time today (and at the time of writing this article) that 2 July 2016 is the most likely date for the election.

Over the past ten years a popular strategy employed by many Australians has been affectionately referred to as ‘Transition to Retirement’ (TTR).

Recent media commentary suggests that this strategy may be in the firing line for change, or even abolition, in the budget.

So – let us unpack TTR and see what all the fuss is about.

Back in 2005 Australia was suffering from a skills shortage. As a way to slow down the departure of skilled Australians from the workforce the government introduced legislative reforms that enabled people to progressively transition in to retirement, and allowed them to access superannuation so they could supplement their income.

TTR is simply an opportunity that allows a person to access their superannuation benefits in the form of a pension, rather than a lump sum, once they reach their preservation age. You don’t have to have retired, or even to have reduced your working hours, in order to commence a TTR pension.

As a result of the TTR opportunity being introduced – many people continuing to work full-time took advantage of the opportunity to start drawing upon their super, and consequently used the extra income for other purposes.

If the current rumours suggesting that the government may abolish TTR prove to have substance – I believe it would be regrettable. A far more palatable response would be to limit the access to TTR to those who are genuinely transitioning into retirement.

That is – I would recommend restricted access to TTR to only those who are working less than approximately 30 hours per week.

 The reason why the government may be looking to amend the TTR pension is not due to its original premise – but rather – it is likely to be because of a strategy that is run in conjunction with TTR.

For many financial advisers and their clients, TTR is the marriage between TTR (accessing super from preservation age) and a second stand-alone strategy; making additional contributions to superannuation under a salary sacrifice arrangement.

This results in nice little piece of tax arbitrage – particularly for people aged 60 and older.

And therein lies the problem!

I don’t believe the government is concerned about TTR per se, but my guess is that they are alarmed about the ability of individuals to make significant contributions to superannuation (up to $35,000 this year).

Both sides of politics are concerned that the current, concessionally taxed, superannuation environment favours the wealthier members of our community, and that tax concessions would be better directed towards those in greater need.

To put this in perspective – when a person sacrifices part of their wage to superannuation, the contributions are taxed at a rate of 15 per cent. If that money was paid as a salary it would be taxed at the person’s marginal tax rate which may be as high as 49 per cent.

From a government’s perspective the simplest way to manage the perceived tax advantages that arise from a TTR/salary sacrifice strategy would be to reduce the amount that may be contributed to superannuation under a salary sacrifice arrangement.

This could be achieved by simply reducing the cap on concessionally taxed superannuation contributions.

But who knows what a government might do? The answer will no doubt be revealed over the course of the coming weeks in Australian politics.

Please note: Readers who have reached their preservation age should speak with their financial planner as a matter of urgency. If a TTR strategy is appropriate it might be advisable to have it in place before 3 May 2016.

 

 

Source | Peter Kelly – Technical Advice

Centrepoint Alliance

How much is enough?

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One of the age-old questions asked by those facing retirement is “how much money do I need to ensure that I can live the retirement I have always dreamed of”?

 

 

Unfortunately, the answer is not so clear-cut and will depend on a number of factors, including:

  1. What sort of lifestyle would you like to have?
  2. Will you be eligible to receive an age pension from the government?
  3. How long does the money need to last?
  4. What is your appetite for risk when it comes to investing?
  5. Do you wish to leave money for the next generation?

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) conducts regular research into the costs of living in retirement. They publish budgets for a “comfortable” and a “modest” retirement lifestyle each quarter.

For the June 2014 quarter, the annual costs of living are:

  Modest lifestyle Comfortable lifestyle
Single $23,363 $42,433
Couple $33,664 $58,128

A modest lifestyle does not require a significant level of additional savings, as the full rate of age pension will almost cover the costs of living. In fact, the ASFA suggests that to fund a modest lifestyle in retirement, assuming all debts have been eliminated, a single person will require savings of around $50,000 while a couple will need to have a lump sum available of around $35,000.

However, if you are more attracted to a comfortable lifestyle in retirement, you will need a lump sum of approximately $430,000 if you are a single person, and $510,000 if you are a couple. Retirees with lump sums approaching these amounts will not be eligible for the full age pension but the estimated lump sums assume access to at least a part age pension.

For those with a more ambitious retirement lifestyle in mind, the budget increases. And as savings increase to fund the desired lifestyle, access to the age pension reduces to a point where the amount of capital required will disqualify you from receiving any age pension.

If your retirement lifestyle budget is such that the age pension is out of reach, you are part of an exclusive group. You are a “self-funded” retiree.

If you are in your early to mid-60s and aspire to being a self-funded retiree, you will need savings of around 15 to 17 times your first year’s retirement income, in order to generate an indexed income stream for life. Putting this in perspective, if you would like an income of $100,000 in your first year of retirement and would like to maintain this on an indexed basis to keep pace with inflation, you will need a lump sum of between $1,500,000 and $1,700,000.

Managing income in retirement is a challenge for many people. Getting the right advice, early enough, is one of the keys to ensuring that you are best placed to realise your retirement dream.

 

 

Source | Peter Kelly, Manager – Technical Advice
Centrepoint Alliance

What is Retirement?

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All the definitions of “retirement” would indicate that it is a time in life when you have grown too old to continue to work.  In other words, as the farmer would often say, “you are put out to pasture” because you may have outlived your usefulness.

 

We definitely do not want to think of ourselves as outgrowing our usefulness or growing too old to work. We still want to make a difference and enjoy ourselves during this time.

The meaning of retirement needs to change. In fact, we need to look for a new word which best describe that time in our life where we decide how much and what work we do want to do and how much play we want to indulge in.

Retirement should not been seen as a time when you pack up your old working life and “withdraw from life into seclusion” (which is exactly what retirement meant originally to the French in the 1500s). Now is the time to become active in your life and be in control of the choices about how you wish to live throughout your retirement phase.

Let’s call it “Renaissance”, no not the beginning of a great 14th century revival of art and literature, but a renewal of life, vigor and interest – a new beginning. Yes, it may sound a little “over the top”, but for most people who have worked in excess of 40 years it should be viewed as an opportunity to refresh your life and begin a new and exciting stage.

But to ensure you take full advantage of your “Renaissance”, you have to take control early to ensure that you are ready not only financially, but also physically and mentally.  Don’t leave it to late take stock of your finances, consider your lifestyle and get a health checkup with us or the opportunity for your “Renaissance” might just pass you by.

Source | Mark Teale, Manager – Technical Advice
Centrepoint Alliance