Insurance is one of those things that some people mistakenly think isn’t worth the cost. Unfortunately that’s why too many people choose not to take out appropriate insurance cover to insure their assets as well as their incomes. Thankfully, when it comes to insuring their homes, most Australians wisely choose to do so. And…
Articles by Ken Raiss
Ken is director of Metropole Wealth Advisory and gives strategic expert advice to property investors, professionals and business owners. He is in a unique position to blend his skills of accounting, wealth advisory, property investing, financial planning and small business. View his articles
Debt sounds like such a bad word, doesn’t it? The thing is there is good debt and bad debt. Good debt makes you money – such as a mortgage on an investment property. You’re technically using other people’s money to create wealth through capital growth. On the other hand, bad debt costs you money –…
Testamentary discretionary trusts are great estate planning tools because they can offer tax minimisation, asset protection and flexibility. Watch this video as Ken Raiss, Australia’s leading tax strategist, and Michael Yardney explain the benefits of setting up a Testamentary Discretionary Trust which is a type of trust created under a will and comes into existence…
Thinking of converting your home to an investment property one day? You’re not alone… In my many decades as a tax specialist, I’ve been asked almost every question but some are more common than others. And one of these is: “My spouse and I are thinking of upgrading our home but want to keep our…
Superannuation is one of the most effective wealth creation tools in Australia today. The taxation benefits of voluntary contributions into your superannuation are well-known, as is the ability to access your super funds (via a self-managed super fund) to invest in property. Unfortunately, however, there are simple mistakes that people regularly make which means their…
The use of Self-Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSF) has skyrocketed over the past decade in particular. Among the many reasons for this increase is the ability to purchase residential property in your SMSF with borrowings – debt via what’s called a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement, or LRBA. In essence, the LRBA structure allows an SMSF to…
Wealth creation has become a primary target for most people and many are finding property investment as an effective way to hit this target. While there are just over 2 million property investors in Australia, less than a quarter of these have more than one property investment – in other words they will never develop…
Heard about compound interest? It can be a friend or a foe, and if you have a savings account and a mortgage like most Australians, then compound interest has already had an impact on your finances – for better or worse. Compound interest is a powerful tool that can work for you, or against you…
When is the most tax effective time to undertake a renovation? You’ll find out as you watch this week’s Ask the Tax Expert video as Ken Raiss answers Lynda’s question about when is the best time to renovate her new home that she’s buying using a First Home Owner’s Grant. You see…she plans to make…
Did you know that only 300,000 or so people own two investment properties in Australia? The number who owns three or more falls dramatically from the figure. However, more and more people are taking charge of their financial futures by buying investment-grade real estate assets. Like so many things with wealth creation, though, there are…
