More and more investors, and particularly Baby Boomers, are using their Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) as a vehicle to buy an investment property. So I’d like to share some of the most common mistakes I see people making so you can avoid them. 1. Debt Your Self-Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF) can borrow money to: a) Purchase…
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
When you set up a self-managed super fund (SMSF) you need to understand what it is, and also what it isn’t. Firstly, an SMSF is a trust and, like all trusts, it’s not a legal entity. Therefore the fund needs a trustee who makes decisions, opens up bank accounts, completes the tax return and so…
While many Australians get into real estate investment to gain cash flow, in reality that’s not how property works. You see…residential real estate is a high growth, but relatively low yield investment, so if you’re hoping to pay your child’s school fees or your vacation airfares from your rental returns, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Of…
Today it’s common for couples to purchase a property before they’ve walked down the aisle or even lived together. Naturally they assume they’ll be together forever, and don’t put a lot of research into the long term consequences of how their ownership should be structured. So to help better understand this, let’s take a look…
Trying to get your head around Capital Gains Tax (CGT) can sometimes be like attempting to learn a new language. You think you’re doing alright with it and then someone from that country starts talking to you thinking you’re a local and you end up quite confused and no doubt a little embarrassed. Of course,…
No one likes to talk about death but it is a fact of life. The problem is that by not talking about it, many people never get around to preparing for it either. A common saying is that there are only two certainties in life – death and taxes – yet we generally prepare for…
Why is it important to understand the difference between a repair or an improvement to your investment property? The property investor is often grappling with whether an expense is a repair or an improvement. This is critical because a repair can be written off immediately whereas an improvement must be written off over a longer…
Property investment is one of best wealth creation strategies out there. In part because it has a long history of solid performance, so is therefore relatively low risk. It’s important to understand, however, that it is not completely without risk. That’s because every investment opportunity has an element of risk. The trick is to manage…
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is one of those things that most investors know they will probably have to pay one day – and then promptly forget about it! The reality is that CGT can be difficult and confusing to understand, let alone calculate, so it’s important to have specialists on your side – and especially…
What is land tax? Who should pay it? And can I reduce this major property cost which seems to eat into my rental income disproportionally? These questions are often asked by serious property investors who already have or are in the process of building a significant property portfolio. As is the case for most taxes,…
