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
You’ve probably heard that most wealthy people own nothing in their own names, but control everything through structures such as a trust. If Australia’s richest people use trusts, maybe it’s something you should consider also. Did you know that trusts have been around since the 12th Century? The Lord Chancellor at that time could decide…
Over the past decade, many Australians have invested in property via their superannuation funds. One of the reasons they do this is because they want to have control over the performance of the funds in their super. Another is it allows them to buy an investment property when perhaps they could not have otherwise. However,…
Did you know that you have many options when it comes to deciding the entity that should own your new property? Most property buyers, even seasoned investors, default to simply buying the property in their own name, but this is not always the best and most financially savvy choice. The legally recognised owner of a…
Australia is becoming a more litigious society with more people considering suing and more lawyers opting to take on their cases for no upfront fee. While the number of lawsuits in Australia is growing, we’re still a fair way from the situation in the USA, where people have a 33 per cent chance of being…
Capital Gains Tax or CGT is one of those taxes no one really wants to pay. In fact, questions around Capital Gains Tax are very common here on Property Update. So, let’s dive deeper into CGT so everyone has a better understanding of what it is and how you can minimise its impact on your…
Capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax you pay on profits from selling assets, such as property. You essentially make a capital gain when the difference between the cost of purchasing your property (or another asset) and what you gained from selling it is greater than zero – in other words, you made a profit….
The interest rate hiking cycle might have peaked, but it’ll be some time until rates drop, borrowing capacity increases and Australia’s property market reopens to more first-home buyers. So it’s no wonder that housing affordability (or unaffordability) is such a popular topic at the moment. There’s no denying it has become a lot harder to…
Today I’d like to offer a list of simple strategies that can help Australians improve their financial fitness. If done properly, this includes assessing all aspects of personal finances, including strategies to boost retirement investments, such as including property and super, savings, a review of insurance policies, staying ahead of tax obligations and making an…
No one ever sets up a business with the intention to fail. Rather, entrepreneurial types are motivated by a multitude of factors such as personal drive and ambition or a desire to work for themselves or to create a particular product or service. Sometimes it’s as simple as wanting to be in charge of our…
As tax time is approaching it’s time to get all your financial ducks in a row. And this year, it’s more important than ever for property investors to get it right. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has announced it will focus on three areas where people make the most mistakes on their tax return, and…
