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
Q: I am a dual-national Australian citizen living and working in the UK. I was born in the UK, am Australian by descent and recently returned to the UK after nine years and nine months living in Sydney. I sold my principal place of residence in Sydney to purchase a new principal place of residence in…
It’s a sad reality that our society seems to be more litigious than in years gone by. Thankfully, we’re not in the same parlous state as America, but there is a greater chance than before that you could become involved in legal proceedings that threaten your wealth creation efforts. While that might seem like a…
Who doesn’t love their children? We often quickly think of passing our assets to our kids on death. But do we really know who will actually receive them? This is a modern-day conundrum. We don’t know when we are going to die, and as such, do not know our children’s circumstances at that time. They…
Property investment is one of the 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…
Australian Tax Office (ATO) data shows that only 9% per cent of investors own three or more properties. So, if property was such a good investment, why do many stop at one? Unfortunately, most people simply buy the wrong property, buy emotively, sell quickly and never buy again, or stubbornly hold onto it hoping things…
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…
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…
Have you considered investing with family members? As they say… Blood is thicker than water, but sadly, bad business can break families apart overnight. Co-investing with family is no exception. It has the power to thrive or the power to destroy – and the key is all in the foundation you start from. Common family…
Is successful property investing an art or a science? Albert Einstein once said, “COMPOUND INTEREST IS THE EIGHTH wonder of the world. He who understands it earns it… he who doesn’t… pays it.” If we accept the above, then the longer we hold a property investment the more likely we are to make a gain….
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…
