PAYG Instalments is the system through which people who earn business or investment income pre-pay their tax quarterly to the ATO. It is not an additional tax; it is the same tax, collected earlier. Understanding how the amount is calculated — and when to vary it — is the difference between managed cash flow and a year-end surprise.
Read MoreA common misconception among PAYG earners is that a $100 tax-deductible expense "gets you $100 back." A deduction reduces taxable income, not tax payable. The dollar-for-dollar assumption inflates the perceived benefit and can lead to material errors in personal financial decisions.
Read MoreOver the decade to 31 December 2024, the average dollar invested in US mutual funds and exchange-traded funds earned 1.2% per year less than the funds themselves returned. The investments performed; the investors, on average, did not. The gap is the returns that behaviour destroys.
Read MoreThe Reserve Bank meets on 11 August. Three of the four major domestic banks expect a hold at 4.35%; Westpac forecasts a further hike. The data that has arrived since the June meeting is genuinely mixed — enough to sustain a case for either action or restraint.
Read MoreSix months ago, the developed world's central banks were expected to spend 2026 cutting rates. Today, they are contemplating whether to raise them further. The shift in institutional thinking has been quiet, yet unmistakable — and it matters more than the marginal moves themselves.
Read MoreThe 2026 crisis produced one of the widest divergences in global market returns in recent memory. The lesson is not that an investor should have picked the winning market. It is that no investor can — which is precisely why genuine diversification matters.
Read MoreThe Medicare Levy Surcharge thresholds rose on 1 July 2025 — the single threshold lifting to $101,000. Yet for many taxpayers, the surcharge is more likely to apply now, not less. The interaction with rising incomes is the reason.
Read MoreA personal contribution to superannuation can be claimed as a tax deduction — converting income taxed at your marginal rate into income taxed at 15% inside the fund. The benefit is significant, yet the conditions are specific and the deadline is 30 June.
Read MoreLong-horizon wealth is built by owning productive assets. Equities are volatile, unpredictable, and at times uncomfortable to hold — yet they remain the only mechanism through which an investor participates directly in productive enterprise at scale.
Read MoreWith its May increase, the RBA has now delivered three consecutive hikes in 2026 — lifting the cash rate to 4.35% and erasing every cut it made in 2025. The rate cycle has come full circle. The implications for portfolios and borrowers are worth working through carefully.
Read MoreThe 50% CGT discount ends 1 July 2027. Negative gearing narrows. Trusts face a 30% floor. EGU's complete guide to what the Budget means for your planning.
Read MoreThe most valuable tax planning for individuals happens before 30 June — not at lodgement time. These are the five actions that consistently produce the most material outcomes for individual taxpayers in the 2025–26 financial year.
Read MoreWith less than two months until 30 June, the window for meaningful tax planning for small businesses is narrowing. These are the five areas that consistently deliver the most material outcomes for businesses with turnover under $10 million.
Read MoreLife, TPD, Trauma, and Income Protection insurance are four distinct products that address four distinct risks. Most Australians hold at least one in default form without knowing what it covers. The differences matter.
Read MoreThe RBA raised the cash rate to 4.10% in March — a split decision, in a cycle that was supposed to be easing. With Australian inflation back at 4.6% and the May meeting underway, the implications for portfolios and debt are worth working through carefully.
Read MoreThe US-Iran ceasefire on 7 April sent equity markets sharply higher. Within days, the Strait of Hormuz closed again and those gains reversed. The pattern is instructive — and not for the first time.
Read MoreThe instant asset write-off threshold drops from $20,000 to $1,000 on 1 July 2026. For business owners weighing a purchase before 30 June, the arithmetic of the write-off changes significantly after that date.
Read MoreFrom 1 July 2026, employers must pay superannuation at the same time as wages. For most businesses, the operational consequence is straightforward: super must now be funded from operating cash flow on every payday, not quarterly. The preparation required is real.
Read MoreSaving and investing are used interchangeably. They mean different things — and the distinction shapes every decision about time horizon, risk, and the role of compounding in building a financial future.
Read MoreThe Treasury Laws Amendment (Building a Stronger and Fairer Super System) Act 2026 passed both houses of Parliament in early March 2026. Division 296 — the new tax on superannuation balances above $3 million — takes effect on 1 July 2026.
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