The 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.
Read MoreOn 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran. Within hours, the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed. What followed was not a geopolitical surprise — it was a portfolio test.
Read MoreInflation erodes purchasing power quietly and consistently. Understanding how it moves through a household budget — and where the practical adjustments lie — is the first step toward managing it deliberately rather than absorbing it passively.
Read MoreMost people have a reasonable sense of their financial position. Fewer have examined it with the kind of structured attention that reveals where the gaps are and what to do about them. A systematic review of your financial affairs — done properly, once a year — is one of the most useful things you can do.
Read MoreContactless payments — Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay — are now the default for many Australians. The question worth asking is whether they are more secure than tapping a physical card, and where the actual risks lie.
Read MoreThe decision to help a child buy their first home is not a simple one. It is an act of generosity that can, if structured poorly, compromise the very financial security that makes such generosity possible. The question worth asking before any commitment is made is not whether to help — but how to do so without diminishing what has been built.
Read MoreFor many Australians, superannuation is their largest asset. The rules governing early access are narrow, the compliance risks are real, and the penalties for getting it wrong are significant.
Read MoreThe Federal Government's review of supermarket unit pricing is not a consumer protection exercise in isolation. For businesses supplying into the grocery sector, the proposals on the table carry real compliance and commercial implications.
Read MoreThe ATO's general interest charge is running at 11.17% per annum and is no longer deductible. For many taxpayers, that makes an ATO payment plan one of the most expensive financing arrangements on their balance sheet.
Read MoreTrust distribution resolutions prepared after year-end — even where the underlying decision was sound — can be declared invalid by the ATO. The Goldenville case illustrates what that costs.
Read MoreDebt is neither inherently useful nor inherently destructive. Its effect on a financial position depends on what it is used for, at what cost, and whether the borrower has thought clearly about the conditions under which the strategy fails.
Read MoreMost retirement planning conversations focus on the balance required to stop working. Few address the structure, identity, and social connection that work provides — and what replaces them.
Read MoreThe downsizer contribution to superannuation is one of the most generous provisions available to Australians over 55. Whether it is the right decision depends on questions that go well beyond the contribution mechanics.
Read MoreThe RBA held the cash rate at 3.85% in July. For clients carrying variable debt or managing a portfolio through this rate cycle, the implications are specific and worth working through carefully.
Read MoreThe superannuation guarantee rate is now 12%, and the contribution thresholds for 2025–26 have been updated. The consequences of getting either wrong are specific — and avoidable.
Read MoreBuyers of luxury vehicles for business use frequently overestimate the tax deductions available to them. The rules that apply are specific, the thresholds are updated annually, and the cost of misunderstanding them is quantifiable.
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