Things you need to know about running your own Self Managed Super Fund

By Burton Marcs


The Global Financial Crisis has brought on a shocking data along with the fall of superannuation funds.

From a period of just about 1 year (March 2008 - March 2009), superannuation research revealed a staggering drop of 15% in the funds owned by industry, corporate, and retail sectors.

However the worth of Self Managed Superannuation Funds fell by just 4% within the same period.

The actual cause of the lower fall is assumed to be that operators of a self managed super tend to put a larger portion of their money into property while managed funds tend to operate far more intensively in the share market.

Since there are now around 400,000 super funds in Australia could it be worth asking if it would be suitable for you?

Learning more about an SMSF

An SMSF is a specialized superannuation trust that can be started for as many as four individuals for the sole purpose of providing retirement gains to its members. To put it differently it's your own super fund.

Different prerequisites has to be present, including:

* A trust deed that sets what the fund can or can't do * A trustee. This consists of all of the company members * All the important particulars concerning the investment plan of the fund (e.g. risk, diversification, cash flow, and so on) should be established via an investment strategy.

A lot of folks have the belief that a self managed fund is just for business owners. Not true, since under the superannuation 'choice of fund' legislation individuals can request their employer to pay contributions into their very own fund.

The setup process

You could allow an advisor conduct the set up, or have it completed all by yourself.

If you're to have a corporation as the trustee, you should establish the company and purchase an SMSF trust deed.

This is followed by submitting an application for a Tax File Number and an Australian Business Number, and creating a bank account with the fund's name as the holder.

Following the process, what comes next is combining your super accounts with your new fund as well as updating your payroll details.

You will have to hire an accountant and an auditor to prepare your fund accounts, tax return and audit.

Control

When your super fund is in operation you have control subject to the technical rules regarding fund investments.

If you wish to take hold of your superannuation funds, you can opt to keep it in check your self, or have somebody else get it done for you.




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