Super reforms diverting attention from investments
SMSF practitioners have been cautioned not to lose sight of their client’s investment strategy, with many practitioners preoccupied with the implementation of the super reforms in the past few months.
Thomson Reuters senior tax writer Stuart Jones said with SMSF practitioners and trustees so heavily focused on compliance with the new super changes, it’s important they’re still devoting attention to ensuring the fund’s strategy is still fit for purpose in terms of the members’ individual circumstances and needs.
“In the background we’ve still got all the vagaries of financial markets. We saw the kind of pressure people and the system came under when we were suddenly hit with the credit crisis. It froze certain types of investments and now we’re faced with low global interest rates,” he said.
“If those sorts of pressures come along then the tax matters won’t seem to matter as much.”
Mr Jones said ultimately the SMSF industry will be judged on the retirement outcomes it achieves for its members and that “simply complying with the latest reforms will not, of itself, protect a fund from poorly performing investments”.
“Rather, SMSF trustees need to remain focused on ensuring that their portfolios are suitably equipped to withstand any market volatility,” he said.
“To this end, the long-term strategy should remain on gaining exposure to multi-asset portfolios that are built and managed to meet specific retirement objectives.”
Miranda Brownlee
Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector.
Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest superannuation stories in Australia, and has reported extensively on technical strategy and legislative updates.
Miranda also has broad business and financial services reporting experience, having written for titles including Investor Daily, ifa and Accountants Daily.
