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Home News

SMSF insurance failures a litigation risk, advisers warned

A lack of consideration given by SMSF practitioners in regards to their client’s insurance arrangements could result in legal action in future years, an industry consultant has cautioned.

by Miranda Brownlee
January 7, 2016
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
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Speaking to SMSF Adviser, Mayflower Consulting director Sarah Penn said one of her major concerns within the SMSF industry is practitioners advising their clients to pull their money out of their existing super fund product when they establish their SMSF without considering insurance first.

“I’ve heard of numerous instances where the retail super fund has been closed and all the money has been put into self-managed super, and the person has been left with either no insurance or they’re absolutely paying through the nose for the insurance they can get,” said Ms Penn.

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“It makes me very concerned and I think it’s the sort of area where potential litigation issues are going to come, further down the track, for accountants.”

Ms Penn said that once clients reach the age of 50, the chance of them or someone very close to them having a major health incident is very high.

“And that’s right when people get into SMSFs and drop their insurance,” she said.

“Self-managed super for any one individual is only part of the picture and it’s so important that whoever is giving them advice, whether they’re an accountant or an adviser, is making sure they’re covered if something happens.”

Read more: 

Gadens warns on lasting impact of disqualification

FOS highlights common SMSF dispute areas

LRBA legislation ‘lacking guidance’, says consultant

Tags: News

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Comments 4

  1. Naren Jain says:
    10 years ago

    [quote name=”Michael)Exactly the reason why the article is suggesting more attention is paid to insurance. It may already exist in the fund they have and often group schemes allow clients to take up cover without underwriting.[/quote]

    “May” does not override what is demanded and why would any insurer allow sick people to join without full disclosure of medical condition of all intended persons to be covered.

    Reply
  2. Michael says:
    10 years ago

    [quote name=”Naren Jain”]What if due to pre-existing medical conditions and age no insurance company is ready to provide insurance?[/quote]
    Exactly the reason why the article is suggesting more attention is paid to insurance. It may already exist in the fund they have and often group schemes allow clients to take up cover without underwriting.

    Reply
  3. Stuart says:
    10 years ago

    More in the “scare campaign”.

    Reply
  4. Naren Jain says:
    10 years ago

    What if due to pre-existing medical conditions and age no insurance company is ready to provide insurance?

    Reply

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SMSF Adviser is the authoritative source of news, opinions and market intelligence for Australia’s SMSF sector. The SMSF sector now represents more than one million members and approximately one third of Australia's superannuation savings. Over the past five years the number of SMSF members has increased by close to 30 per cent, highlighting the opportunity for engaged, informed and driven professionals to build successful SMSF advice business.

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