Statement Of Superannuation And Retirement Advice

Summary of my advice

Describe about the Statement of Superannuation and Retirement Advice.

Graham and Anna, you did ask for my advice concerning your retirement targets, how achievable they are, and implementable strategies to ensure that the target is achieved. You also seek to know the working of your superannuation funds which offers retirement incomes in the form of account-based pensions and their viability among other important financial aspects. Throughout the document, I am going to provide the financial planning you should take to ensure that by the time you are retiring, you will need enough funds to cater for your personal welfare. The statement discussed below known as the Statement of Advice (SOA) has a full explanation of my advice.

Summary of my advice

Why my advice is appropriate

In the world of investment, the investors are faced with a major challenge of future uncertainty (Agnew at el, 2005, p. 66). Similarly, the business field is a major victim of the unpredictable predicaments. To overcome both predictable and unpredictable risks, businesses settle for the insurance cover (Agnew, 2002, p. 22). Likewise, having an appropriate insurance in place ensures that you and your family are fully covered in serious situations like either of you falling sick or dying of getting fatal injuries (Aguiar and Erik, 2003, p. 39). The above-recommended investments suitably fit your retirement plans as you are also investors ready to make risks to given amounts. You also still have the option to withdraw your money from the investments whenever the need arises.

Risks in my advice

All the managed funds which include the ones I have recommended to you come along with risks. These are investments which are far much different from having money in the bank (Brown, at el. 2007, p. 45). They have associated fluctuating risks by which their values might rise or fall uncontrollably depending on the market forces. Alternatively, investment risk may be a major concern for your investment (Brigitte at el., 2007, p. 250). Money markets operate in the ever-changing environment and hence and hazardous impact on the nation economic and growth, and development of the nation may have a critical effect on the fluctuating interest rates (Choi at el., 2001, p. 23)

What my advice doesn’t cover?

Trauma insurance where there are lump sum payments on the diagnosis of certain defined illnesses or injuries, the general needs of your insurance requirements (Cogan, 2003, p. 155).  For example, insurance covering the car or house, the adequacy of your retirements, all the general issues related to taxation and all the extra money you will have readily at hand. Furthermore, it is also important to introduce the risk of death at this point (Bodie at el. 2007, p. 46). As human beings we are mortal, and thus we can't predict our personal life span. Therefore, engaging in the retirement investment plan may be risky as we may benefit our next of kin instead of benefiting ourselves. 

Why my advice is appropriate

Next and Final Steps

Before you decide on whether to follow my advice, you need to consider the following issues. Make sure that you fully understand my advice and ask all the necessary questions. You should also complete the procedural authority found at the end of the document before returning it to me. Again, you should ascertain whether my advice is in line with your retirement investment plan (Ferruz at el. 2009, p. 13). In the case of any deviation from your plans, it will be wise and appropriate to seek for clarification without any further go ahead (Huberman and Paul, 2004, p.420). Note we first met two months ago after a referral by one of my clients. At the meeting we had, you made a request that I prepare for you a statement of advice which specifically addresses your goals and objectives. In addition, you also informed me that I address issues like;

If you should establish an SMSF and the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. If it also would assist in accumulating wealth meant for your retirement plan and the benefits that the SMSF posses over your funds.

My view concerning your continued investment in residential property, coupled up with the negative gearing to build retirement wealth. Further insight, you wanted to know the viable options which you can consider with your residential property given their current poor performance.

Graham also wanted to know about the rules about an incidence he heard that there would be no capital gains tax if he rents his family home for a short period.

You also wanted to know about superannuation beneficiary nominations as you had never heard of it and had therefore never made any nominations to benefit from the same.

You also asked to be advised on the suitable superannuation fund which can

accept Graham’s rollover benefits from both employer and voluntary contributions. In addition, you also want to know what you can do with his redundancy package.

You want to know how much to contribute in your superannuation after Anna heard from a local radio about the importance of saving for retirement. In line with this development, she also wants to know if she should continue using Care Super as her major superannuation fund.

By having insurance policies both within and outside the superannuation, you want to know the issues associated with having both options (DeRoon, at el., 2001, p. 725) Also; you want to know if it is of more advantage to incorporate all the policies you need through your superannuation funds.

Risks in my advice

You also seek advice concerning aged care and Marie's income cash flow as soon as she moves into the nursing home. You seek to get informed about the calculations of the fees, implications on her age pension, and how she can finance the refundable accommodation deposits (Hancock, 2002, p. 46). You also did want to know an approximation of the amount her age pension will receive once she enters the facility (Lusardi, 2008, p. 42)

Background Information.

A couple of Mr. and Mrs. Graham Sutton has been married for the past 26 years blessed with two children, named Sam and Jodie of ages 15 and 13 respectively. During the period, with Mr. Graham as the sole breadwinner, the couple managed to gather an impressive amount of assets comprising of buildings and also includes a joint online bank account at St George which has $150000. In her Colonial First State Index Australian Share Fund, Anna has $31000. On his current job position, Mr. Graham has $370000 at the BlueScope super fund at the balanced profile. At another account with the Care Super Industry Fund of the - conservative balanced option, Anna did manage to save up to $43000.

Under Graham's name, the couple owns three industrial properties. One in Brisbane has a current face value of $445000 after having been acquired through a loan valued at $340000. The second property is the Unit 1 located on the Gold Coast with a net value of $155000 after having been acquired at a loan of $135000. The last property is the Unit 2 still at the Gold Coast valued at $245000 got from a loan of $205000. The joint family's home at Wollongong has a face value of $685000 got at a loan of $217000. Graham also owns a personal car valued at $25000. The total value of the contents in the home has a value of $65000 owned jointly by the couple.

Through estimation, Graham will make an annual income of up to $195000 whereas Anne’s income will add up to $52000. Through the income garnered by renting out the industrial property, Graham will have a compounded annual income of $69000. As from the interest income, both the Sutton’s will have an equal income of $25000. Anna’s managed fund income will bring in a total of $15000 annually.

Coming in at par with the incomes, the couple will also make expenses in various situations including an expected annual rent of $33800 at their new residence in Perth before purchasing a home of their own. Secondly, the annual living expenses will add up to a total of $42000 while their planned holiday expenses will cost $1000. A combination of the four industrial properties inclusive of the family home will have deductible outgoings in the form of interests adding up to a total of $44000.

What my advice doesn’t cover?

Their children’s education will cost them #20000 while motor vehicle costs and life insurance costs will be $3000 and $5200 respectively. Below is a graph showing the details clearly.

Details of the estimated annual gross income

	Graham	Anna
Gross salary income	$195000	$52000
Gross rental income	$6900
Interest income	$2500	$2500
Managed fund income.		$1550
Total	$266500	$56050

Goals and Objectives

When it comes to finances it always suitable and secure to set financial goals and objectives (Lusardi and Beeler, 2008, p. 276). Similarly, retirement planning involves the planning for objectives and goals the available funds and how they can be invested to generate future cash inflows (Lusardi and Mitchell, 2007, p. 156). The Sutton’s have valid considerations for their goals and objectives which mostly feature on the retirement plan. For instance, Mr. Graham Sutton has already agreed to take up a new employment opportunity as a site manager at Pilbara Port Corporation, WA. This new opportunity comes barely two weeks after the end of the previous position he held at the BlueScope Steel in Wollongong, NSW where he currently is the senior mining engineer.

At the new position, he has plans to offer his services for an extra nine more years before fully effecting the retirement.  On retrenchment at his current working station, he will earn up to a total of $175000 as retirement benefits after deduction of all tax requirements. Secondly, the new position as the site manager at the new working station will see him earn up to $195000 which includes superannuation of 9.5%.

On the other hand, his wife Mrs. Ann Sutton initially had a secretarial job but left it willingly so as to fully devote herself to taking care of the children and the whole family at home, but now is back to the workforce after managing to secure herself a part-time job in Perth. Her new role as a personal assistant will play an important part to the All Brains Inc. She will report directly to the training and development manager at the firm. In a period of three months’ time, she will be trading her expertise at the entity earning a net salary of $52000 per year which includes the superannuation of 9.50%.

According to research by an analyst at the Investment Trends in 2012, whenever there is prolonged decrease in the proceeds garnered by markets, the SMSF shows instantaneous spike or increase in the number of the self-managed super funds (Xiao, 2014, p. 165). In respect to the retirement plan which you are working on, I would advise that you don't switch from the already set plan. Income you will earn from your respective jobs, and the rent gained from the industrial apartments is more reliable, and you are certain of it as compared to the SMSF which is dependent on the market forces.

Fees and commissions

The only advantage the SMSF has over your funds is the fact that you can buy or sell assets much quickly (Weber, 2012, p. 14). This ability is because the SMSF members can quickly and easily exchange assets among themselves (Villamil at el. 2006, p. 1002). Funds can sometimes turn out frustrating due to the lag between the availability of the investments and the actual implementation (Rooij at el. 2007, p. 87).

The second concern was about your continued investment in the industrial property. Such assets are beneficial in the long run because of their continuous appreciation over time (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, p. 10). Long term investments match with your retirement plans whereby it is more of an investment whose gains are felt much later (Olivia at el. 2007, p. 82).

Based on the analysis of the poor property performance currently, I advise that you make the necessary developments and improvements on the buildings. You can build additional recreational features like building swimming pools or building a play center like a tennis court or external bar. These features are some of the major factors that attract clients increasing the demand and eventually the overall market value.

In response to Graham’s query about what he heard that there are no capital gain tax if he rents out the family home for a short of time is true, but there are conditions to be adhered to for effective application of the same. The Australian rules concerning homes state that you are exempted from the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) if the property was your main residence since when you acquired it. On moving out, you can only claim exemption from the CGT for only up to six years after leaving (Potocnik at el. 2013, p. 173).

So for your case, with your estimated plan of working for an extra nine years before retirement, you will have to pay the tax for the last three years as you will only avoid it for the first six years. Every individual needs to choose a beneficiary to gain from the superannuation; it is an example of a will. Apart from making one another the beneficiary after one of you passes on, you still need to appoint the next beneficiary after you both die.

In matters related to the superannuation funds, Graham's rollover benefits which he did earn from his personal and employer contributions at his current employment position are resources you can use for any financial requirements. Therefore, I advise the usage of the available funds for further development of industrial apartments. This will raise their standards and market value. In addition to those earnings, you can also add the redundancy package to increase the funds available for a more large scale program.

Next and Final Steps

Personal insurance is of great importance to you because it ensures financial protection over your current lifestyle and situation in case anything happens to you. Additionally, saving with the investment schemes is a noble idea as it will ensure you have an alternative source of income in the event your investment fails to generate the expected returns. 

Disadvantages associated with my advice

Consequences due to the replacement of one financial product with another. This brings the aspect of opportunity cost whereby you have to undertake a certain investment at the expense of the other. The forgone viable product may be more income generating than the undertaken one.

About the indication of desiring to have limited risks on your money but increasing it, I would propose that you venture in managed funds as they can yield higher returns in the long though this perception is not fully guaranteed. Despite the fact that managed funds have associated risks due to the genetic diversification of the funds, the risks are not as high.

Increasing the number of investments also further helps in reducing the risks because in case one investment performs poorly, there are others to get back to. The value you hold at the managed funds is subject to change at any time of the day or night and can fall. Certain accounts like your joint savings account are more stable on the daily basis activities. Most of the managed accounts provided by many institutions require that you pay product fees before you can invest in them.

What my advice does not deal with?

Being financial analysts is not a guarantee that all the advice I give will be inclusive of all your preferences market. Additionally, it is not an assurance that all the financial information I offer to you is what is required for investment in the money market. After clearing all your outstanding debts, and also sooner as you will get to settle, you will realize that you have much free money. You can make use of such free funds to pay for some of the recommended insurance products, or you can opt to save more with the managed funds to give you higher returns on your investments. I can provide you with more advice on how you can invest this funds but, this services will cost you more.

In line with tax issues, my profession does not entail tax. Therefore, my advice concerning the same is limited. In specific situations, you are entitled to a deduction in tax due to premiums which you pay for income protection insurance. Instead, I would only refer you to a tax expert to assist you in matters related to this and any other tax issues. Concerning superannuation, my advice does not put into consideration whether you have sufficient superannuation to cater for your retirement. I can provide further advice concerning this but only at an extra charge.

Important information about the Sutton’s

What are my fees?

I will charge a fee of $1500 which includes (GST) as a cost for the advice I am offering and the preparation of the SOA. From these, I am gaining $900 while rest goes to the firm I work at. Please make sure that you make these payments in two weeks’ time after receiving the SOA.

What commissions do I get?

There are no commissions that I receive from the referrals I make to you on the management funds. In case you follow my advice, the issuers of the products for personal insurance pay commissions to the Plan for it. I only get a share from these commissions. Of great importance is the quality of the products that I have recommended for you. They fit your situation quite effectively and will be of great importance if you implement them to the letter.

The payments by the different products differ from to another, and it all depends on with the quality of services received and the level of client satisfaction registered. However, you should take note that there are some other more suitable products that pay lower commissions.

Other questions that you might have.

Who is restricted to an approved product list?

Experts and other advisers like me are who are under the direct jurisdiction by the Plan for it, are only allowed to recommend products on the Playford's product list. We have no freedom recommend other products not included on the list. This statement implies that, whenever I am preparing an SOA or offering advice at my authorized level of expertise, I only get to use the products present on the Playford's list. I get to ignore without giving credit to any of the other products present in the market. If you are interested, I can provide you with a list of products available at the Plan for it.

This list of products is regularly checked and reviewed by a team of experts from the Plan for it research commission.

Should I guarantee the managed funds that I recommend?

Actually no. In respect to the law, my recommendations for you to invest in these managed funds should work appropriately for you. However, you should take keen note that I do not guarantee the performance of any of the managed funds. I have no effect on the outcome because managed funds are dependent on the market forces just as highlighted before.

Can you make changes to your decisions?

Interestingly yes, you can make changes even after you have made payments on the products I recommend for you. You are eligible to get your full money refund back if you are not happy with the products. This refund is effected two weeks after purchase in a program called (cooling off). The PDS provided alongside the products contain further information about the different products.

Are there restrictive time limits on my advice?

Yes. As a matter of fact, my advice follows regulations whereby it has expiry dates controlling it. By saying so, in case the expiry date is long overdue, you are not supposed to rely on it if you had not taken decisions to act on it.

Is there security to your personal information?

Undoubtedly yes. You get the assurance that all the personal information you had given to us remains top secret not unless you permit us to reveal it by writing or it is a requirement by law. 

Ongoing Service and Review

Like any other project which has been invested in, it becomes crucial to review the progress of this retirement planning investment to determine whether it is on the right course. Reviewing enables the investors to make an investment decision on the kind of investment they should undertake (Gourville and Dilip, 2005, p. 388). Alternatively, it helps the investor to review the services already offered by the investment schemes and whether they are worth investing in. This involves analyzing the strengths, improvement and the collaborations undertaken by those schemes in the effort of improving their services in future (Lusardi and Mitchell, 2007). If the schemes have good future financial plans, then it will be a true indication of high returns in future. This builds high confidence among the investors who will in turn out a large number and avail their savings for investment.

From the analysis of the likely financial investment, I encourage the investor to adhere to my advice and undertake this investment opportunity. Future personal financial planning is very fundamental as it helps the employees to cater for their welfare at the old age. The investor will have an enjoyable lifestyle and may also end up donating some of his investment income to the charitable organizations. However, these exorbitant incomes will only be realizable if the investor does the right review of the services being offered various retirement benefit schemes. Therefore, I advise Graham that upon reviewing the various services being offered by the different schemes in the money market he should follow my advice and advice as my opinions. This will enable to realize the costs of his investment.

Overall Structure and Presentation of Superannuation and Retirement Advice

A financial analyst and adviser have to come up with the overall structure on retirement planning advice (Agnus at. el, 2007, p. 114). This structure helps the investor to have clear focus which will help him or her in enjoying his or her future lifestyle. Again, the structure includes each aspect of the investor financial life. Additionally, it puts emphasis on risk prevention as well as assets and estate planning so that the advice seeker can have confidence that his or her financial future secure (Elton at el. 2006, p. 1300). Therefore, I provide the overall structure of the retirement advice as illustrated below:

Scope Definition:

In my advice, I have clearly indicted the scope of the retirement financial planning of Graham and his family. This has been achieved through providing the process that the investor needs to undertake to be able to identify his needs and meet them.

Goals Identification:

The goals and objectives of the investor are quite clear. The investor wants to engage in retirement planning investment to have a future which is financially secure. To develop this plan, Mr. Graham should determine his short and long-term financial goals. These goals should be analyzed to come into conclusion the amount funds which will be needed to accomplish each target.

Financial Situation Assessment:

Upon the analysis of the financial goals it important to assess the financial position. Here, I have considered various aspects such as tax requirements, investment in insurance cover, liabilities and assets. This helps in determining the net worth of the investor.

Financial Plan Preparation:

Provided that I have obtained the clear understanding of the Mr. Graham financial position as well as his financial objectives, I have provided in my advice the products and the services that he should go for.

Implementation of the Recommendations:

This is a critical area in the retirement planning investment (Ameriks, 2004, p. 103). This is because it is the point where the actualization of the suggested strategies and recommendations are one. Given that, I have offered my advice the investor go ahead and start his journey of investment for future benefits.

Plan Review:

Economy fluctuations are one of the most impactful factors of the interests in the money market (Lusardi, 2008, p. 45). Alternatively, it also affects the level of employment, income as the good spooning behavior of the consumers (Huberman and Jiang, 2006, p. 780). Therefore, it crucial to note the financial objectives, as well as the individual lifestyle, may change as the time elapses. Therefore, this calls for a continuous review of the financial plan to ensure that the investor is always on the right path.

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