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About Self Managed Super Funds

You Need to Know More About Self Managed Super Funds

One private retirement savings plan option is to form a Self Managed Super Funds (SMSF). These funds can have up to six members. Instead of a bigger retail or industrial fund, your employer will put your superannuation guarantee into your SMSF. You must follow all the rules and regulations when managing the fund’s investments. 

The most recent data from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for 2023 shows that there are 606,217 SMSFs in the country, with a combined asset value of $889.5 billion. 

How Does an SMSF Work?

Members of SMSFs must either be trustees themselves or, in the case of a corporate trustee structure, directors of the corporate trustee. The maximum number of members is six, and they must all be trustees of the fund. 

According to the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (SIS Act), trustees of Best self managed super funds, whether they are individuals or corporations, are required to manage the fund exclusively to pay out retirement payments. 

The member is responsible for investing the superannuation monies suitably paid into their SMSF. All six members’ risk tolerances should be considered in the fund’s investment strategy, which should also be tailored to the group’s unique conditions. 

According to the most recent ATO statistics, members of Self Managed Super Funds have substantial equity holdings. Listed shares comprise 29% of SMSF assets by value, followed by cash and term deposits at 15%. 

How To Set Up a SMSF

The ATO has issued a 30-page pamphlet outlining the steps to take when setting up an SMSF because a lot is involved. Choose between an individual and a corporate trustee as your initial business structure. 

After this is done, appointing trustees is the next step; make sure they are all qualified before you do so, and have them sign the trustee declaration within 21 days of agreeing to serve in that capacity. In addition, you must draft a trust deed for your SMSF. This document is crucial since it specifies your fund’s management structure and powers. 

Your fund must own assets to qualify as an official superannuation fund, and those assets must be kept apart from the assets of any other company. To receive an ABN and TFN, your fund needs to be registered with the ATO within 60 days of being found, and it needs its bank account. If your fund uses Best self managed super funds administrator, they should be able to supply you with an Electronic Servicing Address (ESA), or you can apply for one from a supplier here. Your fund must also register for an ESA. 

As said before, your fund should have an investment strategy that specifies its investing goals and the kinds of investments it can make. While there is no hard and fast rule about the format of an investment plan, one must be in writing and subject to periodic evaluation. 

Is an SMSF Necessary?

One word describes the primary benefit of Self Managed Super Funds: control. Your superannuation funds are invested precisely according to your instructions, and you are typically informed of their performance. 

An SMSF could be a good fit if you enjoy investing and want to learn about superannuation. Additionally, it would be beneficial if you enjoy spending your free time keeping up with market news, understanding your SMSF needs, and superannuation legislative developments. 

In some situations, there may be financial benefits to setting up an SMSF; however, the threshold at which establishing your own fund becomes more cost-effective than investing in an industry or retail fund is $200,000 in super. 

Conclusion

We can help you assess the benefits and drawbacks of running Best self managed super funds and make an informed decision about whether or not it is the correct choice for you because we are licensed professionals who offer SMSF consulting. We have an SMSF staff member who can handle all the paperwork to establish the SMSF, including putting up the trust deed.