With the changes coming through this year around superannuation and particularly SMSF’s, it is critical we have up to date information and are across all aspects of the legislation. Attending the SMSF Association 2017 Conference supports this ongoing and evolving knowledge base and is particularly relevant given it offers Accounting, Audit, Administration and Investment streams for the 1 600 delegates attending.
Our Sinclair Wilson specialised Divisions were well represented at the Conference, including Superannuation (with Principal, Wayne Promnitz, SMSF Superannuation Specialist Advisor attending), Audit & Assurance (with myself, Principal and SMSF Specialist Auditor attending), Tax & Business Advisors (with Senior Principal, John Bouwman attending) and Financial Planning.
Critically, attending such specialised sessions provides an excellent forum in which to engage with other practitioners in the industry about what are complicated and challenging changes to the regulations governing SMSFs. Changes which will affect areas of SMSFs as broad as contributions, pension accounts, changes in SMSF member circumstances (i.e. retirement, death, divorce, marriage etc.) and CGT implications. This engagement will serve to ensure we are best positioned to provide explanation and guidance to our clients on how best they can plan for their own retirement, particularly noting that the SMSF will continue to be a very attractive and effective vehicle for many in their planning for retirement.
The breadth of our specialists’ skills within the Sinclair Wilson Group further allows us to provide the ‘holistic’ approach to advice which ensures our clients’ financial, taxation, investment, retirement and compliance needs are considered more broadly than simply for retirement purposes.
The 2017 Conference was terrific in building on our current understanding of the changes coming in for superannuation, but also served to remind us of those aspects of SMSF that remain unchanged, but for which we must remain always vigilant.