Is Your Family Trust Facing a Minimum 30% Tax Rate?

The 2026-27 Federal Budget has put family trusts firmly in the government's crosshairs. If proposed new rules become law, trustees of discretionary trusts will be required to pay a flat 30 per cent minimum tax on trust income from 1 July 2028. This is a fundamental departure from the income-splitting flexibility that has made these structures so attractive to Australian families and small business owners for decades. With bucket company arrangements effectively penalised, transitional rollover relief on the horizon, and the fixed trust distinction harder to satisfy than many assume, the implications are wide-ranging. Here is what you need to know. ...Read more

Federal Budget 2026-27

The 2026-27 Federal Budget has landed with some of the most significant structural tax changes in a generation. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has overhauled the rules for property investors, winding back negative gearing to new builds only and replacing the long-standing 50% capital gains tax discount with inflation-indexed gains and a 30% minimum tax rate. Family trusts face a new 30% minimum tax from 2028, while workers get a $250 permanent tax offset and an immediate $1,000 work-related deduction. For motorists, fuel excise has been temporarily halved and the electric vehicle FBT exemption is being phased out over three years. Here is what it all means for your finances. ...Read more

Why ‘Seeing is Believing’ is a Financial Risk in 2026

Scammers are no longer easy to spot. In 2026, artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed the nature of online investment fraud, enabling criminals to produce seamless deepfake videos of trusted public figures, build polished fake trading platforms, and even hide their activity from the social media systems designed to stop them. In response, Australia's financial regulator removed nearly 12,000 scam websites in a single year, a record, yet the threat continues to grow. Here's what you need to know to protect yourself. ...Read more

Does Your Super Need a Review?

Most people assume their super will quietly take care of itself, especially as retirement approaches. But what if the default settings guiding your investments are no longer suited to the way we live today? With longer life expectancies and decades to fund after work ends, the decisions being made inside your super right now could have a bigger impact than you realise. ...Read more