Superannuation legislation is highly complex and subject to constant change. It is crucial you seek advice from experienced and knowledgeable advisers. HOLST have specialist knowledge in this area. Some of the ways HOLST can assist you include:

• Identifying whether you are able to contribute to superannuation and whether those contributions can/should be undeducted, spouse, salary sacrifice, employer, employee or personal tax deductible contributions.
• Ascertaining how much to contribute to superannuation and when it ceases to be tax effective. This will involve an analysis of your Reasonable Benefit Limits situation.
• Devising an appropriate investment strategy and asset allocation for your self-managed fund.
• Advising which retail, employer, industry or master trust fund to select and choosing appropriate investment option/s.
• In certain instances superannuation can assist in enhancing/maximising social security entitlements. Holst can assess whether these strategies are relevant to you.
• The form in which superannuation entitlements should be accessed. For instance should the superannuation be taken as a lump sum, allocated pension or complying income stream?
• Analysing the relevance of superannuation strategies such as the use of the Recontribution strategy, aggregating services periods, making additional undeducted contributions and deferring access of superannuation to your situation.

Articles and Reports
Comprehensive reports and articles on Superannuation can be found under the Research section of this website.

What is financial planning? Financial Planning is the process of organising and monitoring a person's investments in the most suitable way given their objectives and goals.

At HOLST we believe that obtaining appropriate financial planning advice is crucial in ensuring that your financial planning needs are met. We also believe your understanding of the advice given is as important as the quality of advice itself and devote considerable time and energy to ensure that you achieve this objective.

We believe that comprehensive and well considered financial planning advice should take into account the following parameters:

• Tax planning issues. This includes consideration of which tax entity investments should be made in as well as ascertaining appropriate tax planning strategies.
• Superannuation issues including understanding the tax, practical and compliance implications of investing in superannuation.
• Retirement planning issues.
• Social Security issues.
• Devising appropriate asset allocations taking into account a person's risk profile.
• Estate planning issues.
• Risk management issues.
• Selecting the most appropriate investment vehicle. For instance should a client use unlisted managed funds, listed managed funds or direct shares?
• Selecting appropriate investments.

Financial planning objectives and goals may include:

• Organising your financial affairs in the most tax effective way.
• Maximising or obtaining social security entitlements.
• Wealth creation to meet retirement needs or other specific economic or monetary goals such as the purchase of a home or meeting children's educational costs.
• Maximising income from investments.
• Providing for dependent's needs.

Articles and Reports
Comprehensive reports and articles on Financial Planning can be found under the Research section of this website.

Although financial planning is an on-going process that can apply to all individuals regardless of age, we find that many clients seek formal advice as they approach retirement. Certainly there are many issues and decisions that will require attention at this stage of life and will include:

• Adequacy of capital.
• When and what form to access superannuation entitlements.
• Ascertaining whether there are specific tax and /or superannuation strategies to implement.
• Devising appropriate asset allocations and selection of investments.
• Estate planning and social security issues.
• On going management of investments.

HOLST has considerable experience in this area and can guide current or prospective retirees through the decision maze they may be faced with. We also have a number of detailed publications on superannuation and retirement issues that clients find extremely valuable.

Articles and Reports
Comprehensive reports and articles on Retirement Planning can be found under the Research section of this website.