148 - Granny Flats- 13 Problems to Avoid

This week we celebrate 5 years of the Money Madams podcast and it also marks our final episode. In this final episode we share our favourite take aways on the podcast over the last 5 years. Thank you for listening to us, we hope you enjoyed listening as much as we enjoyed sharing with you.

Family Trusts can be a great tool for minimising tax and protecting your assets. One of the downsides to a trust is that the income must be distributed each year, but what if you would prefer to delay receiving that income until a later, lower income earning year? Welcome to the bucket company strategy! In this episode we give some examples of where a bucket company strategy including having a second family trust can leverage your tax planning resulting in you keeping more of your hard earned money.

In this episode, we talk about Discretionary Trusts and why people use them. They can offer great benefits for the "Beneficiaries", but do you know the difference between an "Appointer" and the "Trustee" and the role of the "Settlor?" We tackle the jargon of the different roles that need to be considered when setting up a trust. So if you have ever wondered if there could be a benefit such as protecting your assets, or reducing tax, tune in as we cover the key elements of discretionary trusts and how they can help you towards these ends.  

In this episode we cover the primary methods people use to get started with debt recycling. Some people prefer to take a leap by taking on additional borrowings to invest while others prefer to pay down the loan first, redraw then invest. Some prefer to refinance their loan to a mortgage product specifically designed to optimise debt management. Each approach has it's advantages and pitfalls, so we will walk you through the tips and traps of each approach so you can avoid costly mistakes like mixing your loan and losing out on otherwise eligible tax deductions.  

In this episode we cover a couple of strategies to increase tax deductible debt when upgrading the family home via the use of a spousal transfer strategy. When most of us think about this type of scenario, we think of splitting assets when relationships end. Fortunately this strategy is for happy couples wanting to go from single ownership to joint ownership and improve tax deductions. Even better is that in many states this can be done with no or minimal stamp duty consequences. So tune in and learn a little more about what is involved and remember, this particular type of strategy will need several professionals involved to pull it off, so get professional advice before you do!  

Nothing is more certain than death and taxes, but if you plan well, you can certainly minimise the amount of tax you pay. In this episode we chat about a strategy that isn't very well known that can help minimise or entirely negate capital gains tax being applied to the sale of a former investment property. As with all strategies that involve tax or major assets, be sure to get advice specific to your situation!  

Negative gearing is a useful tool that when used well can help you grow your wealth, but like all tools, if it isn't understood or used well, then it could do more harm than good. Tune in to this episode as we chat about the 9 most common mistakes people make when it setting up a negative gearing arrangement. 

With Granny Flats and Tiny Homes rising in popularity as home prices soar or people look to add new sources of income to their lives - we have put together 13 problems that can arise with Granny flats that should be considered before taking the leap. 

This year was a light on budget, but there was some good news for many... Stage 3 tax cuts, new medicines being added to the PBS saving people tens, or even hundreds of thousands in treatment costs, interest savings for those with HELP debts (or HECS debts if you are old school like us), scheduled boosts to the super contribution rates and a few other measures to boot. So join us as we unpack these announcements and what they may mean for you.  

Winter is coming! But so too are Tax cuts and changes to super on 1 July. In this episode we cover the changes and how you can leverage these changes to boost your overall finances both before the end of the financial year and once the changes kick in on 1 July 2024.