The Government told investors their existing negative gearing was safe “for as long as you hold it.” Read the actual Bill and that promise has a hole in it, one that opens the moment a property passes to a spouse or to the children. The fact that nobody intended this is the whole problem. When the Treasurer reassured property investors that their existing negative gearing was grandfathered and untouched, most people heard a guarantee. Read the draft law and the guarantee spri

The most revealing number in this week's superannuation shake-up is not the size of the market being shut down. It is the size of the prize. By the Treasurer's own reckoning, banning self-managed super funds from borrowing to buy residential property will improve the budget by about $50 million over the forward estimates — roughly one-fiftieth of the revenue the broader tax package is expected to raise. For that, the government was willing to reverse nearly two decades of set

The active asset reduction now reaches businesses turning over up to $10 million. The concessions that actually wipe out the tax still sit behind the old $6 million net asset test — and that is where the planning has moved. Business owners weighing an eventual sale picked up a meaningful concession on 18 June, when the Government lifted the turnover ceiling on the small business 50% active asset reduction from $2 million to $10 million. On the Treasurer's numbers, 2.7 million

What the 18 June announcement means for families planning to pass wealth to the next generation --- When the Federal Budget landed on 12 May 2026, it delivered a package of trust and capital gains tax changes that, in our view — and in the view of much of the business community — are poor policy that we don't support. The centrepiece was a new 30% minimum tax on the taxable income of discretionary trusts, due to start from 1 July 2028, sitting alongside a separate overhaul of

By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group Article 7, the final article in our detailed Federal Budget 2026–27 series. For the overview briefing, see [link to hero article]. In the conversations we have had with clients since the Budget, two topics have come up far more often than the headlines would predict. The first is whether the family trust still works. We covered that in detail in article 3. The second is aged care — both as a future cost for the client

By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group Article 6 of our detailed Federal Budget 2026–27 series. For the overview briefing, see [link to hero article]. If you are 50 to 67, working or recently retired, with meaningful assets across property, superannuation, business interests or family trusts — this article is for you. You are the cohort that has done the most work building Australian household wealth over the past three decades. You are the cohort that pla

By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group Article 5 of our detailed Federal Budget 2026–27 series. For the overview briefing, see [link to hero article]. Of all the clients we advise, business owners planning exit are the cohort with the most at stake from this Budget — and, paradoxically, the cohort with the most preserved. The small business CGT concessions were untouched. That is the single most important fact in this entire article. The 15-year exemptio

Super wasn’t improved in this Budget — but with almost everything around it taxed more heavily, it has quietly become the most powerful structure on your balance sheet. By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group Article 4 of our detailed Federal Budget 2026–27 series. For the overview briefing, see [link to hero article]. Most Budget commentary frames superannuation as a "non-event" in this package — left alone, no major changes, move on. That framing misses

You've built a business most people would envy. So why do your personal finances often feel unstructured, exposed, and strangely behind? Here's the trap — and how to get out of it. By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group The pattern we see again and again There's a particular kind of business owner we meet often. They've built something real. Strong revenue, a good team, a business that genuinely works, and that most people would be thrilled to own

From 1 July 2028, every discretionary trust in Australia faces a 30% minimum tax. A three-year restructure window opens 1 July 2027. Here's how to think about it. By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group Article 3 of our detailed Federal Budget 2026–27 series. For the overview briefing, see [link to hero article]. Why this article matters more than the headlines suggest Of the three major reforms in this Budget — CGT, negative gearing and trusts — the tr

By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group The Treasurer framed the 2026 Federal Budget around the concept of intergenerational fairness. That is the Government's chosen language, and reasonable people can disagree about whether the measures live up to the framing. What is not in dispute is who carries the practical weight of the reforms. The cohort most directly affected by the changes to capital gains tax, negative gearing and discretionary trusts is the one

By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group Article 2 of our detailed Federal Budget 2026–27 series. For the overview briefing, see [link to hero article]. The shortest accurate summary of the negative gearing reforms is this: If you already own an investment property as at 7:30pm AEST on 12 May 2026, you are fully grandfathered — nothing changes for that property. Your existing negative gearing arrangements continue indefinitely, against any income type, for

By Andre Dirckze, Principal Adviser, Wealth Effect Group Article 2 of our detailed Federal Budget 2026–27 series. For the overview briefing, see [link to hero article]. In the past few days since the Budget, we have had more inbound enquiries about capital gains tax than at any point in the past decade. The pattern of the questions is telling. Almost every caller starts with a version of the same sentence: "Should I sell my investment property before the rules change?" The

The most significant rewrite of Australia's wealth and tax rules in over two decades — and a defined 14-month planning window for those who act deliberately. A note before you read on This briefing is written for Australians who have spent two or three decades building wealth — through property, business, family trusts, share portfolios and superannuation — and who now face the most significant rewrite of the tax rules underpinning that wealth in over twenty years. If that is

For years, investors have used trusts and companies to support estate planning, asset protection and family income distribution. Those structures remain valid — but the lending landscape around them has changed materially. Banks are now taking a far more conservative view of lending to non‑personal borrowers, particularly where trusts or companies are being used primarily to stretch borrowing capacity rather than to support a genuine commercial or family objective. Much of th

Today, the Reserve Bank of Australia increased the official cash rate by 25 basis points, taking it from 3.85% to 4.10%. This marks a second rate increase in 2026 and reinforces a clear message to households, borrowers and investors: inflation remains a problem, and interest rates are likely to stay higher for longer . For many Australians already feeling stretched, today’s decision turns what had been a risk into a reality — higher repayments, tighter cash flow and renewed

Deciding to separate from your partner is one of the most difficult decisions a person can make. It rarely happens in isolation. There is often emotional exhaustion, uncertainty about the future, and a quiet fear about how everything will work once life as you knew it changes. For many people, money becomes the greatest source of anxiety during separation. Questions that once felt distant suddenly feel urgent. Will I be okay? Can I afford to live on my own? What happens to ev

Once the initial emotional shock of a separation begins to subside, the financial consequences often emerge with brutal clarity — and, in many cases, far too late. While some separations are genuinely amicable, these are typically characterised by financial symmetry: both parties earn income, understand the household balance sheet, and can independently support the lifestyle they wish to maintain. Unfortunately, this is not the norm. More commonly, there is a primary income e

Executive summary – one week on In our update to clients last week, we noted that markets were responding to the Middle East conflict primarily through energy prices, inflation expectations, interest rates and investor risk appetite , rather than through a deterioration in global economic fundamentals. Since then, that assessment has largely held. Volatility has remained elevated, oil prices have stayed sensitive to headlines, and defensive assets such as gold have continued

Managing money shouldn’t feel complicated or restrictive. One of the most powerful things we see over time is how good financial habits quietly carry forward—from one generation to the next. It’s something we actively encourage established clients to pass on early: not detailed strategies or complex products, but simple, repeatable behaviours that create confidence around money. For those in the accumulation years of life—balancing careers, family responsibilities, and the qu