New positive Covid-19 cases in New South Wales and Victoria have prompted increased testing and tracing to prevent further outbreaks. As Australia prepares for its vaccine rollout, the federal government reaffirmed its confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine. Oxford University said work was underway to develop a new generation of vaccines that will protect against emerging variants of the virus. Meanwhile Australia’s recovery continues and has been most evident in the labour market.

The unemployment rate fell from 6.8% to 6.6% in December, lower than the 6.7% expected, as the recovery in the labour market continued to outperform expectations. 50,000 jobs were added over the month, following the strong 90,000 increase in November, while the participation rate rose from 66.1% to 66.2%. Retail sales fell 4.1% in December and were weaker than expectations of a 2.5% decline as shoppers pulled back in the crucial lead-up to Christmas, resulting in declines across five of the six retail industries. Australia’s trade balance rebounded in December to a surplus of $6.8 billion but fell short of expectations of $7.7 billion.

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If you own a small business still recovering from the COVID-19 induced downturn, remember that you can take advantage of FBT concessions

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To many individuals, the difference between tax planning and tax avoidance is not immediately obvious.

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Paying off your home loan will most likely be the largest debt that you pay off in your lifetime and reduce the amount of interest you pay.

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A professional business valuation provides you with profound insight into your own business as well as businesses with which you are considering mergers or acquisitions.

Typically, a business valuation is a pre-requisite for financing and sale as well as when you are re-structuring your business or allocating the value of shares. It is also usually required for many legal settlements including resolving succession or estate disputes and re-negotiating supplier contracts.

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Are you an employee that has been underpaid super by your employer? If you think that’s the case, and you’re keen to claw back what’s rightfully yours, there’s a few routes you can take.

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Did you know that you can boost your super savings by using the unused carry forward concessional contributions cap?

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In what has been touted as the most significant changes to Australia’s insolvency framework in 30 years, the government has implemented changes aimed at reducing costs and cutting red-tape which are designed to help small businesses recover from the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy.

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When it comes to investing, the main asset classes are cash, fixed interest, property, and shares. Importantly, each asset class (and sub-asset class) has its own unique characteristics.

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