My message to you this month is that I firmly believe that during 2014 we can all still prosper through the difficult times ahead if we make wise decisions now – even if we do regret some of the decisions we have made in the past.

During March and April, WSC Group will be holding seminars in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne where I will share with you some of the hard and important lessons I have learnt over the past 5 years as a property investor. I will also be examining the tax benefits of alternative types of propertyavailable in the market which can have superior cash flow compared to more traditional models. In addition, I have invited along an independent guest speaker, from M3 Property, to update us on the current property market, property valuations and key issues important to us as property investors.

I strongly recommend that those of you with existing property portfolios and those of you wanting to begin your property journey attend the evenings as I will be presenting information I have not discussed with our clients before.

Since winning the Your Investment Property Award for 2013 Property Tax Advisor of the Year, WSC Group has had significant interest from property investors all over Australia.The issue that has been apparent from these investors is that cash flow is the most significant issue facing all investors.

My response to increasing difficulties faced by both businesses and property investors alike – given the prospect that in the future the growth in asset prices will likely be much lower – the cash flow of any investment now is crucial in making any new investment decisions. I believe, as a business person and property investor myself, that the most important lesson I have learnt in the past 5 years is that cash flow is paramount. I, like many of you, have been stretched by unforeseen issues in recent times (2 of my properties have had major fires in the past 2 years). Now, more than ever, cash flow is important.

Given the ever changing market conditions many property groups have now developed dual dwelling properties as an alternative to investors.

The advantages of these types of properties are as follows:

Two sources of income give a superior cash flow to the traditional house or unit investment Cash flow is positive from day one which gives options to increase your investment portfolio more rapidly than might otherwise be the case with a traditional property Over 20 years these properties enable debt to be paid down much quicker and achieve a vastly different result than a traditional investment property purchase I was astonished by the different results and I am excited about presenting these to you during our seminars and also having the opportunity of introducing you to a couple of the property groups who specialise in this area should you want more information.

Invites have already been emailedto all of our clients, if you have not received an invite please contact [email protected] or visit our upcoming events page on our websitewww.wscgroup.com.aufor full details.

Dates for our next seminars are:

Brisbane – Thursday 27 March 2014

Sydney – Wednesday 2 April 2014

Melbourne – Tuesday 8 April 2014

In future seminars this year, we will be looking at having guest speakers present to our business clients to assist them with fresh ideas to grow and develop their businesses.

High risk industries targeted for super obligations

The ATO has identified that employers in the following industries have a higher risk of not meeting their super obligations:

Hairdressing and beauty; Clothing retailing; and Management advice and consulting. The ATO is currently running an education campaign for business owners in these industries to help them better understand their super obligations.

Further, from July 2014, it will be undertaking audits of employers who continue to not meet super obligations for their employees – including:

Paying their minimum super contributions quarterly (or lodging an SGC statement);

Offering employees (and some contractors) a choice of fund; Keeping accurate records; and Passing on an employee's TFN to their super fund as required. If you have any questions regarding superannuation obligation please contact your WSC GroupClient Manager.

ATO encouraging women to put more into super

The ATO is encouraging women to take an active interest in their superannuation to help overcome the retirement savings shortfall many are currently experiencing, saying “It’s never too late".

Assistant Commissioner Megan Yong said, “On average, Australian women currently retire with super account balances of just $112,600.

“That’s much less than the amount a single woman needs for a $40,000 a year retirement income, which is at the lower end of the ‘what’s adequate’ scale.

“It surprises a lot of people that putting the equivalent cost of one cup of coffee a day into your super can add up to an extra $128,000 when you retire*."

(*) This is based on a 30 year old woman investing $3.80 per day into a moderate fund and assuming 5% growth over a 35 year period.

Ms Yong encourages women to go online to ato.gov.au/5stepsuper and complete the ATO’s 5-step super check.