49 minute read
COLUMNIST ARTICLES
Be Wary of Property Spruikers and Fake SMSF Advisers
ACCOUNTANT
By Warren Strybosch
If you have anything to do with a SMSF you, like me, are seeing a proliferation of Facebook ads promoting the use of a SMSF to purchase your home.
These ads are misleading as you cannot purchase your home which implies the house you live in. You are not allowed to purchase assets that you will personally use or gain benefit from directly or indirectly.
ASIC is also getting tired of property spruikers who are targeting individuals to set up SMSF for the sole purpose of investing in property investments and developments.
As an example, the corporate regulator, back in August, commenced Federal Court proceedings alleging a property development company provided unlicensed advice around SMSFs.
In a statement, ASIC said it had issued Federal Court proceedings alleging the Property group operated an unregistered managed investment scheme and provided unlicensed financial advice to consumers.
The action follows the regulator obtaining asset freezing orders against the directors of the property group.
"ASIC alleges that between at least 1 March 2017 and 16 December 2020, [the directors] encouraged around 300 investors to establish SMSFs and invest in property investments and developments…," ASIC said.
"ASIC is seeking winding up and disqualification orders and the appointment of liquidators and receivers to secure assets of the alleged scheme."
This property group is now permanently closed for business. Recently, a Victorian man who posed as an adviser and stole more than $2.7 million in life savings from relatives and associates through SMSF rollovers has been sentenced to eight years in jail. The advisor was sentenced to eight years and four months in jail.
Court documents reveal the fake advisor had used SMSFs as the primary vehicle in conducting several superannuation rollovers, which were set up to defraud victims. Once having access to the client’s funds, he took those funds and used them for his own personal use. He would then invite others to set up similar SMSFs, and use their money to pay back ‘dividends’ to the previous investors to make it look like they were getting a return. It was another classic “Ponzi Scheme” built around SMSF investors.
In victim impact statements, it was revealed the fake advisors actions had inflicted mental, emotional and physical harm, with most victims and their families were left in a position worse than ever before financially.
In the judgement, Justice Trapnell said the level of dishonesty that was shown towards close family members and others was “nothing short of breathtaking”.
“Your crimes were sophisticated, well planned and executed and involved sustained fraudulent conduct on your part. While there was an element of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, your motive for committing these crimes was also to support your lifestyle,” Justice Trapnell said.
“The funds you defrauded were very quickly dissipated, and there is no evidence, on the agreed facts, that, in most cases, you ever intended to ever reimburse or otherwise compensate your victims.
“While it is true some of your victims were not unsophisticated in matters of business and investment, they were nevertheless easy prey to your appallingly dishonest conduct. Some of your other victims were quite vulnerable.
“They have all suffered greatly as a result of your depravations, some losing their life savings. The serious breach of trust you owed to your family members and clients is a significant
When you are approached to set up a SMSF by property spruikers, an accountant, and/or a financial advisor, it is important to check if that person or group are qualified to provide such advice in the area related to SMSF.
One way to check if someone has the correct license and appropriate qualifications is to visit the ASIC Professional Register. The Professional Register enables you to check if the person has a Financial Services Licensee or is an Australian Financial Services Authorised Representative. You can then click on the ‘Go to the Financial Advisor Register’ which will take you to the Money Smart website and provide details about the advisor. What you are looking for is to see if the advisor, under the product areas they can advise, has listed under ‘Superannuation’ the following wording: ‘Superannuation – All’.
The last thing to do is to ask if they have any specific qualifications related to SMSF. Please keep in mind that having the SMSF Specialist designation from the Association of SMSF, is not enough. All financial planners, those who are able to provide SMSF advice, are required to have a minimum bachelor’s degree in financial planning (or at least trying to obtain it by 2026), have passed the FASEA Exam by the end of this calendar year, and be either licensed or an Authorised Representative of an AFSL. If they do not meet these criteria, then we strongly recommend you do not deal with them.
At Find Accountant, we provide SMSF tax advice. Our senior accountant is also an award-winning financial advisor. If you require SMSF advice or are considering whether or not to wind up your SMSF, then speak to Warren Strybosch at Find Accountant Pty Ltd.
Warren Strybosch
You can call them on 1300 88 38 30 or email info@findaccountant.com.au www.findaccountant.com.au
Company Director Identification Number – Dates Have Been Set
Directors of new companies are required to obtain a directors ID but application deadlines have now been extended. For current directors the date has been set.
The Government has issued Legislative instrument Corporations (Director Identification Numbers—Transitional Application Period) Instrument 2021. It extends the application period in which new eligible officers are required to apply for a director identification number (director ID) if the individual becomes an eligible officer in the period starting when the director ID legislation commenced and ends 31 October 2021. The ABRS is responsible for the implementation and administration of director ID. ASIC will be responsible for the enforcement of associated offences.
Visit the ABRS website for more information on how to register for a Director ID
Director identification number
From November 2021, new directors will need to verify their identity as part of a new director ID requirement.
A director ID is a unique identifier that a director will apply for once and keep forever.
This applies to directors if their organisation is a company, registered foreign company, registered Australian body or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation.
Directors must apply for their director ID themselves because they will need to verify their identity. No one can apply on their behalf. For Existing company directors, they will now be required to apply for a director ID by 30 November 2022, while directors of Indigenous corporations that are governed by the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act) will be required to apply for the unique identifier by 30 November 2023. The deadline, first floated by Treasury earlier this year, has now been confirmed in a legislative instrument made last week by the Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy, senator Jane Hume.
Applications for a director ID are free and will open next month on the newly established Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS), a single platform administered by the Commissioner of Taxation that brings together ASIC’s 31 business registers and the Australian Business Register.
It is important to note that when registering for a director ID you must obtain a MyGovID account which is different to your current MyGov account – just to add to the complexity of it all we will have multiply MyGov accounts.
Special Tax Return Offer
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We have made it cheaper and easier for you to get your returns completed & you can do it all from the comfort of your own home.
Here are the steps involved:
1. Email to returns@findaccountant.com.au requesting your PAYG return to be completed. Provide us with your full name, D.O.B and address. 2. A Tax engagement letter will be emailed to you for signing via your mobile (no printing or scanning required). 3. You will be then sent a tax checklist to complete online. Takes less than 5 minutes. 4. We will then require you to upload your documents to our secure portal. 5. Once we have received all your documentation, we will complete the return. 6. We will email you the completed return with our invoices. Once you sign the return and pay the invoice we will lodge the return on your behalf.
Budgeting For Your Business Insurance Program During COVID
GENERAL INSURANCE
By Craig Anderson
Business owners often face challenges meeting the regular demands on their cash flow. Payroll, rental, vehicle costs and insurance are expenses that are dynamic in nature, and seldom link neatly to the official inflation rate. Payroll may be affected by market conditions where a shortage of skilled labour can lead to sharp increases in hourly rate. Rental increases are generally capped under a lease, however if having to relocate, the going rate for a suitable premises may be more expensive due to a shortage of suitable buildings. Insurance too can suffer from a “shortage” of available capacity from insurers. Several factors which can contribute to this are changes in Insurer risk appetite, loss ratios in an industry sector, falling interest rates and increasing costs relating to statutory requirements. This has been the case for some time and has produced conditions referred to as a “Hard Market”.
So what approach should clients take when planning for the year ahead? Assuming your occupation is not considered “uninsureable”, it is best to assume that even if your turnover has fallen this will not necessarily lead to a lower premium.
If your occupation has had premium increases last year, it would be fair to say you should expect at least a similar rise again if not a greater one this year.
Nobody can say for sure what a fair budget increase should be, and given that some occupations are rated as a higher risk than others, any ballpark figures are likely to be highly inaccurate. Keeping that in mind, some restraint with nonessential spending to give you a buffer in your budget may be in order.
After all, without the insurance policies in place to transfer risk away from the business and the directors, your assets are at risk. I would argue that insurance is one of, if not the most important cost in any business, and essential cover should not be sacrificed due to tight cash flow.
So if you are worried about your next large renewal payment, have a talk to your broker now, and consider premium funding options to “bill smooth” your way past a budget bottleneck.
Options which may help to reduce premium cost may include cutting away an activity which is high risk and low profit, as this may be one reason the cost increases are so financially hurtful. Increasing risk management, and adding additional security or decreasing stock on hand may also contribute to lower premiums. Other strategies can be employed, however they are best discussed with your broker on an individual basis.
For a health check of your business insurance, contact Small Business Insurance Brokers via email sales@ smallbusinessinsurancebrokers.com.au
Any advice in this article has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, before acting on the above advice, you should consider its appropriateness (having regard to your objectives, needs and financial situation).
Height Safety Insurance Brokers
Trust the insurance experts in covering your business against risks and losses. Let us create a specialised program for you to ensure any overlooked issues are covered. If you’d like us to handle insurance renewal get in touch with our friendly team. We also offer free assessments of your current program so you can make an informed decision for your business’ wellbeing.
www.heightsafetyinsurancebrokers.com.au 0418 300 096 | sales@heightsafetyinsurancebrokers.com.au ABN: 26689211803
Why Paying Super Late Can Eat Up Your Business
BOOKKEEPER
By Neha Nayyar
In business, just like in life, there are some ‘must do’s’ and then we all have a wish list of ‘nice to have’. When it comes to paying your employees superannuation, this is an absolute must do! The ATO have been coming down hard on businesses who do not comply, and ensuring employees are receiving the superannuation they are entitled to. The ATO completes regular audits, however in most cases, they are tipped off by employees (past and current) that their super payments have been missed, which is where costly investigations start.
If you are a small business owner, missing these payments can absolutely end up chewing through your bottom line- and for some businesses caught out doing the wrong thing for too long, it can ultimately destroy the business. It is imperative you budget for these superannuation payments and stay educated and informed about your responsibilities and any changes.
How much is the Superannuation Guarantee currently?
The current amount of superannuation guarantee- the amount employers must pay the super fund on top of their wage is currently 10% (This went up from 9.5% on the 1st July, 2021). The superannuation payments must be paid to a compliant fund within 28 days of the last quarter.
I can’t afford to pay this quarter?
Penalties immediately apply- both an administration cost and interest payments. If you cannot pay, you must lodge a SGC (Superannuation Guarantee Charge) form with the ATO within 28 days of the due date of the missed payment. You can then work with the ATO on a payment plan however fees and interest will still apply.
What are the fees for not paying on time?
If you declare this before the SGC deadline, the interest will be around 10%, plus a $20 fee per employee. If you do not declare, these fees can increase to a maximum of 200%! If you are a Director of a company, you are personally liable for the amount outstanding and the ATO can collect the penalty by other means (such as withholding tax refund). The fees and interest charged are not tax deductible. help with this, you could enlist the help of a bookkeeper to take care of this for you, or at Sum and Substance, we can also provide you with training, tailored to your business so that you have clear directions and understanding on how to do it correctly and without penalty each quarter.
Where do I go if I need more information? The ATO has a wealth of information which you can access online, however if you want tailored guidance for your business, We can be reached at (03) 9424 9447 or info@sumsubstance.com. au. You can directly book in a time to chat by clicking here.
How can I avoid getting into trouble with paying superannuation?
When employing staff, you need to factor in their superannuation costs, payroll tax etc into your budgets, and just like you pay their salaries, you need to put the superannuation away, ready to pay their fund quarterly. If you need
Neha Nayyar
Bookkeeper SUM AND SUBSTANCE www.sumsubstance.com.au 0401 409 573
CREDIT SCORE – WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT WHEN APPLYING FOR A LOAN?
MORTGAGE BROKERING
By Reece Droscher
A common reason why applications submitted to lenders get declined is because of an applicant’s credit score. A credit score is typically a number between 0-1,200 and is made up of several criteria – credit conduct history, the amount of credit enquiries, the type of enquiries made and the length of time the applicant has had access to credit. The higher the score, the more creditworthy you will appear to lenders. So how does this affect your ability to borrow money? To understand this we will look at each criteria in detail.
1. CREDIT CONDUCT HISTORY
The most important element to a good credit score is the repayment history on any existing loans or credit cards. This gives the lender a very good idea whether the applicant has been able to manage their finances effectively. Since the introduction of comprehensive credit reporting last year lenders are armed with more information on an applicant’s repayment history than ever before. If there is any history of late or missed payments this will now be captured and will negatively affect the credit score. Late or missed payments take around 30 days to be reported to the credit agency who manages this information, but this stays on your record for seven years, so poor repayment history may affect your ability to access finance for a long time.
2. THE NUMBER OF CREDIT ENQUIRIES
How often you apply for credit will also have an effect on your credit score. Lenders lodge an enquiry on your credit report whenever you apply for certain types of credit, such as a Home Loan, Personal Loan and credit card. The numbers of enquiries, particularly where you lodge several applications with different lenders for the same transaction, may indicate that you are desperate for funds or have been declined by other lenders. Large numbers of enquiries will have a negative impact on your score.
3. THE LEVEL OF DEBT
The amount of debt you have available, when compared to your income level, is considered when determining your credit score. Lenders use a calculation, known as DTI (Debt to Income Ratio) to work out whether an applicant can afford to repay a new loan. This also takes into account existing credit limits that an applicant may have but also may not be fully utilizing.
For example, having a credit card with a $20k limit means the lender has to consider the effect on an applicant being able to afford the repayments on a new loan, even though the applicant may not owe anything on the credit card. Because the applicant is not fully utilizing the card the credit score will not necessarily be affected adversely, but if the applicant was regularly maximizing the credit limit and slowly paying the debt down the lender would see this as a red flag when it comes to affording any new debt repayments.
Lowering your debt levels by paying loans off or reducing available credit limits will improve your credit score.
4. THE TYPE OF CREDIT ENQUIRIES
The use of buy now, pay later services like Afterpay and Zippay has been increasing significantly since they entered the Australian market. What a lot of people do not quite understand is that these facilities are a type of credit, and some of these providers will conduct an enquiry on your credit report to determine whether to provide you with a purchasing limit. Having a number of these enquiries on your report may have an effect on your credit score, particularly if there are any missed or late payments that are reported. Having multiple buy now, pay later facilities can also be a red flag to a lender, especially if they are being utilised regularly and significant payments are being made to cover the debt. Similarly, accessing any interest-free deals with retailers such as Harvey Norman will generate another credit facility which can negatively impact your credit score if not managed correctly.
5. THE AGE OF CREDIT HISTORY
The length of time an applicant has had access to credit may also have an impact on the credit score. If an applicant has had a credit facility for a number of years and has maintained a regular repayment schedule, with consistent on-time payments, this will provide the lender with surety that the applicant can manage their finances well and make payments. This will impact positively on the credit score.
HOW DO I IMPROVE MY CREDIT SCORE
There are a few ways in which you can help to improve your credit score, therefore increasing your chances of having an application for finance approved. These include:
• Make sure your repayment history is clear of late or missed payments. • Avoid submitting multiple applications for finance. • Do not max-out credit card limits. • Understand your budget and regularly review your credit facilities. • Cancel any unused credit you may have. Get rid of any old, repaid credit cards that you may have accumulated over time. • Regularly check your credit report to ensure there are no enquiries made that you are unaware of. There are many service providers offering the ability to access free credit checks so a simple Google search will help you find out how to access your score.
Reece Droscher
MORTGAGE BROKER www.shlfinance.com.au
Love, Compassion and Togetherness trumps Anger and Divide!
PARENTING
By Lesley-Anne Banton
With so much divide and civil unrest it is a time to come together despite how we individually choose to experience and perceive the world right now. Life is tough enough without the divide of our personal point of views around covid. What if we could show compassion, love, and respect, despite our differences of opinions? Could the journey out of this psychologically and emotionally could be through love, compassion, and togetherness?
On many levels and areas in life, there is stress right now and most of it comes from FEAR showing up when COVID showed up.
ET is an iconic film of an extra-terrestrial showing up after being left behind and his journey to get back home. The journey to get home for him was scary, unknown, and filled with uncertainty about the place he had been left behind in. He learns to trust those around him overcomes his fear, likewise, the humans around him build trust in him, rally around in love and compassion to keep ET safe and get him home. Likewise, there were a group who fear him, hunted him, wanted to capture him.
If we use ET as a symbol that represents our fear showing up having been triggered by the uncertainty of COVID being present in our lives and not knowing what could happen when this might leave us, and what it could do while it is here.
What is that your fear might need, in this unknown time? Fear is a part of you that can do unpredictable things to your thinking, perception, and actions, it can be a part of you that you shame, a part of you that you might be scared of as it might be alien to you, or let it become part of your identity when it never used to be.
How might your fear/ anxiety/ stress react to being on an unknown world – the world of covid and being screamed at, feared? What might it need to feel safe? What might it need to be ok with being there and understood?
In the film, ET quickly built trust with those around him, and without a full understanding of words, he felt love and secure enough to put trust in those around him to help him get home. It was love, compassion and togetherness that go him home.
How might you help yourself, your fear/ stress/ anxiety get back home? home to love trust and understanding?
This can be also true with many right now, as they are in panic and want to contain, ignore, or destroy their fear.
Fear and panic can be paralysing, it can cause you to run away from those trying to help you and towards those who don’t. Fear can also dominate your thoughts and prevent you from moving forward because you feel unsafe, unsure and can also make decisions that you wouldn’t normally make and be someone you normally wouldn’t be.
It was understanding, trust, compassion, and love that helped ET get home. What could help you to get back to a place that you know you are home within yourself? Is it love? Compassion? Understanding of where you are at? This might be easier said than done right now yet love and understanding helps us feel safe and secure in moving forward in our lives.
So how can we move from fear to love?
Notice
Awareness
Focus
In fear we might feel withdrawn, we might believe we have no choice, we are stuck, hopeless, attacked, angry, or in procrastination. We might also be forthright, overstep other people’s boundaries with words or actions. We might make irrational decisions and statements, act in a way to ‘protect' ourselves but hurt or disrespect others in the process, our bodies might feel a bit off, low in energy, or feel we want to take flight. Whatever it is for you one of the first steps is to NOTICE this. Notice where your thoughts and thinking are at, how your body is feeling, what are your actions doing?
Once you empower yourself with noticing yourself, your thoughts, emotions, and feeling are you give yourself the gift of awareness. With this AWARENESS, you can put words and understanding to where you are at and what state of mind and emotions you are in. You can then choose to change your thinking and focus to bring you back to love.
In this space ask yourself:
• What would love do? • What would compassion do? • If I was in a state of love or certainty, what would I do? What would I think? Feel? Act? • What if I showed compassion to those who have a different perception and opinion?
As you are asking yourself these questions breathe and FOCUS on yourself, calm your breathing and notice your body calming, bring thoughts of love, kindness, joy, gratitude, or whatever words bring a sense of calm and peace to you.
By bringing yourself back to a place of love and out of a state of fear you can navigate your world differently more empowered, and you could help those around you come back to a place of love come back to a place of feeling like home within themselves, bring back a sense of togetherness.
LACTATION CONSULTANT
By Dr. Joanna Strybosh
Perinatal health encompasses the time from pregnancy up to 1 year after the birth of your baby. In last months edition we began by looking at the signs and symptoms of postnatal depression (PND) and anxiety (PNA) and how parents describe the experience of these conditions.
We know that as many as 1 in 5 mothers and 1 in 10 fathers experience PND and PNA in Australia every year, and many experience both at the same time. Postnatal anxiety and depression can be frightening, confusing and isolating. Many parents with PND/PNA have said that it was difficult to distinguish what were “normal” thoughts and feelings and what where not.
Furthermore, many parents do not want to disclose their true thoughts and feelings, which keeps them from receiving the treatment they might otherwise need. Stigma around mental health illness, shame and guilt about “being a bad parent” can often keep parents from talking to their loved ones about what they are going through. And many who know they could do with some help find it very difficult to raise their concerns with their health care professionals.
But the sooner parents get help, the sooner they can recover.
So where do you turn for help?
PANDA’s National Perinatal Mental Health Helpline is Australia’s only free, national helpline service for women, men and their families affected by perinatal mental illness.
The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.
Their highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.
The Helpline is safe, secure and confidential. You can call from home, without needing to make an appointment or leave the house. Or you can call from your mobile while on the move. As well as providing comprehensive support from skilled counsellors, the Helpline can also provide information about other services in your area. This includes local medical services, mental health services and family services. The Helpline can connect you with these services. Call PANDA’s Helpline on 1300 726 306
For online help from PANDA go to
• panda.org.au • howisdadgoing.org.au.
Other recommend online resources include:
Websites
• COPE website at cope.org.au • What Were We Thinking website at whatwerewethinking.org.au • Mum Space website at mumspace. com.au • Baby Steps website at babysteps. org.au
Online programs
• MumMoodBooster is an evidencebased treatment for mums with mild to moderate perinatal depression • Baby Steps is an online program to support transition to parenthood.
Photo Credit: Motrek Bali, via Unsplashed
Apps
• Mind the Bump is a mindfulness app for use during pregnancy and early parenthood depression • • MindMum (for information see mumspace.com.au/when-youneed-extra-help)WWWT (What Were
We Thinking — for information see whatwerewethinking.org.au).
If this article has raised any concerns for you, please go to panda.org.au and take the online mental health check, and call PANDA’s National Perinatal
Mental Health Helpline1300 726 306 9am – 7.30pm Mon – Fri(AEST/AEDT)
You can call for yourself, or someone you’re concerned about. No diagnosis is needed to call.
For further help, please speak to your doctor, lactation consultant or maternal child health nurse.
Dr. Joanna Strybosch
Osteopath B.App.Sc(Clin.Sc)/B.Osteo.Sc/Grad Dip Paeds Lactation Consultant CHILDREN’S OSTEOPATHIC CENTRE 9876 3011 www.childrensostheopathiccentre.com
Interior Home Colour Trends For 2022
ARCHITECT
By Kathy Ismail
During the Covid lockdown, have you been staring at the same four walls, and thinking they need brightening up? With the weather warming up and the days becoming lighter, homeowners often use spring as the time to repaint the interior of their homes.
A fresh coat of paint can reinvigorate the whole house, or even just one room. Breathe new life into your older-style dwelling or make a bold statement in a large space.
Each year, paint companies and colour experts reveal their next-year picks for the shade that best encapsulates the current period. Their choices for colour of the year often draw on trends in pop culture, fashion, technology and design from around the world.
In the last two years, the Covid pandemic has certainly affected the way we live and has changed many aspects of decor. Hunkered down and isolated, people have begun seeing their homes as a refuge, a place that celebrates family, and that actually got more traffic due to breadwinners and kids being home all the time. The trend seems to be the need to change homes to create warm and safe spaces in an uncertain world.
Colours for 2022
Colours evoke different sensations. For instance, branding experts tell us that orange equals innovation. This year, online searches for green paint colours have more than doubled since 2020, indicating that homeowners are seeking colours that are calming and soothing.
Forbes magazine reports that, ‘in a year when we all need to breathe deeply’, the colour of the year will be ‘a tranquil, soothing, pale green hue’ that fosters feelings of coolness and peace: the colour has no warm elements. Soft and amenable to a vast range of colour pairings (think dark navy, natural stone tones and velvety greys), the peaceful shade evokes ‘sea glass and tranquil mornings’ that inspire us to enter the new year on a hopeful note.
However, the Australian paint manufacturer, Haymes, is predicting that we will see a ‘playful vibrancy and fresh optimism’ begin to enter interior spaces.’ ‘Powdered blue, shades of sunset pinks, aqua greens and mustard yellows will bring a sense of fun and lively energy.’ They suggest experimenting with shades like Contrast, Sunset Pink, Bloom, Remote and Faded Blue. ‘Blues, cool greys and greens are really having their moment, and will continue to as we enter the new year. So for a more toned-down colour selection, shades like Gumleaf Green, Remote Green, Campfire and Paradise Pool will allow you to play with colour without going too bright.’ Interior paint colours, unlike diamonds, are not forever. So, unless you love painting the inside of your home every year, the colours you choose will be around for a long time. For good reason, the most popular choices tend to be neutrals as they make a fantastic base on which to build your interior colour scheme, and they don’t date as quickly. Beware of choosing colours that are the latest fad. Think of orange and dark brown – yes, that was the seventies. Do you really live in a home that look dated within a few years?
What colour goes where?
Colours add such a strong presence to a home that choosing what goes where needs careful decision making. Personal choice obviously is your number one priority but consider also the layout and spaces in your home.
Is it long and narrow, is it open plan, does it have divided areas such as an upper storey or a granny flat annex? Different colours can be used to great effect in different rooms to create a sense of unified harmony; for instance, calm blues and pastels are appropriate for the calm atmosphere needed in a bedroom, whereas vibrant reds energise living rooms and display walls.
Unless you want to do a complete make-over, you will need to consider the colours of your existing furnishings and fittings. Align your colour cards against your cabinetry, flooring and tiles, door handles, taps and bathware. Silver-based taps and shower heads in a bathroom may require cooler tones whereas gold ones attract a warmer palette.
It can be so much fun choosing a whole new colour range – and after all the hard work of painting, you’ll love the results!
Contact KiR Architecture at contact@ kirarchitecture.com.au for help with planning your building projects. We are always happy to answer any inquiries.
KATHY ISMAIL
KiR ARCHITECTURE
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SIGNAGES
By Glenn Martin
The first step for any business that is trying to make sales, is getting customers in their store. Storefront signage grabs the attention of passers by, communicates information about your business, and promotes incentives. Your business’s signage represents your brand’s voice and tone. Signage helps bring cohesiveness to your branding by carrying out the same look and feel from your storefront signage to all other signage, and even your online presence. Signs allow you to highlight the visual association with your business. Even if you are a newly established business, your storefront signage can make a major impact on familiarity. Your business’s branding should be considered an essential part of your signage.
Marketing strategy is sometimes overlooked when businesses are creating budgets because money is one of those things that is hard to play around with. However, it’s worth establishing a specific amount of your marketing budget each year for signage, so that you can see the return on investment (ROI) in a concrete and quantifiable way, storefront signage is a great investment.
Here are 5 tips for designing storefront signage that captures attention, communicates the information about the brand, and drives more sales for your business.
1. Font matters . . . a lot. The most effective fonts for signs are pleasant on the eyes and don’t require the viewer to struggle to read the sign. You want to be direct and bold, but not aggressive. Unique, but not too unattainable. Fonts matter and set the stage for your sign.
2. Promote. Be honest, but also create a little wonder about your brand, sales, etc. by thinking outside the box. Make sure any promotions you are advertising in your storefront signage are clear and do not cause confusion.
3. Check out the colour wheel for a greater understanding of how colours can complement each other . . . or work against one another. Occasionally logos don’t transfer well to signs, so be aware of this when designing your logo and branding. Customers gravitate to signage that’s easy to process. Consider all the visual competition that your brand is vying for in our modern, highly visual world.
4. Location and size make a big
difference. Visibility is crucial and where you place the sign and how small or large the sign is will affect the draw. Drive past your intended sign location and look at it from a customer’s point of view. Are there any obstructions? Are you drawn to the location? Is your sign too big (or too small) for the location? Where you put your signage will make a difference in whether or not it brings customers into your business. 5. Stick to your branding. Your logo should be part of your sign. The colors and the fonts should align with branding all along the way. This is the best way to build customer loyalty – you want them to keep coming back. Remember, your business is competing with others in the same industry, so you want to stand out and be remembered when a customer has a need or a challenge.
Signarama takes great pride in working with businesses of any size to create signage that works for you. Our design team will help you be creative with your signage and highlight the story behind your brand within a budget you feel comfortable with. Contact your local Signarama to get the sign creation process moving for your business’s next major promotion, we’re here to help from concept to installation.
The Health Benefits Of Telling Stories
ACCREDITED EDITOR
By Susan Pierotti
Do you remember visiting your grandma – the smell of freshly baked biscuits, the comfy cushions, the stories she told you? Not everyone has ‘grandma’ memories like this, but many can recall with deep pleasure the moments they spent with their grandparents.
That time spent with the older generation has health benefits for both the older ones and the young. Each instinctively senses the vulnerability of the other and treasures the precious time together. The children have an adult they can confide in who is not the parent, and the older one and feels valued and more alive.
Old age should be a time of peace and happiness, just as retirement is a reward for living a long and fulfilling life.
Tim Costello once said, ‘The sign of a mature society is how it treats its animals, its children, its women and its elders.’ The German government was one of the first to recognise this by introducing an old age pension in 1889. Australia followed suit in 1908.
But for so many, the pension isn’t enough. Growing older also brings challenges. They can’t read as well, they have trouble keeping up in the conversation as they gradually become deafer, they can’t pick up things off the floor anymore because their hips don’t bend.
Worse than the physical deterioration is probably the emotional toll – the death of spouses, the loss of friends to dementia, unaccustomed isolation as neighbours move out of the area. The really sad thing nowadays it that so many grandparents don’t have any sort of relationships with their grandchildren due to divorce, business opportunities interstate and, lately, the COVID-19 lockdown.
Loneliness and the toll of physical decline are common issues for our elderly and lead to alarmingly high rates of depression among older Australians, as much as 10 to 15% of all people over 65 years of age. Not surprisingly, the rates of those suffering depression is higher among those in aged care facilities. And not only does isolation lead to depression – it also increases the likelihood of developing more severe dementia. Researchers have found that loneliness and social isolation also make a person more at risk of high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive decline and even giving up the will to live. they grew up and went to school can release a flood of fascinating information.
By assisting older people to tell their stories, you can give them that sense of value, social interaction and mental stimulation shown to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
However, not is all doom and gloom. As we grapple with an ageing population, studies are finding novel ways to improve mental health and quality of life among the elderly. One of those ways is story telling.
Since the early days of humankind, we have been telling stories around the campfire. Stories entertain and bind people closer together. They form the building block of our societies and cultures. They improve our capacity for memory and decision making. In fact, scientists say that our brains are hardwired for story telling.
Social interaction – no matter what form – increases a sense of value, especially among older people whose physical limitations prevent them from having the same access to the world around them they may have once taken for granted.
The Victorian Government Better Health website recommends reminiscence therapy, which is just a fancy way of describing sitting down with your loved ones once a week and asking them about their stories, their lives, what was important to them. Photos and simple questions such as asking them where Plus, in getting their stories into a form others can access, such as a small book, creates a published legacy that will live on for generations to come.
So, after the pandemic, if the lack of social interaction made you feel more lonely and isolated, think of how it may have affected your loved ones. Reach out, sit down with a cuppa and ask, ‘Tell me about…’
To find out more about how to help your elderly relatives bridge the isolation gap through storytelling, contact Susan at susan@creativetext.com.au.
Susan Pierotti
Accredited Editor Creative Text Solutions 0437 127 159 www.creativetext.com.au
Problems Your Garage Door May Be Suffering In Spring
GARAGE DOORS
By Chantal Djuric
When you hear of the term ‘spring cleaning’, you probably think of cleaning out cupboards, sweeping and dusting and possibly a few outdoor renovations.
One of your largest assets could also do with a spring clean – your garage door. Here are 8 things to watch and listen out for.
1 Odd sounds
If you hear your garage door making grating or scraping sounds, this could be an indication of a problem with the automatic opening mechanism. A regularly maintained, well tuned door moves smoothly and quietly. The springs, pulleys and cables on both sides of the door should be symmetrical.
2 Dirty tracks
Check if the tracks on both sides are clear of rubbish and rust. Use a plumb level to measure that they are level.
3 Loose brackets
A typical garage door opens and closes hundreds of times a year, even during Covid lockdowns. This up-and-down action can loosen the door and its brackets and fasteners.
4 Wear and tear on rollers and cables
Rollers along the edges of the door should be inspected at least twice a year for signs of chipping, cracking or wearing. Cables and pulleys should have no fraying, broken strands or any other indication of wear or damage.
5 Sticking door
All moving parts, such as pulleys, rollers and hinges, can seize up gradually over time. They need to be lubricated at least twice a year.
6 Door opener needs replacing often
If your garage door is not properly balanced, this puts undue strain on the door opening mechanism, which reduces its lifespan. To test if your door is balanced correctly, pull the release handle on the automatic opener and lift the door manually till it is open halfway. If it doesn’t remain still but slides down, it is unbalanced or the springs need replacing.
7 Auto-reverse not working
As a safety measure, all automatic garage door openers have an autoreverse function designed to stop and re-open it if an object in the path of the door is detected or it hits something while closing. You can test if this is working by placing a piece of wood (without nails!) under the door and close it. The door should stop and reverse when it senses the wood. Older garage door openers that lack this basic feature should be replaced immediately.
8 Worn weather strip
The rubber strip beneath the door helps prevent water, leaves, dust and dirt from entering your garage while keeping the temperature within regulated. Check its condition because, being made of rubber, it will wear out. One clue is to stand inside your garage (making sure you have an adequate exit plan!), bend down and see if light is coming through from underneath the door. This means there are gaps and that the rubber weatherstrip needs replacing.
How do I fix my garage door, and how often?
If you’re a weekend backyard hero, you may find it tempting to save a few dollars and attempt to address these problems on your own. But some of the problems
are downright dangerous to try fixing on your own; the others may look easy to fix but are not. Each garage door make and model has its own specifications that require precision, the right tools and the right parts. Though garage doors look hefty, they have delicate mechanisms that require minute finetuning procedures to have them running at their optimal best.
If you make a mistake when trying to solve your garage door problems yourself, you could end up with a nasty Christmas bill by damaging the mechanism or, worse, possibly end up in hospital. Adjusting anything to do with a garage door at all is really best left to a qualified garage door technician.
We recommend you book a regular three-month service for your garage door, whether it’s a domestic or a commercial one. That way, you won’t even have to think about any of the above! You can sit back, relax and enjoy the spring, knowing that all the things your garage door needs will have been attended to by a trained specialist professional.
For 24/7 garage door servicing, give Cruzin Garage Doors a call on 0427 894 603 or email us at sales@ cruzingaragedoors.com.au.
Providing A Safe Work Environment And The Risk Management Process
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY
By Mark Felton
As an employer you have an obligation to provide and maintain safe plant (machinery and equipment), provide and maintain safe systems of work, ensure the safe use, handling, storage or transport of plant or substances, keep workplaces in a safe condition, free of risks to health (for example, ensure fire exits aren’t blocked, and the worksite is generally tidy), provide suitable facilities for welfare, give your employees the necessary information, instruction, training or supervision to enable them to do their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health.
The law requires employers to eliminate risks so far as is reasonably practicable. To decide what is reasonably practicable, you must consider:
• the likelihood of the hazard or risk occurring • the harm that would result from the hazard or risk • what a person knows (or should know) about the hazard or risk, and ways to eliminate or reduce it • availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or reduce the hazard or risk • cost of eliminating or reducing the hazard or risk
Legislation stipulates the employer’s duty to consult. This includes: • sharing relevant information about
Health and Safety, as well as welfare with employees • providing opportunities for workers to express their views • allocating sufficient time for the resolution of Health and Safety issues • demonstrating that workers’ views are valued and taken into account
Many businesses may have a reasonable handle on this but you can have the best systems in the world but if these are not documented, how can you substantiate this? How can you measure and improve? How do you defend yourself when an employee has hurt themselves because of behaviours that are outside those that you have implemented? How can you see the competencies of employees? How can you determine when upgrades and additional training are required?
I can assist employers by reviewing their site with them, and the nature of the tasks carried out within it. Facilitate the development of policies, procedures and practices, as well as the implementation of protective measures. Check the effectiveness of any consultative mechanisms that are in place, and facilitate improvements to ensure that going forward they are sound and comply with the Act, and most importantly keep them and their employees healthy and safe, whilst boosting profitability. Please feel free to contact Mark Felton at Beaumont Advisory on 0411 951 372 or mfelton@ beaumontlawyers.com.au for an obligation and cost free initial discussion.
Consultation
Establishing the Context
Risk Assesment Process
Risk Identification
Risk Analysis
Risk Evalution
Risk Treatment
Monitor and Review
Mark has a varied work experience, including 12 years in manufacturing as a manager and 19 years as a financial planner. He uses his wide range of experience and knowledge to quickly identify the right course of action, and uses his expertise to help you solve any problems.
Areas of Expertise
º WHS/ OHS º Manufacturing º Regulatory Compliance º Safe Working Practices º Succession Planning º Business Management º Operations
Contact Details
mfelton@beaumontlawyers.com.au 03 9727 1376
www.thebeaumontgroup.com.au/lawyers/
PO Box 61, Mooroolbark VIC 3138
MARK FELTON
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY
Coffee – Nature’s Beauty Treatment
COMMERCIAL COFFEE MACHINE
By Ivana Smith
Part of your early morning routine may include exfoliating your scalp after shampooing your hair, and then applying a gentle facial scrub. Before you leave the house, you brush your teeth and remember to take with you a lip balm and a spritzer to refresh your skin during the day.
And all of that can be done with our favourite drink – coffee!
With the healthcare and beauty world promoting the value of natural and plantderived ingredients, it’s hardly surprising that coffee is infiltrating more products. In fact, there are several brands building their product lines entirely around coffee to great success!
Why coffee is good for your health
Caffeine is strong in polyphenol, an antioxidant, which means that it can reduce the aging and harmful effect of oxidation on and beneath our skin. The wide range of coffee beauty products available have some amazing benefits. They help burn fat, reduce redness and puffiness, exfoliate and deliver antioxidants to the skin, banish cellulite, helps stop hair loss and deepen brunette hair colour.
So, if you’ve ever thought that throwing out your coffee grounds was a bit of a waste, you can now use them to make easy-to-make beauty products at home.
Hair rinse and scrub
Brew a strong pot of coffee, let it cool completely and rinse your hair with it after shampooing. The coffee stains your hair dark so this will work for brunettes and those wishing to cover up their ‘silver strands’. This treatment can strengthen hair, help it to grow more quickly and leave it looking bright and shiny.
For a fabulous scalp exfoliator, massage half a cup of coffee grounds into your wet hair for two minutes, then wash your hair as normal. This not only feels heavenly but will get rid of dead skins cells and excess build-up of hair product.
Skin scrubs and masks
Rubbing coffee grounds on your skin removes dead skin cells and brightens your complexion. For extra moisturising, you can combine a cup of coffee grounds with six tablespoons of coconut oil and 3 tablespoons of sea salt or sugar. Another recipe is to make a paste of the grounds with olive oil and apply. This process improves the circulation and reduces acne, redness, fine lines, pigmentation and even banishes cellulite, all helping to prevent premature ageing. It’s gentle, effective – and smells delicious!
Try a coffee mask for a radiant and glowing complexion. Thicken half a cup of coffee with a few spoonsful of milk and apply for ten to fifteen minutes as a facemask. (Yes, it will be tempting to drink it!) Wash it off with lukewarm water. This gets rid of dead skin cells, leaving your face smooth and soft.
Puffy eyes can also be treated effectively with cooled coffee grounds. Apply under the eyes for a few minutes and rinse in cold water. This tightens the skin pores which reduces the puffiness.
Other coffee beauty treatments
If you drink your coffee black and strong, you’re already on a good health track. Coffee can fight against plaque-causing bacteria and prevent cavities. However, coffee does leave teeth stains so you will need to brush them immediately. delightful as a quick cool-down in the summer heat.
When coffee is massaged into the skin in a cream or serum, a chemical present in it called chlorogenic acid (CGA) can soothe sunburned skin and help heal skin that is prone to acne with its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
And you can even find coffee-flavoured lip balm.
People who are extra-sensitive to the effects of caffeine may want to avoid using coffee products over large body surface areas. For this reason, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you may want to avoid caffeine-containing beauty products.
Many of these awesome coffee health and beauty products are made in Australia. You can find them in your local supermarkets or convenience stores. Specialty stores and online are another good source.
For advice on coffee and how to supply it to office spaces and clubs, contact Ivana at ivana.smith@xpressodelight. com.au.
Ivana Smith
Commercial Coffee Machine Xpresso Delight 0418 393 085 www.xdcoffee.com.au
Personal Insurance – When does your policy really expire?
FINANCIAL PLANNING
By Warren Strybosch
It is important to note when your personal insurance policies expire as they don’t necessarily expire on your birthday.
When you receive your welcome email or acceptance letter from the insurer regarding your new personal insurance, we suggest you take note of the policy end date or expiry date. It will be clearly written in the letter and sometimes it is displayed on the renewal forms. Unfortunately, not all insurers state the expiry date on the renewal forms so it is easy for clients to forget when the actual date is; especially when some clients have held policies for over 20 years.
Often clients believe, especially if they have a policy benefit period up to age 65 that the policy will expire on their 65th birthday, when in it fact this is not the case; especially when it comes to Income Protection policies.
The ‘up to age 65’ is exactly that and most Income Protection policies expire prior to your 65th birthday, after you have turned 64 and when the next policy renewal date comes around. For instance, if I was turning 65 on the 1st of August and my renewal always occurred on the 1st of May, then my expiry date is going to be the 1st of May and not on my birthday. For those who hold policies up to age 70, it is the same principle but instead of expiring after age 64, the policy will expire after your 69th birthday at next renewal date.
This can catch clients out if they forget their actual expiry date and think it is their 65th birthdate. As an example, we heard of a situation where a client required hip surgery. He had Income Protection and was putting off the surgery until he was close to age 65. He was going to submit an Income Protection claim, as he was fully entitled too because the surgery would require him to take time off work when he had his surgery. Unfortunately, for him, he thought his Income Protection policy expired on his 65th birthday so he booked for the surgery prior to his birthday, when in fact, the policy had already expired in April. He was not impressed as he had forgotten the actual expiring date. What he also was not happy about was that the insurer never stated what the expiry date was on the renewal notices, and they do not send out any information prior to the policy lapsing. As such, the client had forgotten the actual expiry date, booked a date of surgery after the expiring date and missed out on receiving any income protection benefits for which he was hoping to get and had been planning on.
It is important to write down your expiry dates. We recommend placing them into your Calendar associated with your emails or mobile phones.
This information is current as at October 2021. This article is intended to provide general information only and has been prepared without taking into account any particular person’s objectives, financial situation or needs (‘circumstances’). Before acting on such information, you should consider its appropriateness, taking into account your circumstances and obtain your own independent financial, legal or tax advice. You should read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before making any decision about a product. While all care has been taken to ensure the information is accurate and reliable, to the maximum extent the law permits, Clearview and its related bodies corporate, or each of their directors, officers, employees, contractors or agents, will not assume liability to any person for any error or omission in this material however caused, nor be responsible for any loss or damage suffered, sustained or incurred by any person who either does, or omits to do, anything in reliance on the information contained herein.
Warren Strybosch
You can call them on 1300 88 38 30 or email
info@findretirement.com.au
www.findretirement.com.au
You can re-contribute COVID-19 early release super until 30 June 2030
If you were one of the millions of Australians who pulled money out of your super during COVID, the ATO has advised that individuals can now place those funds back into super without it affecting their non-concessional cap up until 30 June 2030. The will be called the COVID-19 re-contribution – a new type of contribution.
The ATO has advised that individuals can now re-contribute amounts they withdrew under the COVID-19 early release of super program. They are a personal contribution that we will exclude from an individual’s non-concessional contribution cap. The ATO also said individuals can make COVID-19 recontribution amounts to any fund of their choice where the fund rules allow.
