Legislate to remove lump sums – lawyer
The Federal Government should consider legislating to require superannuation retirement benefits to be paid as pensions rather than lump sums, according to leading specialist superannuation barrister Noel Davis.
Writing for Money Management's sister publication Super Review, Davis said he believed such a move was necessary to ensure that superannuation benefits were actually applied towards providing retirement income.
"Under the current largely lump sum regime, lump sums get spent, in many instances, in ways that have no relationship to retirement income, including on holidays, house renovations, purchase of consumables, gifts to family members etc," he said. "The result is that retirees who have had superannuation benefits funded by employers end up receiving the aged pension and associated benefits, when they could have been living off a superannuation pension."
Davis said that at the same time, others invested lump sums in ways that resulted in investment losses — sometimes of the whole amount, with an example being a lump sum spent on acquiring a business that ends up in liquidation.
He suggested that trustees and insurers should also review the payment of total and permanent disablement benefits as lump sums in circumstances where such amounts were spent quickly and not in a way to provide income to a person who could no longer work.
Recommended for you
AMP is to launch a digital advice service to provide retirement advice to members of its AMP Super Fund, in partnership with Bravura Solutions.
Unveiling its performance for the calendar year 2024, AMP has noted a “careful” investment in bitcoin futures proved beneficial for its superannuation members.
SuperRatings has shared the median estimated return for balanced superannuation funds for the calendar year 2024, finding the year achieved “strong and consistent positive” returns.
The second tranche of DBFO reforms has received strong support from superannuation funds and insurers, with a new class of advisers aimed to support Australians with their retirement planning.
