July to September always seems to pass so quickly for me. I think it’s because SMSF conference season kicks off in earnest and our technical team is in full swing preparing for our Super Intensive Day. We’re now two events down (Melbourne and Brisbane) with Sydney to come next week on 8 September, finishing with the Virtual version on 10 September. (Readers who know my colleague Leigh Mansell will have noticed we’re giving her a day off from presenting on her birthday on the 9th).
We were thrilled to sell out all our in-person events this year – thanks to those of you who came along live. Don’t forget, there are a whole lot more sessions available on our Virtual Day. This time, we’ve organised the agenda so that apart from the very first session (9am – 10am AEST), there is something new in every timeslot even if you’ve already attended the in person sessions.
There are still tickets available for our Virtual event but I’m hoping even those might run out. We’ve only hit our Zoom limit once this year but it would be nice to do so again. You can register here if you're interested.
I really enjoyed putting the finishing touches on my modelling for one of my sessions – it’s largely about comparing super to non super savings vehicles post the introduction of Division 296 (1 July 2026), CGT changes (from 1 July 2027) and new tax treatment for trust distributions (proposed from 1 July 2028 but not yet legislated). Those three have really changed the (tax) world our clients live in.
And of course, while my mind might be firmly in excel, we also had the announcements from Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Daniel Mulino, on 19 August (you can read my colleague Natasha Panagis’ excellent blog here : SMSF Reforms 2026: 7 Key Changes Every Trustee and Adviser Needs to Know | Heffron).
It seems the Government means to make some changes impacting SMSFs as part of its response to the Shield and First Guardian collapses. On balance, I feel those changes fall into the “could have been worse” bucket. Clearly the Government needed to take action (and be seen to be doing so). There was no way – politically – they could leave SMSFs out of the mix. Against that backdrop, the changes seem broadly sensible and low impact for clients genuinely intending to build retirement wealth in an SMSF. Lyn Formica will be giving us an update on these in her session at the Virtual Super Intensive Day.
We’ve been fortunate to have the support of some excellent partners as always : Class, TOA Global and BT along with ASF audits, AuditSave, Evolv, Growthpoint Properties and True Market. Not only are these all great businesses with services already used by either Heffron or our clients, but their support is essential in making the event possible. If you’re attending the event, I hope you’ll spend some time exploring our sponsors to discover whether their services might also be valuable in your business. If your needs are similar to ours, and our clients, I expect they might be.
SID Virtual brings Heffron’s flagship super and SMSF training to you – built for practitioners who want practical insights, to complement the theory. Running since 2007, it’s designed to help you cut through complexity, stay ahead of change, and confidently advise and implement. Register now.