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With 30 June approaching, now is the time to review your superannuation contribution options before the annual window closes. Most of the levers available inside super operate within a tight 12-month period, and several are use-it-or-lose-it; miss the deadline, and the opportunity is gone.

This blog walks through 10 strategies worth considering before the end of the financial year. Concessional contributions remain the most tax-effective way to grow super for most Australians, with the tax saving sharpening significantly at higher income levels. Catch-up contributions deserve particular attention this year: 2025/26 is the final opportunity to use any unused cap from 2020/21, and once that year's unused amount expires, it cannot be carried forward.

Other strategies covered include contribution splitting to equalise balances between spouses, increasingly important in the context of Division 296, non-concessional contributions and the bring-forward rule, government co-contributions for lower-income earners, downsizer contributions for those aged 55 and over, spousal contributions, small business CGT cap contributions, the First Home Super Saver Scheme, and transfer balance cap planning for those approaching or already in retirement.

The blog also covers contribution reserving for SMSF members and includes a practical checklist of steps to complete before 30 June. Contributions must be received and allocated by your fund before the deadline, not simply sent. Acting by 20 June is strongly recommended.

My new book out in mid-2026: To join the pre-order waitlist and get a bonus. More info go to: https://prosolution.com.au/book-preorder-bonus

Do you have a question for the podcast? Email us at questions@investopoly.com.au.

If you're interested in working with our team and me, discover how we can work together here: https://prosolution.com.au/family-office-services

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating on your favourite podcast platform.

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IMPORTANT: This podcast provides general information about finance, taxes, and credit. This means that the content does not consider your specific objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is crucial for you to assess whether the information is suitable for your circumstances before taking any actions based on it. If you find yourself uncertain about the relevance or your specific needs, it is advisable to seek advice from a licensed and trustworthy professional.

This episode brings together five listener scenarios united by a common thread: making sound financial decisions under competing pressures: income goals, asset quality, tax reform, and the desire for more time and freedom.

The first comes from a couple, both aged 40, with three investment properties and a growing ETF portfolio, asking what it will take to reach $200k in net annual income and reduce their working days as early as possible.

The second raises a technical but important question: under Division 296, are franking credits effectively taxed twice for those whose super balances exceed $3 million before they can access them?

The third involves a 50-year-old with an underperforming St Kilda East apartment that has delivered modest capital growth, ongoing negative cash flow, and rising body corporate costs, and whether selling and redirecting proceeds into super or a diversified ETF portfolio makes more sense than holding on.

The fourth scenario comes from a high-income couple in their mid-fifties with four investment properties and a fully offset home loan, questioning whether selling their northern Melbourne property could eliminate the need for ongoing contributions and create space to reduce working hours.

The fifth is one of the most complex scenarios the show has received — a self-funded retiree with a $4 million SMSF, a $2.8 million margin loan, and a carefully constructed strategy to reduce super below the Division 296 threshold before the tax takes effect.

My new book out in mid-2026: To join the pre-order waitlist and get a bonus. More info go to: https://prosolution.com.au/book-preorder-bonus

Do you have a question for the podcast? Email us at questions@investopoly.com.au.

If you're interested in working with our team and me, discover how we can work together here: https://prosolution.com.au/family-office-services

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating on your favourite podcast platform.

Subscribe to my weekly blog: https://prosolution.com.au/stay-connected

IMPORTANT: This podcast provides general information about finance, taxes, and credit. This means that the content does not consider your specific objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is crucial for you to assess whether the information is suitable for your circumstances before taking any actions based on it. If you find yourself uncertain about the relevance or your specific needs, it is advisable to seek advice from a licensed and trustworthy professional.

This special episode is a replay of a YouTube presentation which is a calm, numbers-led walkthrough of the 2026 Federal Budget - recorded roughly 40 hours after budget night - focused on the three proposals most likely to affect investors: negative gearing, capital gains tax, and family trusts. The deliberate frame throughout is that nothing is law yet, the political debate is far from settled, and listeners should resist making 20-year decisions on 40-hour-old announcements.

On negative gearing, you and Mena explain that existing properties are grandfathered, with a transitionary window to 1 July 2027 and carve-outs for new builds, commercial property and shares. The modelling is sobering: combining the proposed loss of negative gearing with the higher CGT cuts the after-tax internal rate of return on a typical investment-grade property from around 11% to 8.4% - a 24% drop - raising the question of whether direct residential property still compensates for its risks compared with superannuation.

On CGT, a minimum 30% rate (or an indexation method) applies across all asset classes from 1 July 2027, with cost-base resets, pre-1985 assets and the maths of indexation versus the old 50% discount worked through in detail.

On family trusts, the proposed flat 30% rate on distributions, combined with the loss of franking credit flow-through via corporate beneficiaries, could push effective tax on retained business earnings as high as 60% - the change you both flag as most likely to be wound back.

Other angles include why new house-and-land packages remain a poor investment despite their tax appeal, the likely (modest) aggregate impact on prices and rents, the 15–20% hit to borrowing capacity, bank credit-policy uncertainty, and why the family home and super become even more central wealth vehicles.

My new book out in mid-2026: To join the pre-order waitlist and get a bonus. More info go to: https://prosolution.com.au/book-preorder-bonus

Do you have a question for the podcast? Email us at questions@investopoly.com.au.

If you're interested in working with our team and me, discover how we can work together here: https://prosolution.com.au/family-office-services

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a rating on your favourite podcast platform.

Subscribe to my weekly blog: https://prosolution.com.au/stay-connected

IMPORTANT: This podcast provides general information about finance, taxes, and credit. This means that the content does not consider your specific objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is crucial for you to assess whether the information is suitable for your circumstances before taking any actions based on it. If you find yourself uncertain about the relevance or your specific needs, it is advisable to seek advice from a licensed and trustworthy professional.