Gen X and Y SMSF trustees turning to property

Jill Orr, a certified financial planner who works for property investment company The Investors Club, says she has witnessed an uptick in people under the age of 45 looking to take greater control of their retirement funds.

“The SMSF sector has typically been dominated by baby boomers with high-worth assets, but increasingly it’s a younger generation that are looking to SMSFs,” she said.

“Some have come to the realisation that their current retirement strategies may not meet their lifestyle preferences.

“Others are dismayed with their superfunds performance or the past losses of the share market during the GFC. For many, a SMSF offers a way to take a more active role to manage their most important life asset.”

Orr said many of these younger-generation SMSF trustees are allocating their investable funds into direct property, to avoid the capital gains tax.