Advanced retirement tax strategies & wealth protection

Protect your nest egg from government changes like the Division 296 tax and Capital Gains Tax. Advanced tax minimisation strategies for everyday achievers, high-net-worth retirees and business owners.

Retirement tax strategies

It’s not just what you earn, it’s what you keep.

Tax rules can be complex, but getting them right is one of the safest ways to boost your retirement savings. An investment is “tax-effective” if you end up with more money in your pocket after the tax bill is paid.

Strategic ways to boost your super and reduce taxation

The government current allows you to contribute up to $30,000 annually into your super at a lower tax rate (the “concessional cap”). There are two main ways we help you reach this:

Salary Sacrifice (The “Set and Forget” Method): You arrange for your employer to put a portion of your pre-tax pay directly into your super. You only pay 15% tax on that money instead of your normal income tax rate, which could be as high as 47%. Because it happens before you get paid, it’s a disciplined way to save.
Personal Deductible Contributions (The “Flexible” Method): You contribute money yourself from your bank account and then claim a tax deduction for it when you lodge your tax return. This is perfect if you have irregular income or want to wait until the end of the financial year to see how much you can afford to “top up”.

How we help you maximise your after-tax wealth

Tax-Free Retirement (Age 60+): Once you turn 60, the rules change in your favor. Most income payments and lump-sum withdrawals you receive from your super fund are entirely tax-free. We help you manage the transition to ensure you trigger this “zero-tax” phase correctly.

Franking Credits (The “Retiree Bonus”): When you invest in Australian companies that have already paid tax on their profits, they attach a “franking credit” to your dividend. If you are in the pension phase (where your tax rate is 0%), the ATO can actually refund those credits to you in cash. This effectively boosts your investment return without taking on extra risk.

Washing Away the “Death Tax”: Australia has no formal inheritance tax, but a “hidden” tax often hits superannuation left to adult children. The “taxable component” of your super is taxed at 17% when paid to non-dependant heirs. On a $500,000 balance, that is an $85,000 loss to the tax office. We use “re-contribution” strategies to “clean” your super balance now, ensuring your family receives their full inheritance tax-free.

How can business owners convert their wealth into retirement savings?

Small business owners can convert business wealth into retirement savings by leveraging specific Capital Gains Tax (CGT) concessions designed to reward long-term entrepreneurship.

These rules allow you to reduce or eliminate the tax owed when selling your business, provided you meet certain turnover or asset thresholds. The real power lies in the ability to flow those tax-free proceeds directly into your superannuation using a specialised lifetime cap, which bypasses the usual restrictive contribution limits.

Essentially, it transforms the value of your business into a liquid, tax-protected nest egg during your transition to retirement.

Our role: strategy vs. accounting

It is important to understand how we work alongside your other professionals. At Sunlit Path, we act as the architects of your overall financial strategy.

What we do: We provide Tax (Financial) Advice. This means we look at the big picture, like how to structure your investments and super to minimise tax over the next 20 years.
What we are not: We are not Tax Accountants. We do not prepare or lodge annual income tax returns or provide specific business accounting services.
The Partnership: We act as your “Project Manager,” coordinating with your accountant to ensure the strategy we build is executed perfectly in your annual tax filings.
Is our advice tax-deductible? Under current 2026 ATO guidelines, portions of our fees may be tax-deductible if the advice relates to managing your tax affairs or producing assessable income. We provide itemised invoices to make this easy for your accountant.