written by Michael O'Brien

John worked 50 to 60 hours per week in his own business for over 30 years. He was in his 50’s and looked forward to his retirement at some stage, but didn’t know how to achieve this. On our advice, he was able to sell the major part of his business and by using capital gains tax concessions, was able to receive all the proceeds tax free. He invested the bulk of the funds in a superannuation fund, draws a non taxable pension and now plays golf two days a week and looks after his grandchildren one day a week.

How did we go about lifestyle planning for John?

• Assessed his existing lifestyle.
• Quantified his cash flow needs.
• Valued his business.
• Examined the tax implications of selling his business and researched the tax concessions available upon retirement.
• Assisted in the sale by producing a five year analysis of his profit and loss statement excluding any income or expenses not relating to his normal business operations.

Lifestyle planning is becoming a priority in our everyday lives. Nowadays, life expectancy is in the 80’s, so if we retire at 65, we have another 18 years to live.

Lifestyle planning should not only be restricted to retirement. What if I am only 30 years old and have another 35 years in business?

• Assess your existing lifestyle.
• Quantify your cash flow needs in retirement.
• Ensure your business structure will allow tax concessions from your retirement.
• Ensure you are paying the minimum tax possible.

The important thing is to plan your lifestyle, talk to someone who can review your situation and provide a different perspective. If you want to plan your lifestyle, contact Michael O'Brien at our office on 4396 4322.

written by Dale Brax

No matter what the topic, a well put together PowerPoint presentation will help you get the message across.

Here are some tips for creating a presentation that can assist.

• Don't write your presentation into bullet points for your audience to read, people will read faster than you speak. The bullet points should be a reference only.
• Keep the text large, 44 is a good starting point. Use colour, quality photos and video files. Try to avoid using the clipart especially pre 2007. PowerPoints sounds for transitions are also a no no.
• If you insert a movie file into PowerPoint it doesn't embed into the presentation it is linked, therefore take a copy of your presentation with any movies, audio files, pictures or graphs you have used.
• If there is an audio visual technician available, have them run your presentation through to ensure it all runs well, even some AV suppliers don’t keep drivers and codecs up to date.
• Be aware that if you create presentation from a Mac and run it on a Windows based PC images from the photo library or fonts may be lost. Better still use your Mac and Mac’s version of PowerPoint, it's called Keynote. It is far better.

Finally, there is nothing more important than rehearsal, time it and do it out loud.

written by Rod Wicks

Estate Planning is the process of planning and recording wishes for the distribution of wealth after death. A common misconception is that this refers only to the preparation of a Will. It is rarely so simple as many aspects of Estate Planning, such as dealing with Family Trust assets, superannuation and jointly held assets, require planning going beyond a Will.

Every family is different and there will often be unique issues that need to be addressed such as:

• special treatment necessary for a family member because of disability, addiction or other health issues;
• jewellery, family heirlooms, antiques and the like, needing to be dealt with specifically;
• business interests;
• family circumstances, as with blended families arising from second or third relationships;
• potential challenges to the Will; and
• the existence of a self managed superannuation fund or other

Trust Structure

Estate Planning is not for just the rich but affects all of us regardless of our circumstances. To leave our heads in the sand is a sure fire way to create the potential for emotional and legal trauma for our successors.

Aubrey Brown Partners
(Tel: 4350 3333) advises on how best to structure asset ownership and minimise exposure to risk.

Whether intentionally or not, within the first 5 minutes of meeting someone, we form an opinion of who they are and what they are like. How we portray ourselves to others when we first meet can stay with us a very long time!

Similarly, your business projects a 'corporate image'- the look and feel of the business to potential customers. Your corporate image explains what you do and positions you against your competitors. There are a few simple things you can do to ensure you are projecting the right image:

• Your business name is important. Is it telling the right story? It should be a simple description, clever, memorable, ideally a combination of all three.
• A company logo is an excellent tool for carrying a unique theme through your business and is the essence of a good corporate image.
• A strong corporate colour is essential. It needs to be used consistently in everything you do, particularly promotional material.
• You should have a tag line - a few simple words that make a statement about your business, it should be short and sharp.
• Finally, your corporate headquarters or office. Whether you own it or lease it, your business premises project a corporate image. What kind of image would be projected if your business occupied a 1970's building which has never had an interior refit or external renovation? It is easy to get used to your surroundings and not realise that over the years your work environment has become tired and outdated.

Every 5 years you should ask yourself 'Does our office accurately reflect the corporate image we want to project?'

At Project Works Design, we can design an upgrade of your existing premises or a completely new building that accurately reflects your corporate image. By using architectural features and your corporate colours we can transform the image of your premises.

If you would like to discuss the possibilities, please call Graham Mann on 0412 637 875.

Project Works Design Pty Ltd - Architecture, Interior Design
Project Management.