Fern Financial

08/06/2026

If your super balance is under $500,000, you may be sitting on years of unused concessional cap space that you can contribute today — but a quirk of the rules means you could lose access to the oldest year's cap if you don't act before 30 June 2026.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆-𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
Every Australian can contribute up to $30,000 per year into super as concessional (pre-tax) contributions. Any unused portion carries forward for up to five financial years, and you can "catch up" in a future year when you have the cash — as long as your total super balance was under $500,000 at the prior 30 June.

That means in FY2025/26, you can potentially access unused cap space going all the way back to FY2020/21. Across five years, that's a significant amount of extra concessional cap on top of this year's $30,000.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀
The carry-forward window rolls forward every year — and to keep the oldest year in play, you need to have maxed out your concessional contributions in the current year.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁
This is especially relevant if you had low or no concessional contributions in FY2020/21 — a year when COVID disrupted employment and income for many people — or if you're self-employed with irregular super contributions, or took time out of the workforce for parental leave, study, or illness.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Log into MyGov and check your carry-forward cap balances under the ATO section. If you have unused amounts from FY2020/21 and you're in a position to use the cap space now, a personal deductible contribution before year-end can be a powerful way to reduce your taxable income while boosting your super balance.

𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵.

13/04/2026

10 years. Wow. 🎉

Last month we celebrated 10 years of FERN Financial!

To every client who placed their trust in me, every business partner who believed in what I was building, and every friend and family member who cheered me on (and put up with me!) — thank you.

Here's to what's next! 🥂

29/07/2025

NEW BLOG POST: Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have become an increasingly popular investment choice among Australians for their simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and diversification benefits.

Whether you’re just starting your investing journey or looking to expand your portfolio, ETFs can offer exposure to a wide range of asset classes and markets with relatively low fees.

This guide will walk you through the basics of investing in ETFs in Australia.

Whether you’re just starting your investing journey or looking to expand your portfolio, ETFs can offer exposure to a wide range of asset classes and markets with relatively low fees. This guide will walk you through the basics of investing in ETFs in Australia.

24/07/2025

As of 1 July, the compulsory super contribution has increased to 12%. That means more money heading into your retirement fund, great news for future you.

But with this change, there are a few things to keep an eye on:

Is your salary package inclusive or exclusive of super?

If it’s inclusive, you might notice a slight dip in your take-home pay.

Are you salary sacrificing into super?

This increase could push you closer to the concessional contributions cap meaning now’s a good time to review and adjust if needed.

If your payslip looks a little different this month, this might be why!

03/03/2025

Building an emergency fund isn’t about perfection - it’s about progress. Start small, be consistent, and before you know it, you’ll have a solid financial cushion.

Future you will thank you for it, so here's how to get started!

Life has a funny way of throwing curveballs, and when it does, having an emergency fund can be a total lifesaver.

11/12/2024

As we head towards the end of 2024, let’s take a look at how property markets performed over the last year – and what’s being tipped for 2025. 🏡

As we head towards the end of 2024, let’s take a look at how property markets performed over the last year – and discover what the experts say may lie in store for home prices in 2025.

09/10/2024

They say patience is a virtue. But the narrator of the poem that coined that famous phrase was an idle vagabond – not exactly an aspiring homeowner. So, here are four impatient ways you could fast-track home ownership (all while keeping your virtue!). 😅

Planning to buy your first home? It takes (on average) about five to six years to save a deposit at present. But who’s got the patience to save for six years? Today we’ll look at four ways you could fast-track home ownership.

03/10/2024

Thinking of holding off buying until interest rates fall? Wait until you see what could happen to home prices. Here’s why it could make sense to buy sooner rather than later if you’re home loan-ready. 🏡

Thinking of holding off buying until interest rates fall? Wait until you see what could happen to home prices. Here’s why it could make sense to buy sooner rather than later if you’re home loan-ready.

05/09/2024

When it comes to home loan features we’re spoiled for choice. Even basic loans can come with a fisherman’s basket full of options. But one feature in particular is being targeted by seven out of 10 home buyers. 🎣

When it comes to home loan features we’re spoiled for choice. Even basic loans can come with a fisherman’s basket full of options. But one feature in particular is being targeted by seven out of 10 home buyers.

14/08/2024

Want to grow your investment portfolio but have most of your wealth tied up in your family home? You may be able to leverage recent gains in the property market as equity for an investment property. Let’s take a look. 👀

Want to grow your investment portfolio but have most of your wealth tied up in your family home? You may be able to leverage recent gains in the property market as equity for an investment property. Let’s take a look.