Hyacinth wants to know how Centrelink assesses her margin loan.
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Q. Hyacinth
How does Centrelink treat shares held by a pensioner that have been purchased with a margin loan?
A. As long as the security for the lending is shares, and there is no lending against your principal place of residence, then there is a clear relationship between the asset (shares) and the loan (margin loan). As such, the asset value can be reduced by the amount of the margin loan for Centrelink assets test purposes.
Borrowing to invest is not for the faint-hearted. The more you borrow, the greater the risk, as you have to repay the loan regardless of the performance of the investment.
Borrowing to invest only makes sense if the investment return (after tax) is greater than all the costs of the loan, such as interest and fees. If not, you are taking on a lot of risk for an overall low or negative return.
It is important to get independent financial advice when you are investing. If an adviser is connected to a company that they recommend you invest in, this investment may not be best for you. You can look at your adviser’s financial services guide to see any relationships or associations they have with other companies.
Have you ever borrowed money to invest? Did the strategy work out? Would you recommend it for others?
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