In a low rate environment, the income or cash flow that an investment provides is important, particularly if you rely on this income to fund your living expenses. While comparing options, you must of course consider their investment horizon and the associated capital risk of the underlying investments over this period. But equally, you must not forget the potential for that income to grow over time.

To illustrate the vastly different potential outcomes over the long term, consider the analysis below from AMP Capital, when contrasting the results in 2016 from having invested $100,000 in December 1979 in either:

i) a one-year term deposit or ii) the Australian share market.

The term deposit would still be worth $100,000 and paid roughly $2,450 in interest, while the shares would have grown to $1.12 million in value and paid $51,323 in dividends before franking credits.

Are you eligible for the franking credit rebate?

Given the dividend imputation system in Australia, which effectively allows companies to pass on a tax credit to their shareholders for tax already paid, the effective after-tax dividend income received by investors may in fact have been more than outlined above. This would certainly be the case for an SMSF investor in pension phase whose income is tax exempt, and as such can take full advantage of the franking credit rebate to supplement their income.

The proviso is that if the investor is entitled to $5,000 or more of franking credits, they must have held the shares for at least 45 days (not counting days of purchase or sale, so in effect 47 days) to be eligible to receive the refund.

If you would like more information please call 1300 ELSTON or email info@elston.com.au and an adviser will be in touch.