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BGL announces the launch of CAS 360 Hong Kong

By BGL Update, CAS 360No Comments

BGL is proud to announce the highly anticipated launch of its corporate compliance solution, CAS 360 in Hong Kong. 

“BGL has had a presence with our CAS Desktop software in Hong Kong since 2000” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “Our clients have been hanging out for information on when CAS 360 will be available to them in Hong Kong so I’m proud that we can today announce this will be Quarter 2, 2022.”

“The CAS 360 team has been working tirelessly to build CAS 360 for multiple jurisdictions” added Lesh. “We have released New Zealand, are in BETA in Singapore and next off the rank is Hong Kong. I’m excited we can bring this sensational software to Hong Kong in mid-2022. CAS 360 will streamline our client’s processes with innovative and unique technology. It will save them heaps of time so they can focus on their many, many other responsibilities.”

“CAS 360 will prepare all the forms, minutes / resolutions, registers and other documents required for the annual return and common changes made by Hong Kong companies” noted Lesh. “CAS 360 is the complete package and will provide the same incredible efficiencies for our Hong Kong clients as it does for 600,000+ companies in other jurisdictions”. 

To register your interest in CAS 360 Hong Kong, please visit https://pages.bglcorp.com/CAS-360-hk-express-interest 

3-day time frame for SuperStream still proving challenging

By In the Media, News, Simple Fund 360, SMSF AdviserNo Comments

Published by SMSF Adviser, powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
Written by Miranda Brownlee on 3 December 2021
Click here to read on SMSF Adviser website

3-day time frame for SuperStream still proving challenging

The three-day turnaround required for SMSF rollovers under the SuperStream requirements is still proving difficult, with around only 20 per cent of rollovers estimated to be currently meeting the time frame.

From 1 October this year, SuperStream became mandatory for all SMSFs to roll over super to and from their funds. The new standards require a trustee to roll over or transfer an amount no later than three business days after the trustee received the rollover or transfer request or if the trustee requires further information, the date the trustee receives that information.

BGL head of the Simple Fund 360 product Matt Crofts said complying with the three-business-day time frame has been a challenge for SMSF trustees and APRA-regulated funds as well, with a straw poll undertaken by BGL revealing that the majority of rollovers are currently not meeting the three-business-day turnaround.

“We just did a straw poll and we know that there are only around 20 per cent meeting that three-day turnaround at the moment. There’s been some good ones that have turned around in 48 hours which is fantastic but […] looking at the data, the vast majority, around 40 to 50 per cent, are coming through within a seven-day time frame,” said Mr Crofts in a recent SMSF Adviser Show podcast.

“I think as we get used to the system and used to the new process, I think that’ll improve.”

Mr Crofts also stressed that if the trustee doesn’t have all the information, then they only need to respond back within the three days.

“You might be missing information so as long as you’re communicating back and forth with the APRA fund, if its APRA or SMSF, if its SMSF to SMSF, then as long as you’re reaching out and making contact, that [meets] the strict definition of three days,” he explained.

He also highlighted the importance of having automated feeds with bank and wrap services in trying to meet the three-day time frame.

“You’re going to have a greater chance of being able to meet that requirement because you’ve got all the transactions there, so even if you don’t have all the information, it’s going to be a quicker turnaround [than] if you haven’t got any bank statements in front of you and you’ve got to scramble to get all that information,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of accountants and advisers communicating with each other through the process.

“If you’ve got a planner involved in the process, make them aware of what the software needs,” said Mr Crofts.

“[For example], one of the issues when you roll across to an APRA fund is that you’ve got to have the correct USI, the identifier for the APRA fund, so you may need to give them a checklist or give them access to the software.

“It’s also communicating to the trustee that if they’re going to get any queries from the APRA fund or from the accountant [that they need] to properly communicate that.”

SuperStream – Navigating SMSF rollovers

By In the Media, News, Simple Fund 360, SMSF AdviserNo Comments

Published by SMSF Adviser, powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
Written by Robyn Tongol on 1 December 2021
Click here to read on SMSF Adviser website

Navigating SMSF rollovers under SuperStream

With the SuperStream measures now in place, SMSF professionals play an important role in helping clients manage some of the practical issues with rollovers, such as timing.

Following the introduction of the SuperStream measures on 1 October 2021, release authorities and rollovers to and from SMSFs are now required to comply with new data and payment standards. With these changes bringing new challenges to the SMSF sector, hosts Aaron Dunn and Miranda Brownlee ask Matt Crofts, head of Simple Fund 360 at BGL, to share some key insights from a software perspective on what practitioners need to be aware of.

Listen now!

Innovation starts by listening to your customers

By BGL UpdateNo Comments

Foundstone Conversations Podcast

Real-world strategy conversations with organisation & industry leaders about their latest challenges, learnings & insights.

Innovation starts by listening to your customers with Ron Lesh

In this episode of Foundstone Conversations, host Andrew Bird talks to Ron Lesh, Founder and Managing Director of BGL Corporate Solutions, about why listening to our customers is important for any business.

Having decades of experience under his belt, Ron also shares about common mistakes made by young businesses as well as other insights he’s observed over the years.

Tune into this episode to learn about how customer feedback is key to better innovation and customer relationships!

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3o1bLsd
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3rmliwc
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3p97AKp

SMSFs hitting ‘roadblocks’ with rollovers under SuperStream

By In the Media, News, SMSF AdviserNo Comments

Published by SMSF Adviser, powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
Written by Miranda Brownlee on 1 December 2021
Click here to read on SMSF Adviser website

SMSFs hitting ‘roadblocks’ with rollovers under SuperStream

While the SuperStream measures have been in place since 1 October, there are some common issues impeding the rollover of money in and out of SMSFs, said an SMSF software provider.

From 1 October this year, SuperStream measures began to apply for rollovers and release authorities for SMSFs, with SuperStream now playing a much greater role in the sector.

The payment standards require trustees to roll over or transfer an amount no later than three business days after the trustee receives the rollover or transfer request.

While BGL head of Simple Fund 360 product Matt Crofts said that in the long term, the new payment standards would result in a more streamlined and standardised system between APRA-regulated funds and SMSFs, there are still some practical issues that are causing SMSF professionals and clients to be become unstuck.

One of the real sticking points, Mr Croft said, is with newly established funds. It’s important that SMSF trustees are notifying the ATO when establishing the fund, he explained in a recent SMSF Adviser Show podcast.

“It’s not just registering the ABN; it’s also going onto the ATO portal or getting the trustee to update the bank details when they’ve actually obtained them,” said Mr Crofts.

“The reason you need to update the ATO is because when you do a rollover, the APRA-fund or SMSF transferring the money will need to check the records to make sure the fund is complying, that it’s got bank account details and the member’s TFNs are correct.”

The other big challenge, he explained, is that the bank account needs to be in the super fund’s name.

“We’re not just seeing instances where the bank account details are missing. Sometimes the refund from an SMSF annual return is not in the super fund’s name, and it is in the individual’s name or the trust account of the firm,” he said.

There is also a range of roadblocks that SMSFs are hitting when trying to roll money out of the SMSF, he said.

One issue, he said, is where people have slightly different names with the ATO in an APRA fund scenario compared to when they are lodging their individual return.

“So we’ve seen a little bit of mismatch in that space, so it’s important that the SMSF trustee or their planner or accountant communicates with the APRA fund,” he said.

“It creates a few challenges when they’re not exactly sure what’s wrong when they’re trying to roll the money out; it could be the bank account details, it could be the member’s details, it could even be a non-complying fund that for some reason hasn’t lodged a return for a while,” he stated.

Speaking in the same podcast, Smarter SMSF chief executive Aaron Dunn said a lot of the issues all revolve around verification.

“So, if there is married name change, then making sure that it’s been updated in MyGov so that that stuff marries off, that it matches what the ATO has on its records [is important],” he explained.

“Even little things like if the rollover is going out and you set a particular amount that that rollover is supposed to be, then make sure that your banking transfer will allow for an increased limit for that money to go out because those things have to match off for the transfer to actually be accepted on the other side as well.”

The Human Touch

By Bec Loves CX, Homepage, IndustryNo Comments

Steve Jobs previously said, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology – not the other way around”. I could not agree more!

Too often we focus on simply getting the task done and we avoid putting ourselves in the shoes of our clients to truly understand what solutions the business should be providing.

To apply experience design, there’s a process involved and elements you need to consider:

  1. Research: Conducting studies, interviews, and observations to determine problem and cause. Ask questions and listen!
  2. Analyse: Review findings and re-define the problem. Sometimes step one can reveal that the problem you thought you had initially is far bigger than you anticipated.
  3. Ideate/ Prototype: Create ideas to solve the problem.
  4. Prototype/ Test: Put it to the test! Show your clients and take on feedback for the final solution.

The key takeaway I get from these steps is that it is vital to involve your clients in the process – this is type of design approach is referred to as ‘Human Centered Design’. We must involve our clients in designing their experiences to ensure we are providing them the right solution. You’d be very surprised how many of your clients would love to be involved in such initiatives.

It’s important to also recognize that not everyone knows where to start when it comes to this and if this is you, I encourage you to consider recruiting a person who has the experience (internally or externally) and is passionate about it.

Here’s a great example of the payoff this type of design process can achieve for your business:

A hospital in America wanted to know how they could ensure they were providing a pleasant experience for the patients that stayed with them. In pursuit of human centered design, they hired a professional experience designer to conduct research and provide recommendations.

The designer jumped into a hospital bed and placed a camera next to his head (in-line with what he could see) and spent a day in the life of a patient. Watching the footage back, he identified that for most of a patient’s day, all they saw was a dull grey roof. Fellow patients concurred that they were sick of looking at it. Imagine how bored you’d be!

Following the research conducted, the hospital had their roofs painted by a professional artist and eliminated the dull grey. Patients were delighted with the change and the feedback was nothing but positive. It gave them something else to focus on during what is usually a difficult time.

If the hospital hadn’t have hired this professional, odds are they would never have thought to jump into a bed and take a walk (or lay) in the shoes of a patient. Very effective and the return on investment was profound.

As we Australians head into summer, I encourage you to take a walk to your local park sometime this week, sit in the sun and watch this TEDx talk by Evan Fried on your phone. It’s 8 minutes long and will open your mind to designing experiences that solve problems. Get some vitamin D and a better understanding on how to tackle the next stage of your CX journey!

What services or products are you cooking up for clients that might need the human touch first?

BGL recognised as Most Innovative Fintech Company

By BGL Update, TechnologyNo Comments

BGL is proud to announce it has been recognised as Australia’s Most Innovative Fintech Company as part of the International Investor Business Awards 2021. 

“This is a great achievement by the BGL Team to be recognised as Australia’s Most Innovative Fintech Company” said Ron Lesh, BGL’s Managing Director. “Our team has worked tirelessly through 2020/21 producing heaps of sensational software for our clients and this award is a tribute to their hard work”.

BGL has received several other industry awards in 2021 including the Core Data SMSF Software Award for Simple Fund 360, AFR Australia’s 6th Best Technology Place to Work Award and an Australian Achiever Award for Excellence in Customer Service. 

“BGL won these awards as a result of the amazing work by our team,” added Lesh. “Over the past 30 years BGL has grown to become the leading provider of SMSF administration and ASIC company compliance software solutions in Australia and we would not be here without our amazing team of 180+ sensational committed professionals”.

Your guide to implementing tech in your practice

By UncategorisedNo Comments

There are many catalysts that might cause a firm to seek out new systems. That said, a number of common goals appear: the desire to streamline processes, improve internal efficiency, and save time costs to better help clients. The only problem is, it can sometimes be hard to choose the right tech to support those goals for your firm.

Head of Accounting and chartered accountant, Rebecca Mihalic, brings you the ultimate guide to choosing and implementing new tech for your firm. Rebecca has a wealth of experience and has been recognised as ‘Innovator of the year’ in the 2018 Australian Accounting Awards for using technology to support clients and her firm’s growth. This year, Rebecca was selected as the Accounting ‘Thought Leader of the Year’, recognising her contribution to the industry.

Read this guide to learn:

  • The step-by-step process you should follow to ensure successful selection, implementation and integration of new technology within your accounting practice.
  • The change management strategies to ensure your team are aligned, motivated and bought into the process.
Download Now

Enjoy the read!

Dave New
Head of APAC
Practice Ignition

Heffron adds new features to Super Toolkit

By In the Media, News, SMSF AdviserNo Comments

Published by SMSF Adviser, powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
Written by Tony Zhang on 15 November 2021
Click here to read on SMSF Adviser website

Heffron adds new features to Super Toolkit

Heffron SMSF Solutions has added new features to its Super Toolkit, including a new BGL integration and multiple subscription levels.

Drawing on extensive technical knowledge and understanding of SMSFs, Heffron is creating new tools for SMSF professionals, which contain unique features to guide users through the process of creating fully compliant SMSF documentation.

As part of the latest release, Heffron has added a Professional subscription level to the Toolkit offer. Subscribers can now manage access for multiple users from within a firm to collaborate in a single account. They will still be able to share documents with interested parties outside their organisation, like trustees or financial advisers.

Another feature of the Professional subscription is integration with innovative and award-winning SMSF software provider BGL. This technology will allow client details to be populated in the documentation as it is created, creating business efficiencies.

“We are excited about the next evolution of our Super Toolkit. Our intention is to provide tools that enable intermediaries and trustees to play the role they want to play with SMSFs,” Ms Heffron said.

“For some, this might simply be providing a compliance document. For others, it will be guiding them through the key decision points for a range of different SMSF events or activities (we’re calling this ‘guided decision-making’).

“The BGL integration is something we are extremely proud of. This will save our clients time by allowing fund and member data to be automatically pre-populated from BGL’s Simple Fund 360.

“We will continue to develop useful tools to help our clients with many aspects of their SMSF work.”

For more information, go to https://www.heffron.com.au/services/super-toolkit.