Million Dollar Payday

Dear Scott,

I am 24 years old and I earn $40,000 a year working part time. Today I received a lump sum of $1,000,000 (after costs) due to being run over by a car seven years ago. I need to pay around $5,000 a year in ongoing medical costs. How should I invest this money, and is it worth setting up a trust and a ‘bucket company’ that reinvests in itself?

Max

Hi Max,

First up, you won’t have to pay tax on the payout itself, but you will pay tax on any investment earnings you earn on it. Now, would I invest the money in a trust and then distribute the investment income to a company?

Possibly. The trust will give you asset protection benefits, and the company acts as a ‘bucket’ to theoretically cap your tax rate at the company tax rate of 30 per cent. But know this: it’ll also gobble up a few thousand dollars a year in fees to your accountant.

However, let’s not put the cart before the horse.I

f I were in your shoes, I’d keep it simple:

I’d buy a nice little unit for cash (say $500,000).I’d put $15,000 into Mojo (high-interest online saver account).

I’d put $25,000 into term deposits with different maturities to cover any medical costs within the next five years.

I’d also kick $25,000 into your super.

Then I’d invest the rest ($435,000 or thereabouts) into good-quality Aussie shares (either via a trust, or in your own name), tick the ‘Dividend Reinvestment Plan’ option (so your dividend earnings are automatically reinvested rather into more shares), and let your money compound.

Scott