I’m about to return to Australia after 20+ years of expat living, working, and investing. My wife and I have two properties unencumbered in Australia. We plan to live in one and sell the other, as we don’t want the headaches associated with being a landlord.
If the clear priority is income generation, then I would set up an investment portfolio using a wrap facility with a mix of US, and Australian share exposure, perhaps combined with some infrastructure and listed property holdings. US shares would make up the largest exposure, as historically, they have produced the best long-term growth outcome.
If an unstated requirement is that your capital is preserved, then you would likely go with an Australian share portfolio, with a bias towards high-yielding investments, such as the banks.Note, however, that whilst this will produce income for you, the income will be lumpy, with companies only paying dividends six-monthly, and somewhat unpredictably.
Next month, I will receive an inheritance from my mother of approximately $180,000. My preference is to allocate $150,000 to super. There are various caps and limits to be mindful of here, but from the information you’ve provided, it would appear that you could contribute $150,000 into super as a non-concessional contribution. There is no tax levied on this contribution type.