You have hit on a pet topic of mine - and I see you have already read a bit on what I've done. I've been pretty quiet on MM, but still active in my saving/investing.
My current structure and rationale is:
- Salary sacrifice the maximum (25k/year for my age) into my SMSF. I own my highest yielding shares here, with income quarantined at the 15% tax rate. This is slated as my "old man" money, with a goal of being able to fund my life from age 60 onwards. No gearing here.
- Holding company. I pay part of my income (about $70k/year pre-tax recieved as a dividend) into this company via the trust. This all gets invested in stocks (mostly higher yielding ones, dividends reinvested). Its quarantined at the 30% tax rate, and the franking credits stay on account that I can draw down if I have lower income periods before I turn 60. The main advantage of this is lower immediate tax rates, and shifting income from a high tax rate period of my life to a lower tax rate period. No gearing here.
- Own name. I own mainly low yielding stocks in my own name (largely international ETFs, lower yielding Aus stocks or Australian shares with BSPs). Lots of gearing here, and deductible margin debt. Paying down this margin debt is a focus for me.
- Family trust. Once I get my margin levels under control, I'll be adding new investment in the family trust. That way I can stream tax deferred and capital gain distributions to me, and regular income to the company. If my family mix changes later, I can then stream income to whoever the lower tax party is. That's important, as that may not be the same person in 20 years, as when I'm buying the assets.
I suspect that you might get some longer term benefits from investing through a family trust - it will mean you can split that income at your discretion in future (i.e. split it evenly to both you and partner once not working), as opposed to buying directly in your partners name (and having the future income all stuck there). It also offers some benefits of asset protection, both from external claimants (someone sues you for something), and internal (your partner and you may live happily ever after, but you can guarantee that most divorcees felt the same way at some stage through their relationships). It also helps with capital gains management if you are wanting to leave something after you pass away (depressing thinking about that in your 30s)