If your partner is earning a low income, working part-time, or currently unemployed, boosting their super could be a smart financial move for both of you. When your partner isn’t earning much, or is out of work, their super might not be growing enough to support them in retirement. By contributing to their super, you … Read more
US tariffs are poorly designed, badly implemented and are already damaging both the US and global economies. The economic damage will only get worse as uncertainty further undermines business and consumer confidence and results in dislocation of global supply chains. Determining the extent of economic damage, and financial market implications, is difficult because we don’t … Read more
Global Global markets whipsawed following the “Liberation Day” tariff announcements on April 2, and subsequent developments throughout the month. Volatility was rife and trading volumes were robust. The Volatility Index (VIX) spiked to a 5-year high of 57.8 on April 9, though ended the month sub-25. This move came as markets responded to several significant … Read more
One of a property lender’s most important jobs is to make sure a borrower can manage the typical home loan term of 30 years. This becomes even more critical from the age of 50 because that 30-year term can see a borrower well into retirement. We have a retirement age in this country of 67, … Read more
There are no prescribed steps for winding up an SMSF, however there are a number of specific requirements that must be satisfied. Overview There are a number of reasons why a fund may need to be wound up including: The members have insufficient assets to justify having an SMSF. Running the SMSF has become too onerous. The … Read more
There are many benefits to receiving an Age Pension or even a part pension, but there are limits to what level of income or assets you can have, to be eligible. Regarding assets, the key limits as at 20 September 2024 are as follows: To receive a full pension, assets (excluding the value of the … Read more
How do you find the sweet spot between using your retirement savings to enjoy a comfortable standard of living, and investing so you won’t run out of money in the future? It’s a big question for many retirees. Two in three retirees (69%) are concerned about running out of money in retirement, according to new … Read more
For many investors, the promise of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing has been evasive. Confusion around what “ESG Investing” actually is has led to many investors becoming disillusioned with their portfolios. So, what is “ESG investing”? Is this the same as ethical, responsible or green Investing? The straightforward answer is ‘no”. Unfortunately, many in the industry … Read more
Megatrends are long-term structural changes that affect the world we live in. Importantly, they shape communities but they also create investment opportunities and risks. Learnings from historical megatrends include: 1) they often solve a problem through innovation; 2) the scope of the megatrend can initially be underestimated; and 3) the duration of a megatrend is … Read more
Geared share funds are high risk and high reward. When share markets are doing well, the returns can be very high, but the opposite is also true. We look at the pros and cons, and the role of geared share funds in a diversified investment strategy. Geared share funds can be a great way for … Read more