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Welcome to Bruce Brammall Financial

It’s Dry July at the moment: what’s a financial “vice” that you could cut from your life for a month?

It’s the middle of winter. It’s freezing outside. If this is about sacrifice, I think we could cut out heating at home for the month … … by going to Bali! Which is where I’m writing this from. Cheating? Not in the spirit of things? Financial vices, hmmm. I haven’t got many. When I see […]

Were your returns super or normal?

Summary: The average investor posted before-tax returns of 7.86 per cent in FY15. No asset classes were negative, but unhedged currency assets won play of the day. Returns over the three years to June 2015 were stronger, with even conservative investors nudging 10 per cent. Sometimes a dreadful quarter can completely wipe a smile from your […]

Money for nothin’? You gotta earn it!

There is a period in every parent’s life where all vacations seem to be “holidays in hell”. Who would travel with kids by choice? Tired kids meet airport security. A truly volatile combination. I’ve never sweated more quickly than when I was forced to softly scream at my eight-year-old boy to stop talking about “blowing […]

What’s better? Tipping money into super or paying off a mortgage?

  Better questions. Who would you rather sleep with? Ladies, Brad Pitt or Matthew McConaughey? Lads, Jennifer Love Hewitt or Heather Locklear? If you’re straight, perhaps you answered a screaming “BOTH!”. If you’re gay or bi, you might have answered two, possibly more. If you’re a Gen Xer and answered one or less … then […]

Australians aspire to own their own home. How do you do it?

Oh, I dunno. Let’s ask a financial expert. The man in charge of Australia’s finances, Treasurer Joe Hockey. “If you’ve got a good job and it pays good money …” Um, Joe, had to punish you for that one again. You walked into it, buddy. The “how” you do it is dependent on only one […]

Now’s time to go hard, Gen-Xers!

I have a rule with Mrs DebtMan. Well, I have a few. So does she. And hers includes no mobile phones at the dinner table. She goes all Cujo-like – frothy at the mouth – if I receive 100 texts over dinner from the school-dad, punting-club “Turkeys”. Which is often. But one of my rules […]

Is all debt bad? What’s the difference between good and bad debt?

            All bad? Hell no! Stupid question! Are you bat-crazy, like Kanye West? Or just out-of-your-mind, like Charlie Sheen? Seriously? How can all debt be bad? If you’re not convinced, ask yourself the following simple question: “Who could buy their first home without debt?” A tiny fraction of 1 per […]

Don’t bust a cap

SUMMARY: Made a last-minute check of your superannuation contributions? Don’t delay. It’s not too late. Quite simply, none of us have enough time to do everything we want to do before 30 June. There’s only two weeks left. But there are tens of thousands of you who should make the following a priority. Arguably, anyone who […]

Which financial professionals do you need in your life?

Hire professionals? Why would a Gen Xer do that? We’re smart enough to do it ourselves. Plus, our careers and kids aren’t terribly time-taxing. We don’t need social lives, or to spend time with our partners. Thpppt! Crazy. Gen Xers need financial professionals, or need their heads read. Outsource the jobs you hate, won’t find […]

Play God with your tax this June 30

Less enjoyably than Father’s Day, but less unpleasantly than a birthday after 40, tax time pounces on us every year. Love it. Loathe it. Ignore it. Your choice. June 30 offers a series of little decisions, some of which can be short-term profitable, some are long-term profitable, while some allow you to “play God” with […]