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Welcome to Bruce Brammall Financial

What is the rudest thing somebody has said to you about money? How did you react?

“Can’t you afford to drive something better than that? What the hell is it?” (One expletive has been downgraded from that quote.) The Holden Epica is tough to recognise, because so few have sold. It sorta resembles a Commodore from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”. Or a Cruze beefed up on Hulk Hogan’s cast-off ’roids. […]

A super change to avoid death and taxes

PORTFOLIO POINT: A death-tax removed! A major tax win for super pensions was a pleasant surprise in the recent mini-budget. How often would a government tell the Tax Office to back off on legitimate revenue raising? In terms of animal species, it would certainly be classed as “rare”. It would probably be considered “endangered” if […]

It’s easy to suffer from information overload these days. Where can your generation get the best free advice?

The “best” advice is rarely free. And “free” advice is rarely the best. To quote Tom Hanks in Apollo 13, “Houston, we have a problem”. The best advice is tailored to your situation. And that’s generally going to involve a financial adviser and a cost. It’s one-on-one stuff. Advisers don’t work for free, but are […]

How your children keep you poor

I’m guessing that when a small child urinates in a public pool, as they do, they’re thinking: “Hey, who’s going to notice one little wee in a pool this big?” “Even if I peed 2.7 times, who’s gonna know?” The little brats, sadly, are spot on. We won’t notice. The problem with public pools is […]

Memory loss affects some Generations more than others. What key things do investors often forget?

You know, I know where this question wants us to go. But I’m just not sure that it’s right. The obvious answer? “They forget about the unbreakable relationship between risk and reward. And they forget about pain.” But is it forgetting, if you’ve never experienced it before? Every time a stock market really, really soils […]

Secret out on indexed funds

Investment Wars, episode whatever. Cue the starting rolling credits. “In the never-ending battle of good over evil, of investment performance over opportunity cost, for positive returns over capital losses, in the hope that financial dreams triumph over budgetary nightmares …” Today, I bring you the most powerful investment philosophy of all time. Bizarrely, and sadly, […]

Property trusts versus direct property – what’s your preferred option for real estate investment and why?

Oh, no, no, no! That’s not the right question. Try these. Would you rather cycle across town … or take a chopper? Do you want to holiday at home … or in strange/exotic foreign locations? Would you rather eat toast … or phantasmagorical street-vendor food in Phnom Penh? Bikes, downtime at home and toast are […]

Living today, paying tomorrow: A super dilemma

PORTFOLIO POINT: Have Australians “outsmarted” superannuation? Here’s a compelling argument for compulsory annuities. What happens when the best of intentions from our elected representatives is beaten by the people’s own mathematical ingenuity? What if someone forces you to save money against your will, but given the knowledge that those savings will eventually become yours, you […]

Which Generation would you trust the most to give you good financial advice, and why?

Or, I could ask, which one would you rather slap in the face with a huge cream pie? Easy! Boomers, of course. They got everything delivered to them. They raped and pillaged the planet. They created financial disaster after economic catastrophe. Actually, I don’t believe that. All up, Boomers have done a pretty good job […]