PORTFOLIO POINT: SMSF trustees don’t have time to relax. They might need to take up arms against industry super funds next. The constant battles faced by trustees to protect SMSFs and their investment sphere must be getting exhausting for everyone. Earlier this year it was lobbying to keep imputation funds from being scrapped. A few […]
Who are you more like? Actor Rob Lowe, a pioneer of celebrity sex tapes? Or Pretty In Pink’s Molly Ringwald, who moved to France to marry a Frenchman? Both risks were career suicide, though they didn’t know it at the time. Rob’s underage ménage-a-trois video cost him a decade. And has anyone found Molly yet? […]
You want a tough couple of years? When Cold Chisel split – that was a tough decade for an 80s Australian teenager. The rough patch for managed funds only reflects the difficulty in all investment markets. It hasn’t been a bed of roses for anyone in direct equities or property anywhere on the planet. Managed […]
PORTFOLIO POINT: Super contribution and pension strategies are going to need constant tinkering to stay one step ahead of Rudd Government legislation changes. Considered research continues to highlight the difficulties being encountered by Australians trying to work within the new contribution rules to provide for their retirement following the Rudd Government’s halving of the concessional […]
Woo-hoo! The end of the “boost” portion of the first home buyers’ grants can’t come soon enough. Like the last mouthful of an unpleasant dinner when you know there’s a great dessert to come. Cash incentives to buy are a false economy for home buyers – they will pay more for their property. Therefore, the […]
Ford Prefect from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy said it best: “Don’t panic! Don’t panic!” Household debt levels tend to rise through your 20s and 30s – home, investment and business loans, plus lifestyle debt – then peak in your 40s before debt is reduced going into retirement. Therefore, rising interest rates will disproportionately negatively […]
PORTFOLIO POINT: Residential property and your SMSF … today, we sort out a few misconceptions. There must be a great sociological explanation for Australians love of dirt, bricks and mortar. But I’ve not yet heard it. In unequal parts, it’s about security, because we understand property as an asset class, it’s less volatile than shares […]
If you’ve ever been on one of those Hollywood-hippy, vitamin-enriched, strict fruit and vegetable juice diets, then you’ll know why Australia could do with a recession. For the rest of you Gen Xers (including me – no way I’d drink that gunk), think about an ocean swim with a hangover. It’s about cleansing. A recession […]
Life is about learning and most of us like to achieve those little milestones at our own pace. Some pick up things fast, some slow. And some, not at all. When it comes to drinking, I’m Sean Connery. I’ll “never say never again”, as doing so would threaten way too many social (and business) opportunities. […]
Bah! Here we go again! People trying to make out that debt is either diseased, the devil, or a financial death sentence. Debt doesn’t cause cancer, it doesn’t wear Prada and it won’t kill you (unless you owe The Mob). Debt is, however, a four-letter word, so be careful how and when you use it. […]
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