(03) 9020 2905

Welcome to Bruce Brammall Financial

Category: Articles

Your guide to the Henry tax review leaks

PORTFOLIO POINT: Is super headed towards becoming a defacto age pension system, designed to encourage only the lower-paid to put away for themselves? I’m not sure that any political party really believes that there are too many votes that will be actually won or lost in regards to superannuation. Sure, political parties know that superannuation […]

“‘Tis the season for a holiday hangover. How do we get our credit cards and personal budget back on track for the new year?”

Remember Hugh Grant’s immortal line in Four Weddings and a Funeral? “Bugger! Bugger! Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger!” If you uttered that line, or worse, after seeing your credit card bill or bank account balance in recent weeks, then there’s a little story you need to read about Humpty Dumpty falling off a wall and the […]

How your DIY fund rates

PORTFOLIO POINT: Finally, you can take a good look in the mirror. The Cooper Review into superannuation has produced probably the best, and most fascinating, statistical analysis of SMSFs yet compiled. So, how exactly do you and your SMSF measure up? Are you an average SMSF member, with a taxable income of approximately $92,000? Are […]

SMSFs reasons to be fearful, phase three

PORTFOLIO POINT: The SMSF industry is being asked to stand up against the wall as critics take aim. Which parts should be salvaged in an extreme makeover? Jeremy Cooper has loaded his weapon for his investigation into SMSFs. And his weapon of choice appears to be a scatter-gun. The terms of reference for “Phase Three: […]

“Reverse mortgages are growing in popularity among retirees who need extra cash. What do families need to know about them?”

As teenagers, my brother Dirk and I had two permanent threats hanging over our heads from Mum. “Get a tattoo or a motorbike and you’re out of the will.” Years ago, my brother got inked. Bizarrely, some time after that, Mum joined Dirk and Dad on motorbikes. I did neither. I’ve argued for years that […]

The “Peak SMSF” theory

PORTFOLIO POINT: Has your interest in DIY super peaked? A major study believes this is as popular as it gets for SMSF investing. “Investors’ inclination to run their own self-managed super funds has peaked. Over the next 15 years, SMSF growth by numbers and assets will slow. While they will double in size in assets […]

“The silly season is about to start, so how do we avoid our personal finances becoming a joke this Christmas?”

This fat bloke’s been waiting all year! A little unconventional, but here are my five tips. Tip #1: Drink. Heavily. While it’s all free or cheap at work and industry Christmas parties. Immediate savings on entertainment bills from now to Christmas. If you continue going hard through to New Year, you’ll probably swear off booze […]

“Finance is a word that sparks fear and uncertainty in many minds. How do we overcome our fear of financial matters?”

Gen Xers can no more afford to ignore their personal finances than they can walk around their office naked. Strippers being the obvious exception. But getting in the trenches with your finances ranks alongside public speaking and talking about death for so many people. There is really only one way to overcome your fear of […]

Super rich: You have been warned

With every speech that Superannuation Minister Chris Bowen makes in regards to Labor’s vision for the future of superannuation, the picture gets clearer. And exponentially more concerning. Significantly for Eureka Report’s readers – a large proportion of which are self-managed super fund trustees and self-directed investors – it seems increasingly likely that any “improvements” made […]

“Blue chips versus speculative stocks – where do investors get the biggest share market gains?”

You’ll always make the biggest killings and blow the most dough in the same darn place – where the risks are highest. The following stats from the top of the market (November 2007) to the bottom (March 2009) and then back to recent peaks (October 2009) are telling. The ASX20 index – Australia’s 20 largest, […]