(03) 9020 2905

Welcome to Bruce Brammall Financial

Tag: investment strategies

Mining stocks have been hammered lately. Are they still good for your share portfolio or super fund?

Every great bubble story comes with its own disastrous crash landing. And when it’s the stock market, it’s so often carnage of the mid-air jumbo jet explosion variety. Debris and casualties strewn over thousands of hectares, tens of thousands of lives impacted, plans changed forever, general fear and panic. Don’t think Flying High. This is […]

Should we write down every dollar we spend, or is doing this just a waste of time?

To answer this question requires some help from the divine wisdom of Yoda. “Waste of time, it is, if you already know where your money goes. Yessss, hmmm.” What the late 900-year-old registered lethal weapon is saying is, if you only ever have enough moolah to just get through a week … then yes, start […]

What is the most inspiring piece of financial advice you’ve heard. Who gave it, and how did it help you?

Once upon a time, in the early 70s, there was an evil scientist named Walter Mischel. (Evil might be a bit harsh, but the best stories have evil scientists.) Wally decided to experiment on small animals with some reasoning skills – Generation X toddlers. Individually, he locked them in a room with one marshmallow. He […]

SMSFs inside ‘secret’ weapon

PORTFOLIO POINT: In your 50s? Looking to expand your asset base? Should it be inside, or outside, your SMSF? Read this before you make any further investments. A lawyer colleague made a considered, but seemingly throwaway, line in a meeting a few years ago. He said that “Anyone in their 50s with a SMSF should […]

Winning lotto is unlikely but we can always dream. What should you do with a $1 million windfall?

Say to yourself: “Cool! One million down, one million to go”. On its own, it’s not retirement material for a Gen Xer. Or, at least it shouldn’t be. A million bucks ain’t what it used to be. While it’s not a bad start, Xers should be aiming higher than that. (And, funny, this is the […]

How do you work out how much money you’ll need in retirement, and how do you plan for it?

“Price check, aisle four! Price on a medium-sized tropical island, 50-room palace, 100 staff, world-class golf course, an endless supply of Bollinger and Bintang, an airstrip and a dozen watercraft? Oh, and heaps of those electric golf cart thingys.” Could you get bored of that? Um, no. I forgot to mention the Lear jet. Just […]

Fixed versus variable mortgage rates: how do you work out which one you should choose?

“I know what you’re thinking. Did he fire six shots, or only five … you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do you feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?” Thank you Dirty Harry. Interest rates are that 44 Magnum and getting the fixed rates equation wrong could “blow your head clean off” in a financial […]

Regrets, we’ve all had a few… What has been your biggest regret when it comes to investments?

JUST one? I could write a book. Well, a chapter. They’ve all been learning experiences, so I don’t know how much “regret” there really is. Investments that don’t wipe you out, make you wiser. I’d score okay for saving early. My biggest regret would be taking too long to learn the benefits of diversification. I […]

Are you good enough to run your SMSF?

PORTFOLIO POINT: How good/bad was your performance as SMSF investment manager last year? The number to beat was 3.35%. Maybe, just maybe, if the Australian market hadn’t crapped out in the last two months of the financial year, SMSF trustees would all have a little more spring in their step. As Australian shares are generally […]