50/30/20 budgeting strategy
Having a budget can help you stay on top of bills, pay off debt and save for long or short-term goals. There are many ways to go about it. One budgeting strategy is the 50/30/20 …
2023 saw the return of Goldilocks, but what’s in store for 2024 for investors?
Key points The five key themes for 2023 were: better than feared growth; disinflation; peak interest rates (probably in Australia too); lots of geopolitical threats but not as bad as feared; and AI hit the …
Five constraints on medium term investment returns
Introduction Starting in the early 1980s investment returns were spectacularly strong. Sure there were bumps along the way like the 1987 share crash, but Australian balanced growth superannuation funds returned an average 14.1% pa in …
Financial freedom: A comprehensive guide to achieving true financial independence
In a world where financial stability plays a crucial role in our wellbeing and future aspirations, the concept of financial freedom stands out as a beacon of empowerment. Financial freedom is the ability to make …
What’s the best age to retire?
There is no magic age at which to retire. But what’s important is to plan for a longer retirement than you may expect. This is in part because research shows we’re now living longer than …
A real cybercrime story
Australians lost over $3 billion to scams in 2022 alone. With investment scams being the most common, consider these insights so you can better protect yourself from online criminals. This is a story where scammers …
Understanding market volatility
Many investors become concerned when volatility occurs in global financial markets – particularly about the impact on their superannuation and other investments. In times like these, it’s important to understand the causes of market movements …
Three reasons to err on the side of optimism as an investor
Introduction The “news” as presented to us has always had a negative bend, but one could be forgiven for thinking that it’s become even more negative with constant stories of disasters, conflict, wrongdoing, grievance and …
The importance of rebalancing
Investing is more than choosing different assets. It also involves managing your portfolio on an ongoing basis to achieve personal goals. Your starting point In the initial stages of constructing a portfolio of diverse investments, …
Super fund performance and unlisted assets
Differences in the returns of various super funds have primarily been driven by whether the funds are invested in unlisted or listed assets. Super fund returns are always in the spotlight around the end of …
