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Welcome to Michael's Musings.

Financial Planning is all about understanding money. There is a never ending stream of data being thrown at us all in this increasingly technologically-fed world but in many cases, all that extra data does is to add to the 'noise'.

Here at Michael's Musings, a Perth planner will help you sort out the real information in amongst all that noise. Feedback and comment cheerfully received, even if sometimes ignored.

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  • Financial Planning Bias
  • checklist
  • A financial planner’s review of 2011
  • comparing insurance cover is far from simple
  • comparing the pair is difficult to do in advertising
  • It’s the new year, and financial planning as an industry is headed pretty much where previous posts have suggested. Happy New Year! Today, we are going to continue to investigate the ins and outs of bias as it stands in the financial planning industry in Australia. Pour a cup of...

    Read more
  • New Year resolutions come and go, with most consigned to the rubbish bin by mid-February. How are yours shaping up? If you haven’t made any this year, here’s a shopping list of small financial targets to get the creative juices going.  2012 Financial Checklist Start a budget Always a...

    Read more
  • bedeep bedeep bedeep… in the latest news to hand…   Global market players have left early to go on holidays, having universally agreed that the year of the Rabbit sucks, the market sucks, and that it makes sense to have a little rest before the Dragon enters the scene and...

    Read more
  • Insurance is one of those areas that we all love to hate. So what are the facts? How does a financial planner deal with insurance issues? Facts on Life Insurance Here is a recently released video from Comminsure on the facts about insurance in Australia today. It focusses on...

    Read more
  • Marketing is often most effective when it glosses over the smaller details and focusses on just one or two key points... does that lead to better outcomes or is it misrepresentation?

    Read more

Industry Funds – “Compare the Pair”

2
December 2, 2011
comparing the pair is difficult to do in advertising

Marketing is often most effective when it glosses over the smaller details and focusses on just one or two key points... does that lead to better outcomes or is it misrepresentation?
Read More »

Which is the best super fund?

3
September 16, 2011
There is a huge range of super funds to choose from

    Which is the best super fund? Which fund will provide you with the best rate of return, and how do you decide between the thousands of options on offer? In this post...
Read More »

Higher super contributions aren’t as helpful as they seem

0
January 20, 2011
Higher super contributions aren’t as helpful as they seem

It’s interesting to read notes and articles and research that shows Australia’s pensioners “sitting on a time bomb” or that there is a shortfall in retirement savings of hundreds of billions of dollars. For...
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How do you simplify Superannuation documents?

1
October 29, 2010
SAMSUNG

Todays’ Australian Financial Review includes an article “Disclosure statements found wanting” (page 56 Financial Services, AFR Friday 29th October 2010). Now there is a non sequitur if ever i’ve seen one! That statement assumes...
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Financial Planning Bias

1
January 13, 2012
Financial Planning Bias

It’s the new year, and financial planning as an industry is headed pretty much where previous posts have suggested. Happy New Year! Today, we are going to continue to investigate the ins and outs of bias as it stands in the financial planning industry in...
Read More »

2012 Financial Checklist

0
January 4, 2012
checklist

New Year resolutions come and go, with most consigned to the rubbish bin by mid-February. How are yours shaping up? If you haven’t made any this year, here’s a shopping list of small financial targets to get the creative juices going.  2012 Financial Checklist...
Read More »

A financial planner’s review of 2011

1
December 20, 2011
A financial planner’s review of 2011

bedeep bedeep bedeep… in the latest news to hand…   Global market players have left early to go on holidays, having universally agreed that the year of the Rabbit sucks, the market sucks, and that it makes sense to have a little rest before the...
Read More »

Financial Planning – Insurance

0
December 9, 2011
comparing insurance cover is far from simple

Insurance is one of those areas that we all love to hate. So what are the facts? How does a financial planner deal with insurance issues? Facts on Life Insurance Here is a recently released video from Comminsure on the facts about insurance in...
Read More »

Is the world more volatile post the global crisis?

0
November 28, 2011
What are the major market risks currently?

Is the world riskier? Here is a question received from a client recently.  My second question is, I remember a time when things ticked along with the ASX rather smoothly, whilst I appreciate the recent volatility is something that we are not used to,...
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Financial Planning your super for a specific retirement date

0
November 5, 2011
Target retirement date Image: pakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How should your mix of assets change as you approach retirement? Should that mix change at all? What can history tell us about such ideas?
Read More »

Fund Managers

There is a huge range of super funds to choose from

Which is the best super fund?

    Which is the best super fund? Which fund will provide you with the best rate of return, and how do you decide between the thousands of options on offer? In this post we are going to look at the recent results form a group of major superannaution funds, and determine just who...

What is socially responsible investment and how does it operate?

(Un) Sustainable, Socially (Ir) Responsible Investments

A greater social awareness of global impacts from day-to-day activites is encouraging higher levels of engagement from investors. However, in the step up to identify ethically and socially acceptable investment ideas, care should be taken to ensure the outcomes are what we want them to be.

Fees and Bias

Investment Advice and Bias

Everyone has a form of bias built into their decision-making processes. It could be...

All is not as it seems in the world of high finance

The Global Financial Crisis Exposed

Money, power, bias – and truth. The Global Financial Crisis (now simply designated ‘the...

Is adviser bashing the new black?

One of my favourite stupid sayings goes something along the lines of “…. is...

Another day, another lynch-mob

Another day, another lynch-mob

Far from me to sit on my porch playing the fiddle, while watching the...

Hidden costs in superannuation and investments

Hidden costs in superannuation and investments

Just a quick note today… With the broohah surrounding the government announcements on legislating...

Is there ever a level playing field?

Is there ever a level playing field?

So you come to work, looking forward to a day doing the job you...


Pidgin Economics