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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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Fund Managers

Professional funds management is both a science and an art. Interpretation of the differences between managers – their styles, track record and place within a structured portfolio are all part of the day-to-day of financial planning. Managed funds are not for everyone – but they influence markets and the topography of the entire investment market, so awareness of their position and activities is crucial to any understanding of broad markets.

Which is the best super fund?

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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 we are going to look at the recent results form a group of major superannaution funds, and determine just who...
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(Un) Sustainable, Socially (Ir) Responsible Investments

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0
September 8, 2011
What is socially responsible investment and how does it operate?

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.
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Managed Funds are a waste of time

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1
March 17, 2011
brochure

Would someone please offer to donate $1 to me every time that i encounter something along the lines of “managed funds are a waste of time”? It could save me an awful lot of time and energy, and would very quickly fund my eventual retirement to a Tibetan monastery, where i would sit in...
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Managed funds and Listed Investment Trusts

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May 24, 2010
Managed funds and Listed Investment Trusts

Financial planners can spend many hours agonising over exactly which investment is or is not suitable for an individual portfolio. Some clients want to participate in direct investment themselves and others want professional funds management to take care of the specific selection and administration work, leaving time for advisors to focus on the broader issues....
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Be gentle on ‘Industry Funds’ – they know not what they do.

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2
December 1, 2009
Be gentle on ‘Industry Funds’ – they know not what they do.

The front page of todays Australian Financial Review (AFR) includes an article titled “Unlisted assets drag down super fund returns”. In it, the returns of ‘Industry Funds’* is suggested as showing falling returns into a recovering market. This is entirely expected, and should not be a reason to argue against the ‘Industry Fund’ attraction...
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Noise – it’s all just noise..!

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0
November 3, 2009
Noise – it’s all just noise..!

My brother sent this photo yesterday. It is the view from his current workplace, in Laos. Here is my view… Sometimes the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day can stop us from seeing and thinking clearly. When considering money issues, this is the most common cause of mistakes being made. It may sound easy...
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Protected: Update on Orchard Property Funds

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September 4, 2009

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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But who’s thinkin’ aboot the Bebe?

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September 1, 2009

It is a favourite parody scene from some of my favourite comedies – in the midst of a terrible turmoil there is someone runing from pillar to post, pulling out their hair while yelling (usually with an enforced accent), “but what about the baby?” It may be a long bow to draw any similarity...
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Comparing Super Fund Returns

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August 25, 2009

For those who do not wish to visit a financial planner or those who simply want a quick response without having to go through lots of discussion, here is a very good website that offers fund comparisons. It is the Chant West “Applecheck” site. It focusses on more than just returns, and is an extremely...
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Understanding Superannuation Fund Returns

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1
August 21, 2009

I’m sorry, that was just sooooo funny that i almost choked even as i was typing it. ‘Understanding’ is not a word usually associated with superannuation funds, never mind understanding anything about the investment returns achieved by those funds. APRA (the government body charged with supervision of a lot of these areas) has just...
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Pidgin Economics