Thoughts on money, from a Financial Planner in Perth
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, I still don’t get the way the market moves at the … Read more
Which is the best super fund, and how will you decide between the thousands of options on offer?
For most Australians, there isn’t even a question in this statement. Retate the question as “when to buy a home”, and you’re probably closer to the mark. Maybe even “how to buy a home”. It is borderline heresay to phrase it as “don’t buy a home if…”. If you don’t want to read my background … Read more
Some would argue that the sharemarket makes no sense in the long term either but that is an argument easily dismissed through 4 or 5 years of intensive discussion, research, correspondence, argument and analysis. So for the moment, let’s just say that it does make sense in the long term but there is room to … Read more
Much has been made over the last year on the relative merits of a “mining tax”, which has also been called a “super profits” tax. Very learned folk have invested a lot of time and energy into looking at Australia’s economy and trying to work out how to better spread around the benefits of the … Read more
Gold, like diamonds, holds a fascination much greater than its simple financial value. It is malleable, resistant to tarnishing, highly conductive and a fantastic metal to work with (in a previous life i completed a jewellery making course and came to appreciate just how easy gold is as a medium). In some countries, the open … Read more
Take a deep breath… we are about to enter the secret world of financial risk and return measurement… . How long is long term? How do you balance risk and return? These would be two of the shortest questions to ask yourself, yet they are also two of the hardest questions to answer. It does … Read more
There is a raging debate flowing through academic, economic and financial markets at the moment concerning the future direction of house prices in Australia. It seems everyone has an opinion, and the stronger that opinion the less likely that any facts are going to get in the way of the argument. On one side we … Read more
There is a lot of worry and fright circulating as news and information about investment markets right now. I don’t want to downplay the potential for dire outcomes from the GFC and various government attempts to reduce its impact on their economies. However, there does need to be a little more informed comment on just … Read more
Charles Dickens penned these words as the start of his ‘Tale of Two Cities‘ – a stark portrayal of social, political and economic contrasts so vivid that it remains, even today, one of the biggest selling English novels. Why the literary reference? Apart from enjoying the novel immensely, the key phrase most clearly elucidates my … Read more