Money, YOU and major future investment themes
Global themes will impact all money plans for the future. Have you thought about your financial future in this context? Will you have to change any of your plans?
shifts in power
Why is the global economy so messed up?
It has been an eventful couple of weeks. Time is short at the moment, so todays’ post will make comments without directing you to a lot of the underlying data. In other words, we are going to mainly consider my thoughts and judgements as opposed to facts and analysis. There is an enormous level … Read more
Greece and this debt issue
Sometimes it seems like the whole world is holding its breath. That is about where we are at right now in financial circles. The major currency and debt markets are hushed in tension as they await the outcome of the standoff between the IMF, ECU Central Bank, Germany, the Greek government and the population of … Read more
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…
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
Let’s look at the global position…
i don’t know about you but at this time of the year i don’t sleep all that much. A financial planner looks at the end of the financial year as a one-way farm gate – if you don’t get all of your clients’ assets and details through that gate then there are opportunities that are irretrievably … Read more
People in glass houses…
Who are YOU calling “PIG”? There is a demeaning acronym given to Euro countries under the spotlight at the moment – “PIGS” (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain). This labelling fuels the feelings of superiority on the part of the finger-pointers and the feeling of oppression by those being pointed at. But how valid are those pointy … Read more
Australia escapes ‘austerity measures’
Sensational headlines are becoming commonplace in the financial world. Once the preserve of the gossip rags or mass circulation dailys, it seems that drama has become the daily grist of the financial media. We are in strange times indeed. The reason for this note is to consider just how well Australia is positioned right now, … Read more
A tale of two economies…
Why is the Australian sharemarket down 29% from its 1 November 2007 high point when the United States S&P 500 index is only down 26%? Is the United States economy doing better over that time period than that of Australia? Looked at another way, why is Australia’s market up only 56% from its 10th March … Read more
Bank Interest Rate Rises
There has been much discussion in media about the Australian banks’ reactions to the Reserve Bank’s increase in the official cash rate to 3.75% on the 2nd December. The broad thrust of comment is that Westpac is being ‘unfair’ in raising their interest rates further than the level of the official rate rise. The other … Read more
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 to … Read more