By Matt Rady, on behalf of Firstlinks November 2020 COVID-19 is taking a harsh toll on the economic wellbeing of many retirees with research showing it has shaken their confidence in the quality of their retirement and how long their money will last. Notwithstanding the recovery in many share prices over recent months, returns on cash and…
By Matt Reynolds, on behalf of Firstlinks August 2020 As Microsoft founder Bill Gates has noted, “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10.” Join us on a journey to 2030, as we imagine the change that will take place over…
By Angus McLeod, on behalf of Firstlinks July 2020 Four months have passed since the country and the world were rocked by a pandemic not seen in the lifetime of almost everyone. The virus has caused a major shake-up in the way we work, play, shop and live. There will be huge ramifications for many years to…
By Chris Cuffe, on behalf of Firstlinks June 2020 Among my various investment activities, I am the Portfolio Manager of the $110 million Australian Philanthropic Services Foundation (APS Foundation). This article focuses on how I have navigated the uncertainties and wild gyrations of investment markets during the COVID-19 pandemic and benefited from a relatively-large…
December 2019 Chief Investment Officer, Tony Edwards, provides an investment update on 2019 and an outlook for 2020.
By Phil Ruthven, on behalf of Firstlinks November 2019 We live in tumultuous times. Economic dominance has moved from West to East, with the West in some ways still recovering from the GFC over a decade ago. We’re experiencing record low interest rates, rising world and national debt levels, trade wars, digital disruption, stagnation in…
By Shane Oliver on behalf of Cufflinks October 2019 Since I looked at these five charts on investing for income two years ago, the Australian cash rate has halved, 10-year bond yields have fallen by two thirds and interest rates have resumed falling globally. Ever-lower interest rates and periodic turmoil in investment markets provides an…
By Anthony Asher, David Knox, Michael Rice on behalf of Cufflinks, September 2019 In designing a system that will be robust in the face of social, economic or demographic changes, it is useful to note major trends that will affect Australians in retirement. A sound system will be dynamic and require change from time to time.…
By Colin Lewis, April, 2019 How sweet it is with an election looming! The measures announced this Budget are proposals only and must go through Parliament to become law. Accordingly, it may take a newly elected Coalition government to get these measures through – and they’re counting on this Budget to help them get re-elected.…
By Oscar Oberg, on behalf of Firstlinks March 2019 Investors’ desire for growth outside of the suffering Australian economy was a major theme to emerge in the February 2019 Reporting Season, particularly in the small-to-mid-cap segment of the market. Since around September 2018, economic data in Australia has weakened, largely due to the flow-on effect…
