Should I maximise my pension by investing in the family home?
By John Kalkman on behalf of Firstlinks February 2023 In Australia there is no universal pension as exists in, for example, New Zealand. The age pension is designed to support the basic living standards of older Australians. It’s not a recognition of taxes paid previously, although this is a popular perception. It’s to stop older Australians…
Three retirement risks and how to navigate them
By Peta Tilse on behalf of Firstlinks December 2022 More than 20% of Australians believe they won’t achieve their desired retirement standard of living, and half of those who are currently working admit they are unsure how much they will have, or need, when they retire. Some of the risks facing Australians who are nearing, or…
Updated Federal Budget October 2022-23: Australia’s second budget for the year
By Colin Lewis, Head of Strategic Advice, Fitzpatricks Private Wealth October 2022 What with a new Government facing hard choices having inherited significant budgetary challenges in an environment of global and domestic economic uncertainty, it’s not surprising there was keen interest in this Budget. While at first glance Tuesday’s Budget seemed low-key, there are a number…
Survey: What do you think about these critical policies?
By Graham Hand, on behalf of Firstlinks September 2022 The new Labor Government and Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down their first Budget on 25 October 2022, and the policy conflicts are obvious. Inflation is surging and interest rates are rising without commensurate increases in wages, but Treasury knows giving cost-of-living increases will compromise some of…
House price doomsayers: Could housing prices really fall by 20%?
By Dr Sam Wylie, on behalf of Firstlinks August 2022 Will house prices fall by 20% or more, as many pundits are predicting? Those predictions go against the historical record and against economic reasoning. It is more likely that house prices will suffer single digit percentage falls, and then remain flat (in real terms) for an…
The end of Russian oil
By Peter Zeihan, on behalf of Firstlinks March 2022 Think the Europeans will need to get by without Russian crude? You are 100% correct. But you are not thinking anywhere near big enough. Most of Russia’s oil fields are both old and extraordinarily remote from Russia’s customers. Fields in the North Caucasus are either tapped out…
House prices: are we heading for oversupply from 2022?
By Chris Bedingfield, on behalf of Firstlinks February 2022 According to CoreLogic, Australian house prices increased +22.1% in 2021, led by Australia’s largest city of Sydney (+25.3%). There are a few culprits behind this stellar performance, including record low interest rates, healthy household balance sheets and a desire to re-invest in the home as some workers…
Why do investors earn less than the funds they invest in?
By Amy C. Arnott, on behalf of Firstlinks October 2021 Why would investors earn less than the funds they invest in? It all comes down to timing. Our ‘2021 Mind the Gap‘ study of dollar-weighted returns finds investors earned about 7.7% per year on the average dollar they invested in equity funds over the 10 years…
Gold over the next decade as other assets lose their shine
By Jordan Eliseo, on behalf of Firstlinks September 2021 Gold prices have been in a corrective pattern for the past 12 months, having fallen by approximately 12% in US dollar terms since hitting all-time highs in August last year. This pullback was not unexpected given how fast gold had run up in recent times, with the…
SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER
Stay informed and on top of your financial game plan.
LEARNING CENTRE
Visit our library of resources containing educational articles and videos to help you live a great life and to keep you updated on financial matters.
PRIVATE WEALTH PROGRAM
Our Private Wealth Program gives you a financial road map, including action plan to achieve your three and 10 year goals.
