The Roaring ’20s, and I’m talking the 1920s, was a decade of economic growth and widespread prosperity. It followed the ‘Spanish Flu Pandemic’ which lasted two years, over a number of waves between February 1918 to and April 1920. Sound familiar? The decade following was a period of strong economic growth and technological change. Most…
Issue 41: Thinking of getting started in investing or know someone who is? Consider the fundamentals first
Thank you for joining us again this year and for your interest and support over 2022. If you are joining us in 2023 for the first time, welcome and I hope you find these articles of interest and help. Just to reconfirm, these are my thoughts and ideas based on my experiences and are not…
Issue 40: What’s ahead in 2023
There is always a temptation to look at a year in isolation, rather than placing it in the context of a slightly longer view, maybe within the last — not to mention the next two, three or even five years. So, it’s not surprising to see commentary for 2023 suggesting home prices continuing to fall,…
Issue 39: A recap on 2022 and a peak at 2023
It may seem a little premature to be writing about what happened this year, however let’s get in early as plenty of others will write on the subject as we cross over from 2022 to 2023. And of course, it’s always good to look back and see what was suggested for 2022 and how we…
Issue 38: Australia gained 400,000 new millionaires and it has a lot to do with property!
Now I have your attention, that’s according to the Credit Suisse Research Institute’s Global Wealth Report released in September, now more than a year after the study was conducted. Another factor contributing to the growth in Australian millionaires is from stock market gains, which when added to those of property and other investments saw Australian’s’ average wealth…
Issue 37: What will be the next big thing in investing?
With many commentators, be they financial journalists, investment managers or perhaps those around the Sunday barbeque predicting the next big thing… ‘will it be lithium to create batteries for EVs, biotech or ESG investing for social good or the return of small cap companies’… it may be time to reflect on where we are in…
Issue 36: Are you across all you need to know about your SMSF? I now know I’m not!
Over two days towards the end of July, I attended the SMSF Association’s Technical Summit as both a speaker and exhibitor. The event is conducted for industry professionals; advisers, specialists and those providing support, accountants and administrators to the SMSF sector. All up there were around 300 attendees, who were provided with two very full…
Issue 35: Keeping an eye on the big picture can be a challenge, but what about the bigger big picture – what the 2021 Census is telling us
With headlines talking of a volatile and challenging year to the end of June; citing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe, rising inflation and interest rates lead to equity markets here in Australia and overseas falling. It’s hard to keep any eye on the big picture that is our investment strategy, let alone the bigger one;…
Issue 34: Half-year review and what may lay ahead
You do not need me to tell you that financial markets are experiencing ‘interesting times’. From what appeared as a full-on recovery in the economy and positive outcomes for investors late last year and early into the calendar year, we are hearing talk of bear markets and even a possible recession. And of course, those…
Issue 33: Rising interest rates – one coin, two sides
‘Following the RBA’s decision to raise interest rates yesterday, we will be applying the full increase to all of our deposit and savings accounts immediately’, said no bank ever! And it probably will be sometime, if not decades before this becomes a true statement. Much, if not most of the commentary following the first rise…