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Firstlinks, the 2018 highlights

The Cuffelinks team has selected 10 highlights from the hundreds of articles published in 2018. This ebook, Firstlinks, contains original content first published in Cuffelinks, including many of our most popular.

Our sixth year of publishing in 2018 was tumultuous for financial services. The Royal Commission provided a deep well of revealing and often unbelievable content, and the editorials from Cuffelinks are collected in another article as a summary of what the industry needs to address.

Many of our articles are viewed over 10,000 times, including this year, the Budget Special direct from the Canberra lockup and Garry Mackrell's insider view of the changes at CBA. The survey in our Special Edition on the book 'Factfulness' was completed almost 5,000 times.

The coming year of 2019 promises to be tough for financial services and investing. The Royal Commission report in February will set the ground rules for future regulatory and behaviour changes, while rising US rates will temper enthusiasm for risk assets. Cuffelinks will continue to deliver insights to help navigate these changes.

Click on the cover page image to download the ebook, or here.

  •   9 January 2019
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Most viewed in recent weeks

Why have Australian living standards 'fallen' and how do we fix it?

For the last few years there has been much talk of a 'cost-of-living' crisis in Australia and of 'falling living standards'. Lately this has flared up again with the pickup in inflation resulting in a renewed fall in real wages.

Will you run out of money in retirement?

Fear of running out has become a defining retirement anxiety. Why do some retirees die with substantial wealth while others deplete their nest egg? Evidence suggests the answer is more complicated than we think. 

Four options for an income investor’s next dollar

What if Australia’s golden age of dividends is ending? Rather than overhaul your portfolio, it may be worth considering where new capital can work harder. I discuss four income strategies and the trade-offs behind each.

The investment that sidesteps the new tax traps

Tax rules have changed, but many investors are still using yesterday’s strategies. Insurance bonds may offer advantages for those seeking greater control, tax efficiency and certainty about their wealth.

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 672 with weekend update

How does Australia measure up to the rest of the world?

  • 23 July 2026

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 674 with weekend update

What begins as appetite, grows into excess and ultimately ends in spectacle. Millions of investors just discovered this the hard way.

  • 6 August 2026

Latest Updates

Retirement

Why spending more in early retirement can improve lifetime income

Conventional wisdom encourages retirees to preserve superannuation. But if those likely to qualify for the Age Pension later in life spend a little more today, it may deliver higher lifetime income and a more stable retirement.

SMSF strategies

Who really loses from the SMSF borrowing ban?

The ban on borrowing to buy residential property inside a self-managed super fund was framed as closing a loophole for the wealthy. Yet ATO data suggests its effects may be felt more heavily on members with moderate balances.

Investment strategies

The investing rule that explains the next market crash

What if investment success depends less on picking the right assets and more on understanding the decisions of other investors? A principle borrowed from game theory offers a different perspective on markets.

Investment strategies

Gold: should you own the metal or the miners?

Gold is back in the headlines but investors may be asking the wrong question. Before deciding where prices are headed next, it's worth considering whether the investment you choose will deliver the outcome you're actually seeking.

Fixed interest

Global bonds markets are hiccupping

For decades, investors looked the other way as government debt ballooned. But a reckoning may be beginning. Bond markets are stirring and the consequences could reach far beyond markets into everyday life.

Property

Why investors are looking beyond traditional property sectors

A little-known corner of the property market may be quietly benefiting from powerful demographic and healthcare trends. Could this specialised sector offer investors something increasingly difficult to find: enduring demand?

Retirement

Retirement in reality - 6 months in

Is retirement really an identity crisis, or is something else at play? New insights challenge conventional thinking and reveal why some retirees struggle to fully embrace life after work.

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