Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Register

30 October 2026

Home / 382

Video: Noel Whittaker on investing until you’re 100

At any point in time, regardless of the existence of a severe event like COVID-19, the outlook is always unclear and range of outcomes uncertain. Rather than speculate about markets, it’s better to stay the course with a diversified portfolio based on your attitude to risk. Author and personal finance expert Noel Whittaker talks with Graham Hand.

From the Morningstar Individual Investor Conference, 30 October 2020

The Morningstar 2020 Individual Investor Conference was held over 29 and 30 October and drew over 2,000 registrations. It offered investors the opportunity to tap into the expertise and knowledge and Australia's leading investors. 

Some of the highlight sessions include:

  • Hamish Douglass from Magellan discusses the US election, long-term trends and your portfolio.
  • Gemma Dale from nabtrade on the rise of the retail investor
  • Kate Howitt on how she identifies attractive companies
  • David Harrison from Charter Hall Property discusses how it's all about location, location and ... strategy.
  • Anton Tagliaferro of IML on finding long-term opportunities in the current market.

Get access to all the recordings and explore all Premium benefits with a free Morningstar Premium trial. No credit card required.

Noel Whittaker is one of the world’s foremost authorities on personal finance and an international bestselling author. His latest book, Retirement Made Simple, is available at www.noelwhittaker.com.au. 

 

  •   4 November 2020
  • 6
  •      
  •   
6 Comments
Geoff
November 04, 2020

37:30 in the video, re. paying your financial advisor. It's not a good question as the answer surely depends upon what said advisor is doing for you. If they're providing investment advice and managing your portfolio, then a % of FUM is reasonable - so long as it's a reasonable %. If they're giving you advice on this or that particular topic - say estate planning, financing into a retirement home, general investment strategy when not in control of particular assets, then a $/hr charge seems more appropriate.

What I have a huge problem with is this insistence on % of FUM when the advisor essentially does absolutely nothing active but review your portfolio once a year. Nice work if you can get it.

My partner got into a conversation with FPs about transferring her UK pension assets to Australia, and I was gobsmacked that there was a 1%-ish fee for organising the transfer, and an ongoing 1% on FUM for "advice" because the vehicle into which the funds (being superannuation) required a FP to operate it - ie. make any changes. Given the amount in question was some $600K or thereabouts, that seemed like theft to me. The cost to transfer assets is independent of the size of the assets, and the cost of making changes to the investments is as well. She didn't proceed for reasons other than the fees, but it all just seemed like money for jam for the FP firm involved to me.

CC
November 07, 2020

You'd do much better to manage your shares and managed funds by yourself, as I do. it's really not that hard. particularly these days with low fee ETFs, index funds, etc.

AlanB
November 04, 2020

28:28 "...and watch that they don't charge too much in fees. .... a 1% $40,000 fee on a $4m share portfolio is ridiculous." It would be interesting to know the % increase in wealth to a client from using a financial planner/advisor, compared to the % increase in wealth to the financial planner/advisor from using a client. 

Trevor
November 07, 2020

VERY STRONG HINT.....because I am not "licensed to give financial advice".........there are management strategies available.... . BUY NOEL'S BOOK !

ABC
November 08, 2020

I agree completely with CC.
Also, once you have about $100,000 in a super fund, why not create your own index fund? Just invest in the largest 10 or 12 Aussie shares, weighted by market capitalisation. Adjust a couple of times a year and the results will be close enough to the index. I started doing this in 1993 and it works with little effort. After their fees and other costs, I beat most super fund managers most years and often beat them all.

Geoff
November 14, 2020

Simply invest in Argo Investments (ARG) and/or Australian Foundation Investment (AFI).

 

Leave a Comment:

RELATED ARTICLES

Video: How Chris Cuffe finds fund managers who 'swing the bat'

What Warren Buffett isn’t saying speaks volumes

Portfolio construction in the real world

Firstlinks is sponsored by:
banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

It’s time for LICs to die

A high-profile dividend cut and a prominent fund manager’s apology have reignited a long-running debate. If investors can access similar exposures more cheaply and efficiently elsewhere, what exactly is keeping LICs alive?

The retirement scorecard: how many of these questions can you answer?

From the maths of retirement, estimating spending and picking the right asset allocation to survive a poor decade, here are the questions every retiree – current or future – should be able to answer for themselves.

Testamentary trusts: Treasury has picked the wrong reading

A decades-old estate planning tool has survived one tax crackdown only to be caught by another. The surprise isn't who the reform is targeting, but who could end up paying the price for drafting choices made years ago.

How the typical Australian Family could save $844,350 in taxes

The value of a testamentary trust is not determined by wealth alone. Depending on circumstances, it can reduce the tax burden on inherited income, create efficiencies and help build intergenerational wealth.

The housing slide could become a crash

House prices are sliding across Australia, yet the most dangerous ingredient for a housing crash is still missing. If job losses surge amid growing economic risks, today's correction could become a historic property downturn.

Will investors be better or worse off under new housing tax changes?

Housing tax reforms have sparked warnings of market turmoil and promises of greater fairness. But after modelling nearly two decades of property data, the results suggest winners and losers may not be who many investors expect.

Latest Updates

SMSF strategies

Division 296: the initial moves to make before the windows close

What if the best superannuation strategy isn't about earning more, but acting before your options disappear? Several overlooked planning windows are narrowing, with consequences that can last for decades.

Planning

Avoid unnecessary CGT with this estate planning clause

A simple estate plan can create a ticking time bomb. One overlooked clause can pit spouses against children, delay inheritances, and potentially leave a family facing an unexpected tax bill worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Exchange traded products

The hidden trade-off in fixed income ETFs

Some investment trade-offs are immediately visible. Others are embedded in the way a portfolio is constructed. Understanding the difference may explain why similar-looking investments can produce surprisingly different results.

Retirement

The mortgage free retirement is fading

What happens when a generation reaches retirement carrying obligations previous generations largely avoided? New research suggests we may need to rethink both how much we need in retirement and what life could look like.

Retirement

The key question to inspire a confident and purposeful retirement

Most people spend decades planning for retirement. Far fewer plan for what happens when they get there. The difference may explain why so many find the transition harder and less fulfilling than expected, despite careful preparation.

Latest from Morningstar

Making the case for a 'good enough' portfolio

Some investors spend years chasing the perfect strategy. Others choose a path that’s simply good enough and move on. Which approach is more likely to deliver both better outcomes and a happier financial life over the long run?

Investment strategies

Is the US market as expensive as CAPE says?

Many investing ideas survive for decades. But that does not make them right. A famous valuation measure implies that US shares are dangerously expensive, but the evidence may point to a very different conclusion.

Sponsors

Alliances

  • ASA-Logo-RGB-ActiveGreen-web.png

Site Map

About Firstlinks

© 2026 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer
The data, research and opinions provided here are for information purposes; are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar, its affiliates, and third-party content providers are not responsible for any investment decisions, damages or losses resulting from, or related to, the data and analyses or their use. To the extent any content is general advice, it has been prepared for clients of Morningstar Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN: 95 090 665 544, AFSL: 240892), without reference to your financial objectives, situation or needs. For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. You should consider the advice in light of these matters and if applicable, the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision to invest. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial product’s future performance. To obtain advice tailored to your situation, contact a professional financial adviser. Articles are current as at date of publication.
This website contains information and opinions provided by third parties. Inclusion of this information does not necessarily represent Morningstar’s positions, strategies or opinions and should not be considered an endorsement by Morningstar.