Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Register

7 October 2026

Home / 232

Welcome to Cuffelinks Fifth Anniversary Edition 232

  •   21 December 2017
  •      
  •   

Chris Cuffe's favourites from the first five years

Five years ago, Chris Cuffe and a few friends established a financial newsletter where market experts share their ideas with an online community. Cuffelinks is now a leading source of insights on investing, superannuation and many social and demographic issues.

Our website includes a searchable archive of 1,500 articles from about 500 writers, the subscriber base is 22,000 with over 30,000 unique visitors a month who have made 3 million pageviews. Some of our articles have been read over 30,000 times, and subscribers have made over 5,000 comments. Please keep them coming.

Chris has chosen 10 of his favourites which have stood the test of time. These articles have not been 're-edited' and should be read in the context of the date they were written.

Click here to download the free ebook, Fifth Anniversary Showcase.

Please share this free ebook with friends and encourage them to subscribe for more great reading next year.

Two 60th birthdays

Two notable birthdays, at least for me, your Managing Editor. The S&P500 turned 60 earlier this year, and it's my milestone this week. S&P produced this graphic on how the world has changed in my lifetime. Very kind of them. I have gone from being one of 2.9 billion people to one of 7.4 billion. The S&P US Index increased from 44 to 2,396, showing the power of long-term investing. The number of industrial stocks in the S&P500 has fallen from 425 to only 68.

Source: S&P Dow Jones Indices. For footnotes, see Indexology, December 2017 edition.

While the S&P500 will outlive me, according to this longevity calculator, my life expectancy is 92 years. So even at this 'mature' stage, my investment horizon is at least 32 years, requiring a decent allocation to growth assets. We will also have amazing medical breakthroughs in the next decade or so that will extend life expectancy beyond our wildest estimates. If you want to comment on life and investing from 60 and beyond, please go here.

Summer series of Cuffelinks

Throughout January 2018, to celebrate five years of publishing, five prominent industry executives have each chosen five of their favourite articles from our archive. These guest editors will explain why the insights in these articles stood out for them.

We'll be back with new content and new ideas soon. Have a great Christmas and holiday season from all at Cuffelinks.

Thanks for coming on the journey with us over the last five years. Thanks also to our sponsors who enable Cuffelinks to be distributed free to subscribers and other readers.

 

Graham Hand, Managing Editor
Leisa Bell, Assistant Editor

Edition 232 | 22 Dec 2017 | Editorial | Newsletter

 

  •   21 December 2017
  •      
  •   

 

Leave a Comment:
Firstlinks is sponsored by:
banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

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.

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?

Is it time to bail on Australian stocks?

For generations, Australian investors have backed banks, miners and dividends. But has that loyalty come at a cost? A look at the numbers raises an uncomfortable question about where future returns will come from.

Testamentary trusts survived the trust tax. The drafting battle has just begun.

The fight over testamentary trusts looked settled. Then the draft legislation arrived. Hidden in a technical detail is a question that could force many families to rethink wills they thought were already future-proof.

The new capital gains tax trap for your portfolio

Investors have long accepted one portfolio rule without much question. A major tax shift could change that calculation entirely, forcing difficult trade-offs between risk, discipline and an overlooked cost lurking beneath.

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.

Latest Updates

Fixed interest

Higher yields are creating opportunities in global bonds

Bond markets are adjusting to a new reality, but not in the ways investors expect. With markets repricing and capital competing for attention, investors may need to rethink where resilience and opportunity lie. 

Economy

Are we in a recession?

What if the warning signs are already everywhere? From supermarket aisles to company failures, investors are being bombarded with recession signals. But most face a different risk that can be just as dangerous for portfolios. 

SMSF strategies

Meg on SMSFs - Division 296 actuarial certificates

The tax bill might be yours, but the event that caused it may not be. A key Division 296 calculation can sometimes attribute earnings in ways that many SMSF trustees won't instinctively expect or fully appreciate.

Property

The first impact of negative gearing reform is not the tax bill

Negative gearing changes formally begin in 2027, but the first consequences may already be here. A subtle shift is quietly influencing who can borrow, how much they can access and which property strategies still stack up.

Economy

The oil market is running out of easy answers

The biggest threat to markets may not be what investors are watching. The numbers have stopped adding up and supply is harder to measure, with forecasts becoming simple guesses. A more fragile reality is being masked.

Investment strategies

The state of investor knowledge in Australia

Australians are investing more than ever, yet a surprising divide is emerging between those building wealth effectively and those making costly mistakes. Surprisingly, the gap has little to do with income, age or starting capital.

Taxation

Complexity and capital gains

A case study shows that the ‘30% minimum CGT’ is a poorly conceived tax that adds significant complexity to an already over-complex system. A less complicated model would create a much fairer progressive tax scale.

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.