Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

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:

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

© 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.