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Alan Hartstein

Some active managers succeed while the majority struggle

According to S&P, the majority of active managers continue to underperform their benchmarks. However there are sectors where active styles perform well, and many managers justify their fees.

Lack of policy direction hurting renewables

The renewables industry is hampered by the combination of a shallow venture capital market and capital-intensive technology. The recent power outages in South Australia did not help.

Investor surveys highlight opportunities for financial advisers

Improving financial literacy and capitalising on the changing investment trends of SMSF trustees, are big opportunities for financial advisers, according to two recent surveys.

Finding beneficial tax alternatives to super

If contribution caps and lifetime limits on superannuation are getting in the way of long-term savings goals, there are other tax-effective alternatives available, especially investment bonds for higher income earners.

Deriving an effective retirement income

The wealth industry's focus on building retirement savings to a defined asset value should be replaced by aiming for a sustainable income level, argues Nobel Laureate Robert Merton.

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Investment strategies

High quality businesses are on sale

Beneath the dominance of the ASX's largest stocks, much of the market has been left behind. High-quality companies are now trading at levels rarely seen, offering opportunities for investors willing to look deeper.

Investment strategies

The whirlwind is upon us

Something unusual is happening in markets. The winners are pulling further ahead at an extraordinary pace. As return dispersion hits extreme levels, volatility is rising and the investing landscape is becoming harder to navigate.

Strategy

Inequality destabilises economies

Extreme wealth concentration is no longer just a side effect of growth. As inequality deepens, its consequences are shifting from a social concern to a broader threat to economic stability and democratic resilience.

Investment strategies

Have AI’s four horsemen arrived?

AI exuberance is colliding with economic reality. Cracks are emerging as spending surges, ROI remains uncertain and enterprise behaviour shifts. The next phase may look less like an expansion and more like a reckoning.

Taxation

Budget tax changes only scratch the surface. Here are 4 reforms Australia needs next

The 2026 budget has reignited Australia’s tax reform debate, but more work remains. Beneath the surface lies a harder question: what structural reforms are needed to make the country's tax system fit for the future?

Taxation

Negative gearing: quarantined, not killed

The Budget's negative gearing changes defer deductions rather than deny them, yet a worked example shows quarantining can halve the tax benefit's present value for buyers of established dwellings.

Investment strategies

Family offices have quietly taken over Australian private capital

In just four years, Australia's private capital landscape has transformed. We are seeing changes across who deploys capital, how deals are structured and why new platforms and investor pathways are rapidly emerging.

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