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Sunday, 29 November 2020
Recently trending The creator of the 4% rule and his own retirementWelcome to Firstlinks Edition 383Seven items your estate plan may have left outGraeme Shaw on why investing is at a pivotal momentAlex Vynokur: ETFs deliver what’s written on the can
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A review of the performance of gold in the aftermath of prior US Presidential elections gives a feel for where the price may head, but with a wide disparity within the one-year figures.
As uncertainty intensifies around geopolitics and markets, gold has rallied strongly in 2020. While most investors think of gold for price growth, does it deliver defensive features to a diversified portfolio?
SMSF trustees are concerned about stock market volatility and low interest rates, and they asked six important questions during this seminar on whether gold has a role in their portfolios.
The ratio of the S&P500 to the gold price is a useful indicator of the mood of the market. A high ratio indicates that equities are expensive relative to gold, and the ratio has been falling recently.
Although gold is not an income-producing investment, the price tends to do well when equity markets fall and interest rates are low. The recent strength is in response to perceived greater risks in financial markets.
It’s been 21 years since the RBA sold the majority of Australia’s national gold reserves. The decision cost the nation AUD5 billion. Is it time to rebuild gold reserves with the opportunity cost now much lower?
The Retirement Income Review goes much further than an innocent-sounding 'fact base', and is sure to guide policies in the run up to the next election. It will change how we think about retirement incomes.
As people stayed home during the pandemic, a bearish view swept over most property sectors, but many have thrived and prices have recovered rapidly. The best opportunities are in long leases with quality tenants.
The Review includes some profound findings, most notable that retirement income should include drawing down far more capital. Expect post-retirement products to proliferate under a Retirement Income Covenant.
Paul Keating is the champion of compulsory superannuation as the central means of funding retirement. In the wake of the Retirement Income Review, he is at his passionate best defending the system, with Leigh Sales.
Investors with heavy allocations to a broad US index should check how much is exposed to tech stocks, especially when valuations look a bit steep. It might be time to reallocate to other sectors or styles.
At some point, policymakers will turn to the task of deleveraging, to work off massive debt burdens built up during the pandemic. Australia is already ticking the boxes on many policies used in the past.
During COVID, bankruptcy rules have allowed small businesses to trade while insolvent. It may mean an SMSF is hit by the collapse of a business leaving trustees struggling to meet their own legal obligations.