13 October 2026

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Home / Author: Rick Cosier

Rick Cosier

Grandfathered commissions: what’s it about?

Financial advice commissions and grandfathering have become among the more contentious issues at the Royal Commission. Here's everything you need to know about where they came from but were afraid to ask.

Rick Cosier
22 November 2018
16

Home ownership struggles will drive changes

Home ownership for Australians aged between 25 and 34 has fallen from 39% to 29% in the last 20 years, and government policies are doing little to make first home buying easier. What are the attitudes of younger clients?

Rick Cosier
27 October 2016
3

Compulsory super not enough to avoid full pension

Australia's economy will struggle under an increasing age pension burden because the current level of compulsory super is inadequate to fund a comfortable retirement for most.

Rick Cosier
15 September 2016
6

Real client experiences often differ from the headlines

In the financial and economic world, we use medians and averages to assess our position and make decisions about the future. But as each individual is different, aggregated statistics aren't always useful.

Rick Cosier
8 November 2013
3

China beyond the myths and stereotypes

China is so complex and varied that few people can understand the whole picture, but on a third visit over two decades, it's possible to see changes, many of which are for the better.

Rick Cosier
3 October 2013

Education not just legislation

Australians should be creating a comprehensive financial plan to live within their means. It may turn out badly unless we teach skills at an early age and incorporate financial planning into our education system.

Rick Cosier
2 August 2013
2

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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.

Eric Souders
7 October 2026

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.

Shani Jayamanne
7 October 2026
6

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.

Meg Heffron
7 October 2026
7

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.

Jade Xie
7 October 2026
4

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.

Damien Klassen
7 October 2026
2

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.

Alex Zaika
7 October 2026
3

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.

Jim Bonham
7 October 2026
24

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