16 July 2026

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Home / Author: Ashley Owen

Ashley Owen

A short history lesson on banks and government debt

Fascinating though the current events on government deficits are, they are hardly new. Not much changes - even across thousands of years, and it's worth a quick history lesson.

Ashley Owen
19 July 2013
3

Economic growth does not drive stock market returns

The widely-held belief that good economic growth should be good for share prices, and low economic growth bad for them, is often demonstrated to work in reverse.

Ashley Owen
4 July 2013
2

What export boom?

This will challenge your way of thinking: Australia is one of the smallest exporters as a percentage of GDP in the world, and therefore one of the least reliant on exports for our national income. But we're addicted to imports.

Ashley Owen
20 June 2013
4

How much income tax do you pay?

There's an ongoing debate about income inequality and personal income tax. Looking at the numbers, 45% of Australian adults pay no personal income tax, while 1.5% of adults pay 26% of income tax.

Ashley Owen
7 June 2013
2

Federal Government budgets and their impact on the stockmarket

A look at history shows government deficit years and fiscal tightening have generally been good years for stockmarket returns. 2013-4 will most probably be a deficit year, as is 2012-3.

Ashley Owen
17 May 2013

An historical (not hysterical) look at gold

For much of the last 2,500 years, one ounce of gold has been able to buy items worth the equivalent of around USD500 in today’s dollars adjusted for inflation. But retail buyers are rushing to buy physical gold at current levels.

Ashley Owen
2 May 2013
1

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Latest Updates

Planning

Does your will qualify for the discretionary testamentary trust exemption?

Treasury has confirmed the exemption many families were hoping for. But buried in the fine print are two conditions that could leave some wills on the wrong side of the exemption, despite years of careful planning.

Rachael Rofe
15 July 2026

Lithium's latest drop and what it means for ASX investors

Lithium's latest sell-off has punished ASX miners as prices remain hostage to shifting expectations. The key challenge is navigating a market prone to extreme volatility despite a strong case for the long-term demand outlook.

David Tuckwell
15 July 2026

Investment strategies

CGT reform and fund turnover: who really feels the impact?

The implications of CGT reform are far and wide. As the 50% discount gives way to inflation indexation, turnover and return profiles may become critical drivers of after-tax performance. Some strategies face a far greater hit.

Ethan Xing
15 July 2026

Superannuation

Super was built for a very different Australia

Our retirement system was built around assumptions that no longer hold. Lower homeownership, longer lifespans and changing expectations are exposing cracks that policymakers and super funds need to address.

Adam Nettheim
15 July 2026

Retirement

Retirement in reality - 4 months in

Many people spend years planning financially for retirement but little time preparing for what comes next. Four months in, here are the surprising lessons i've learnt on finding purpose, social connection and healthy habits.

Dr Joanne Earl
15 July 2026

Investment strategies

After the Budget, Australia needs its own definition of quality

As tax reforms reshape investment incentives, investors should rethink what quality investing means in the uniquely concentrated Australian market, where traditional frameworks may not translate as effectively.

Arian Neiron
15 July 2026

Datacenters are the new shale oil

Why are tech giants pouring billions into datacentres when the economics look questionable? The most dangerous words in investing may be: "everyone else is doing it". Today's AI boom has striking parallels with the shale bust.

Harris Kupperman
15 July 2026

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