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Caveat Emptor

Caveat Emptor: Lifetime annuities versus indexed bonds

A reader sent in an excellent question on the merits of lifetime annuities versus long term indexed bonds for post-retirement income. Jeremy Cooper and Elizabeth Moran make the case for each.

Caveat Emptor: LICs versus ETFs

We’ve asked two industry professionals to state their cases for and against these two investment types that are growing in popularity: Listed Investment Companies and Exchanged Traded Funds.

How does a retail investor access stocks before listing?

A reader wants to know how to access company floats before their listing on the ASX. Roger Montgomery explains it's probably a closed shop, but you can often wait until the market becomes bored and buy better.

More questions on QE

With the 'tapering' finally announced last night, it's as important as ever to understand what's happening. So when Rick Cosier asked some of the questions many would like answered, Warren Bird obliged.

Are income funds just arbitrage funds?

Australian equity income funds have become extremely popular as investors look for yield and income, but are they arbitrage funds by another name? Rudi Minbatiwala of the Colonial First State Equity Income Fund responds.

How risky are bank hybrids and are they misrepresented?

The search for yield has driven retail investors into billions of dollars of hybrids that could not be sold to wholesale investors at these levels. Is the full picture being told to the retail market?

Latest Updates

Exchange traded products

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?

Taxation

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.

Retirement

Three considerations before reshaping your legacy plan

Many retirees hope to leave a legacy. Proposed trust tax reforms could force families to rethink. The question is not how much to leave behind, but whether today's inheritance plans will still make sense as circumstances change.

Investment strategies

Why experienced investors still get markets wrong

Retirement is approaching. Markets are noisy. And every headline seems to demand action. The biggest investment risk isn't fear, greed or market volatility, it often arrives disguised as research and sensible risk management.

Shares

Why pay more for less?

Conditions were stacked in favour of professional investors in 2026. Most still fell short, raising questions about where investors should look for value. Meanwhile, an alternative strategy continued to make its case.

Investment strategies

Bleeding air out of the bubble

Equity valuations have fallen sharply over the past year, yet investors have largely been spared the volatility and losses that typically accompany a de-rating. What explains this unusually orderly reset? Here are five key drivers.

Strategy

Has AI gone rogue?

We worry about AI becoming conscious. But what if consciousness isn't the issue? The more unsettling possibility is a machine capable of pursuing objectives relentlessly, without motives, emotions, or awareness of any kind.

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