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14 November 2026
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The Design and Distribution Obligations (DDO) come into effect in two weeks. They will change the way banks promote products, force some small funds to close to new members and push issues into the listed space.
Chris Cuffe has spent four decades selecting fund managers for multi-manager portfolios, and he explains what he looks for and why active management can work, as well as updating his investment lessons.
Investing in unit trusts just before a distribution is paid may see a portion of your capital returned to you in the form of taxable income, which will be a poor outcome for your returns.
Due to its illiquidity and higher risk, private debt as an asset class will not suit all investors. But for a patient investor with a longer-term horizon, private debt funds can provide a good risk/return trade off.
Firstlinks publishes hundreds of articles a year, and Chris Cuffe has selected from the most popular, especially those shining a light on issues the wealth industry must face up to in future.
The journey began as a chat over lunch, and with the acquisition of Cuffelinks (Firstlinks) by Morningstar, the pieces are in place to take the publication to the next level.
Our retirement system asks one account to do two very different jobs. A dedicated "rainy day" account separating income from emergency savings could deliver better outcomes and greater peace of mind for retirees.
Democrats have regained control of Congress, changing the equation in Washington. Whether that proves positive for investors will depend less on the result itself and more on what happens next for growth and markets.
A reader query on the recent CGT reforms has revealed a bigger issue. One overlooked feature of the old system may have done more than compensate for inflation. As we move to indexation, are we forgetting to reward risk?
Rising yields have made bonds attractive again, but that does not mean they will behave as expected. As inflation, fiscal pressures and geopolitical risks reshape markets, the role of bonds may be more complicated than it appears.
Income investors have endured several lean years, but signs of a recovery are emerging. As opportunities improve, investors face an important choice between chasing headline yields and building a reliable source of income.
Investors love simple rules, especially when markets appear stretched. Yet some of the strongest returns have arrived when the outlook seemed least attractive. This leaves an important question that history struggles to answer.
Investor obsession with AI is attracting unprecedented amounts of capital and confidence. But beneath the excitement lies uncertainties about returns, funding and risks that enthusiasts may not be paying enough attention to.