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21 November 2025
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There’s only one way we can go with this divisive debate, as super is too important to be punted around. We need a completely independent and bipartisan group to provide guidance, opinion and direction.
There are important advantages that relatively small investors have over large institutions. Small can be beautiful, even if the big guys can also do well throwing their weight around.
The ability of active fund managers to produce outperformance is generally attributed to a unique skill set. However, there are proven contributors to performance which are persistent and systematic, not manager skill.
The value in good financial planning is understanding a client’s needs and setting and adhering to a realistic long-term strategy to achieve a desired outcome for the client. That is worth paying for.
Kerry Packer openly admitted that he managed his companies to minimise their tax bills. He would have loved superannuation and franking credits. A super fund needs only 32% of its assets allocated to fully franked shares to pay no income tax on its entire portfolio.
Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".
With fertility rates at a record low, many say young people aren’t having kids because they’re too expensive. Turns out, it’s not that simple and there are likely other factors at play.
Passive ETFs have become wildly popular just as markets, especially the US, reach extreme valuations. For long-term investors, these ETFs make sense, though if you're investing in them to chase performance, look out below.
The Big Four banks shrugged off doomsayers with their recent results, posting low loan losses, solid margins, and rising dividends. It underscores their resilience, but lofty valuations mean it’s time to be selective.
AI is booming, but like the 19th-century gold rush, the real profits may go to those supplying the tools and energy, not the companies at the centre of the rush.
Economic experts, including the RBA, get plenty of forecasts wrong, but that doesn't make such forecasts worthless. The key isn't to predict perfectly – it's to understand the range of possibilities and plan accordingly.
Wealth keeps growing, yet few ask “how much is enough?” or what their kids truly need. After 23 years in philanthropy, I’ve seen how unexamined wealth can limit impact, and why Australia needs a stronger giving culture.