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Chris Cuffe

Let’s kick this political football out of the ground

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.

Small can be beautiful

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.

Outperformance: unique skill or free gift?

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.

What financial advice is worth paying for?

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.

To be perfectly franked, and pay no tax

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.

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Weekly Editorial

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 639

Thank you for the hundreds of responses to our Reader Survey and to maximise the sample size, we’re leaving it open until this Sunday. Here is an overview of the results so far.

  • 27 November 2025
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Investment strategies

Where to hide in the ‘everything bubble’

It might not be quite an ‘everything bubble’ but there’s froth in many assets, not just US stocks, right now. It might be time to stress test your portfolio and consider assets that could offer you shelter if trouble is coming.

Investment strategies

The ultimate investing hack: dividend growth stocks

Investors often fall prey to ‘amygdala hijacks,’ letting emotion trump reason. By focusing on dividend-growth with stocks instead of volatile prices, you can steady your mindset and let compounding do the work. 

Investment strategies

CBA or global banks?

CBA’s recent pullback highlights single-stock risk. Global banks trade at lower P/Es with rising earnings and dividends, offering investors both income potential and long-term value beyond the local market.

Investment strategies

Global dividends rising, but Australia lags

Global dividend growth surged in the third quarter, with median growth of almost 6%. Australia was a notable exception as dividends fell, thanks to flagging mining company payouts.

Economy

I called inflation's rise and fall and here's what's next

In 2020, I warned that surging US money supply growth would spark inflation. By early 2023, I said US money supply was dropping dramatically and that meant inflation would decline. Here's what happens next.

Superannuation

Are excessive super funds giving Australia “Dutch Disease”?

The irony is profound: a system designed to secure Australians’ futures may be systematically dismantling the economic diversity necessary for long-term prosperity.

Investment strategies

Could your children pass the inheritance ‘stress test’?

You devote years of your life working, saving and investing, striving to build a legacy that will outlive you. Before any wealth moves to the next generation, here are six questions every parent should ask themselves.

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