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Home / Author: David Bell

David Bell

Competing for alpha

The term 'alpha' may be financial jargon, but for fund managers, it's the highly sought-after prize for successful active management that justifies fees charged. But how do you select a good manager?

Misplaced focus on high yielding stocks in retirement

High yielding stocks are often seen as the silver bullet for retirement plans. But in many circumstances the focus on income overlooks the need to consider return and risk in any investment decision.

Momentum of winning and losing share prices

A simple strategy of backing prior winners and shorting prior losers has outperformed again in 2015, supporting arguments for 'momentum' investing. It's an example of a factor that can be used across a portfolio.

Risk aversion in practice in large funds and SMSFs

Financial risk aversion defines our attitudes to taking financial risk. Your style of risk aversion could be relative or absolute or a bit of both. It's good to recognise your own tendencies for the benefit of your portfolio.

Grattan’s Super Savings flawed but essential reading

The Grattan Institute’s recent paper on reducing costs associated with superannuation is a reflective read for all executives and trustees of super funds in Australia, but is it the time right for these changes?

A sombre reflection on financial literacy

People with low levels of financial literacy have a greater likelihood of making financial mistakes, including being misled or defrauded. The financial services industry should work to address this.

Latest Updates

Back to the future - Why indexing CGT is a good idea

A return to indexation of capital gains would be a fairer way to compensate households for the effects of inflation than the current discount. Importantly, it opens the door to future, broader reforms to stop the taxation of inflation.

Australia has no death duties. Technically.

Australia may not levy formal death duties, but a growing web of tax measures is quietly shaping what wealth passes between generations. Now, the 2026 budget adds another layer.

Strategy

The folly of the Iran war

From oil shocks to fractured alliances, the Iran war carries the hallmarks of a historic policy misstep - one that could tip an already fragile global economy into crisis.

Taxation

Noel Whittaker’s take on the budget

Marketed as a fix for inequality and housing affordability, the latest budget instead delivers a tangle of tax changes that leave everyday Australians worse off.

Investment strategies

The red metal's long game

Copper has had a rough few weeks but investors should not ignore the potential for future price increases as supply increasingly falls behind demand.

Taxation

The lesser-known effects of changed property taxes

The budget’s property tax reforms are being framed as fairness measures, but they risk splitting the housing market, penalising lower‑income investors and introducing distortions that may prove costly.

Latest from Morningstar

Why stocks sometimes fall for no obvious reason

The vast and opaque world of private assets is a powerful gravitational force - and when trouble hits, it's the more liquid public equities that often the feel it first.

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