12 July 2026

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Testamentary trusts post-budget: Estate planning, tax reform and the ‘death tax’ debate How to minimise tax with a will High quality businesses are on sale Meg on SMSFs: The CGT changes don’t impact super but what about Div 296 tax decisions?The strange effect of the 30% minimum capital gains tax

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Home / Author: David Bell

David Bell

Soft labour market's impact on retirement outcomes

The ‘economics of retirement outcomes’ is a concept that explores how economic developments can affect retirement outcomes. The current soft labour market is one of those developments.

David Bell
20 March 2015
1

Has the FSI missed the elephant in the room?

The FSI makes some important recommendations which would improve the super industry if implemented. However, the trade-off between return and risk is largely left untouched - it's an important opportunity missed.

David Bell
19 February 2015
2

Some challenges ahead for 2015

Every investor has questions they are pondering at any point in time. In 2015, finding value in the market, explaining how to think about risk and the design of solutions for the post-retirement phase are three major issues.

David Bell
19 December 2014
2

Reflections on markets in October 2014

October 2014 could be filed away as another month of reasonably normal returns. However if you lived through it day-to-day, there were lots of events and volatility, including somewhat of a ‘mini-panic’.

David Bell
28 November 2014
2

There’s more to risk aversion than most planners realise

Financial risk aversion is usually measured via a questionnaire compiled by an adviser, which provides a one-dimensional numerical measure. But this does not cover all there is to learn about a client's aversion to risk.

David Bell
31 October 2014
4

Hedge funds seizing ships – what next?

The story of a US hedge fund fighting to recoup its Argentinean bond investment has both stunned and amused all who have followed its progress over the last 12 years. Will the seizing of a naval vessel bring it to a close?

David Bell
2 October 2014
2

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Was life really better in the good old days?

Are we worse off than previous generations? Lately, there seems to be a heightened level of angst that economic conditions are getting harder and that the two-party political system (and maybe democracy too) is failing voters.

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Retirement

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Dwayne Fernandes
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Who gains in an AI-supercharged economy?

AI is already reshaping the economy, but companies building transformative technologies rarely capture the greatest long-term value. Instead, those benefits accrue to the users. We may well see this pattern reproduced.

Joe Davis Ph.D.
8 July 2026
1

Taxation

Div 296's million-dollar reset worth $25,000

The 'cost base reset' for the new super tax is being sold as protection for pre-July gains. A worked example shows $1M of protection is worth about $25,000, and the real deadline has not passed.

Trevor Schmid
8 July 2026
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The forecasting fix that Wall Street missed

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Larry Swedroe
8 July 2026

Investment strategies

Should a fund manager invest their own money differently?

Investors often like the idea that fund managers should invest client money exactly as they invest their own. But reality is more complicated. Unique circumstances make a different approach rational and, at times, beneficial.

Joe Wiggins
8 July 2026

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