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Home / Author: Don Stammer

Don Stammer

Decide if 'fake crises' are worth the worry

Instead of automatically reacting to fake crises, a better approach is to weigh up the pros and cons first. If the news proves to be correct, take action based on your risk tolerance.

Why Australians love dividends and franking

Australians love owning dividend-paying shares, especially with the added benefits of franking credits, and the rewards from owning shares should not be judged in terms of price movements in isolation.

Investor sentiment can be highly misleading

Statistics measuring investor sentiment are often flawed but the market's reaction to such statistics is even more misguided. It's likely that shares will be sold more than justified when rates rise.

How will the global slowdown in productivity affect investors?

Productivity growth has slowed, and if it persists, it's another sign that future investment returns will disappoint and fiscal imbalances will persist. There are strategies that might counter the worst effects.

Five lessons from the recent turbulence in share markets

Learning about investing is a long journey and the recent period of market turbulence offers valuable lessons in the way markets behave.

Slowing productivity and its impact on investors

Investors need to be aware of what’s happening to productivity and how this will affect future returns and the affordability of tax-payer funded pensions, especially if company profits fall.

Latest Updates

Testamentary trusts: Treasury has picked the wrong reading

A decades-old estate planning tool has survived one tax crackdown only to be caught by another. The surprise isn't who the reform is targeting, but who could end up paying the price for drafting choices made years ago.

Latest from Morningstar

Does an American retirement rule work for Australians?

The 4% rule has survived decades of scrutiny, but Australia's retirement system changes the equation in ways most overlook. Before accepting or rejecting this rule of thumb, it pays to understand what really drives retirement outcomes.

Shares

Glencore lands on the ASX. Should BHP and Rio shareholders switch?

A coal-heavy miner with governance concerns isn't the obvious choice for investors. Yet, Glencore's ASX listing may offer something BHP and Rio can't. The challenge is working out whether the opportunity outweighs the risks.

Why does the system treat capital gains and losses differently?

Investors are often told not to let tax policy drive their investment decisions. Yet, under the new CGT rules, portfolio construction, volatility and even how assets are owned may have an outsized impact on their final outcome.

Economy

Three common sense reforms that Australia needs

What do frozen bank accounts, mortgage traps and pension penalties have in common? They're all symptoms of a system that makes life much harder. Yet the obvious solutions seem to have escaped the attention of Canberra.

Shares

The hidden cost of government debt for investors

Some of the important effects of rising public debt never make the headlines. Research shows the immediate effects may already be unfolding, influencing corporate behaviour in ways that many investors would never suspect.

Investment strategies

When do fundamentals matter?

Is fundamental investing losing its grip on markets? Investors continue to search for valuation-based explanations for every price move, but the dominant force behind short-term returns may be something else altogether.

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