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13 November 2026
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* At 30 June 2013, the Australian managed funds industry had $2.1 trillion under management, an increase of $33 billion (2%) on March 2013.
* The ABC's Vote Compass is a useful tool to see how your views on various social and economic issues align with the political parties.
* Australia has $270 billion of gross debt, mainly long term bonds, rolling over at the rate of almost a billion a week. Half is foreign-owned.
The cupboard is looking bare for the defensive allocation in a portfolio, with the real cash rate in Australia at zero. We look at the range of interest-producing investments available to generate better income.
* An ASIC review of mid-tier AFS licencees shows majority of their income comes from product issuers, with inevitable conflicts of interest.
Our retirement system asks one account to do two very different jobs. A dedicated "rainy day" account separating income from emergency savings could deliver better outcomes and greater peace of mind for retirees.
Democrats have regained control of Congress, changing the equation in Washington. Whether that proves positive for investors will depend less on the result itself and more on what happens next for growth and markets.
A reader query on the recent CGT reforms has revealed a bigger issue. One overlooked feature of the old system may have done more than compensate for inflation. As we move to indexation, are we forgetting to reward risk?
Rising yields have made bonds attractive again, but that does not mean they will behave as expected. As inflation, fiscal pressures and geopolitical risks reshape markets, the role of bonds may be more complicated than it appears.
Income investors have endured several lean years, but signs of a recovery are emerging. As opportunities improve, investors face an important choice between chasing headline yields and building a reliable source of income.
Investors love simple rules, especially when markets appear stretched. Yet some of the strongest returns have arrived when the outlook seemed least attractive. This leaves an important question that history struggles to answer.
Investor obsession with AI is attracting unprecedented amounts of capital and confidence. But beneath the excitement lies uncertainties about returns, funding and risks that enthusiasts may not be paying enough attention to.