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9 September 2026
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In a talk with MBA students, legendary investor Howard Marks suggests forecasting and economists are a waste of time. He prefers to understand investor psychology and security pricing to get the edge in markets.
The billions and trillions in the funds management industry show the extent of its influence, but who controls the money, and how do platforms, managed funds, superannuation, listed and unlisted funds fit together?
While the ATO has many ways to watch taxpayer transactions and ensure tax is collected, for some unknown reason, it is legal to select from four different cost base treatments for capital gains tax. It's costing billions.
Harry Markowitz died last week at the age of 95. He was the 1990 Nobel Laureate and the father of Modern Portfolio Theory. He explained to me the magic moment when he realised how risk-return in portfolios works.
SMSF trustees want control over their investments and think they can perform better than professional investors. Claims of an impending fall are not supported by the data, and older trustees are investing even more.
Platforms are an integral part of the financial advice process, delivering efficiencies to advisers and allowing them to cover more clients. But one platform will never be the holy grail as every client is different.
For generations, Australian investors have backed banks, miners and dividends. But has that loyalty come at a cost? A look at the numbers raises an uncomfortable question about where future returns will come from.
The housing debate tends to focus on prices, interest rates and deposits. Yet an overlooked feature of the mortgage itself could help buyers enter the market sooner without abandoning prudent lending standards.
Thinking about an SMSF? Before you sign anything, learn how to spot the difference between genuine advice and a sales pitch, understand the real costs, and avoid the compliance mistakes that attract ATO attention.
Market conditions are shifting as familiar yield sources quietly lose momentum. Australian public credit may be the most compelling source of income in today's market but many investors haven't noticed the shift.
Reporting season has delivered a clear message: the market is no longer paying simply for quality, resilience or an earnings beat. It is paying for change in earnings expectations and the outlook ahead.
Some of history's most important innovations changed the world while leaving investors much poorer. As trillions pour into AI, a familiar pattern may be emerging, one that rewards society far more generously than capital.
August reporting season delivered strong earnings and bigger-than-expected dividends, but beneath this, a more nuanced story emerged. First Sentier Investors’ David Wilson and Christian Guerra unpack the key trends.