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Hugh Dive

What goes on during reporting season?

Reporting season is hard work for equity analysts, especially when a company's results differ from the expected. It's also a time for a company to outline its strategy and gauge the reaction of its owners, the fund managers.

Beware of investment bankers bearing gifts

Investors face a barrage of glowing research from investment banks trumpeting the blue sky potential of new companies seeking to be listed on the ASX. It’s crucial to ignore the spin and focus on the business itself.

Investing in biotech and pharma

Biotech and pharma are seductive and exciting sectors to invest in. When products are developed and successfully adopted, it can be very profitable, but most projects do not succeed, and it’s good to know what you’re doing.

Searching for yield to pay the bills

Whilst the latest cut in the target cash rate to 2.25% is a positive move for equity investors, it's a negative for savers, especially retirees living off the income generated by their term deposits.

Currency winners and losers

The Australian dollar has finally fallen against the currencies of most trading partners, and there will be companies that benefit or struggle at the new levels. If you think it will fall further, how do you take advantage?

What makes a company attractive?

While fund managers are reluctant to reveal their newly-found 'top picks' to the public, there is an underlying process which can be used to identify an attractive company to invest in.

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Retirement

Why it’s time to ditch the retirement journey

Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".

Financial planning

How much does it really cost to raise a child?

With fertility rates at a record low, many say young people aren’t having kids because they’re too expensive. Turns out, it’s not that simple and there are likely other factors at play.

Exchange traded products

Passive ETF investors may be in for a rude shock

Passive ETFs have become wildly popular just as markets, especially the US, reach extreme valuations. For long-term investors, these ETFs make sense, though if you're investing in them to chase performance, look out below.

Shares

Bank reporting season scorecard November 2025

The Big Four banks shrugged off doomsayers with their recent results, posting low loan losses, solid margins, and rising dividends. It underscores their resilience, but lofty valuations mean it’s time to be selective. 

Investment strategies

The real winners from the AI rush

AI is booming, but like the 19th-century gold rush, the real profits may go to those supplying the tools and energy, not the companies at the centre of the rush.

Economy

Why economic forecasts are rarely right (but we still need them)

Economic experts, including the RBA, get plenty of forecasts wrong, but that doesn't make such forecasts worthless. The key isn't to predict perfectly – it's to understand the range of possibilities and plan accordingly.

Strategy

13 reflections on wealth and philanthropy

Wealth keeps growing, yet few ask “how much is enough?” or what their kids truly need. After 23 years in philanthropy, I’ve seen how unexamined wealth can limit impact, and why Australia needs a stronger giving culture.

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