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James Gruber

One edge that individual investors have over fund managers

Fund managers have more staff, more information, and more access to companies, yet individual investors have one advantage in their favour. Anyone selecting a manager should consider such constraints on performance.

What the Federal Budget means for you

The budget has cost-of-living support including energy relief, cheaper medicines, improved bulk billing access, and rental help. It also hints the Government won't change the way it calculates the new super tax.

Nine rules to guide you to die with zero

Should you give your children their inheritance before you die? It's a thorny question asked more often as Baby Boomers in Australia grow older and die richer. Do they leave larger bequests or help buy the kids a home?

Global ETF trends coming soon to Australia

In Australia and globally, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) continue to grow rapidly. A new report suggests investors can expect more products in active ETFs, alternative strategies, cryptocurrency and ESG.

Market narratives are seductive and dangerous

Human beings are storytelling animals yet it’s the job of investors to separate truth from fiction. And the truth lies in numbers, the company earnings and the multiples attached to those earnings.

The 100-year-old Australian investment company you’ve never heard of

It’s one of Australia’s oldest listed investment companies, yet few investors have heard of it. While LICs like Australian Foundation Investment Company and Argo Investments grab the limelight, Whitefield prefers low key.

Latest Updates

Back to the future - Why indexing CGT is a good idea

A return to indexation of capital gains would be a fairer way to compensate households for the effects of inflation than the current discount. Importantly, it opens the door to future, broader reforms to stop the taxation of inflation.

Australia has no death duties. Technically.

Australia may not levy formal death duties, but a growing web of tax measures is quietly shaping what wealth passes between generations. Now, the 2026 budget adds another layer.

Strategy

The folly of the Iran war

From oil shocks to fractured alliances, the Iran war carries the hallmarks of a historic policy misstep - one that could tip an already fragile global economy into crisis.

Taxation

Noel Whittaker’s take on the budget

Marketed as a fix for inequality and housing affordability, the latest budget instead delivers a tangle of tax changes that leave everyday Australians worse off.

Investment strategies

The red metal's long game

Copper has had a rough few weeks but investors should not ignore the potential for future price increases as supply increasingly falls behind demand.

Taxation

The lesser-known effects of changed property taxes

The budget’s property tax reforms are being framed as fairness measures, but they risk splitting the housing market, penalising lower‑income investors and introducing distortions that may prove costly.

Latest from Morningstar

Why stocks sometimes fall for no obvious reason

The vast and opaque world of private assets is a powerful gravitational force - and when trouble hits, it's the more liquid public equities that often the feel it first.

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