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Leisa Bell

Your views on early access to superannuation

We asked our readers for their views on the government's early access to superannuation. Most agreed with the policy but not with the ease of access. Here are your comments from all sides.

Your predictions for the US presidential election and the ASX300

Trump or Biden? Our readers make a nailbiting call, while your predictions for the ASX300 over the long term show optimism while flat over the short term. The best insights come from the hundreds of revealing comments.

Your views on the Victorian COVID restrictions

The second wave of COVID-19 sweeping Victoria and the resulting lockdown have taken a huge toll on the state's economy and its population. Was the government's reaction heavy-handed or necessary?

Survey on COVID-19's impact and management

Following on from our April 2020 COVID survey, how have your opinions and circumstances changed? Have government policies been effective? How has your portfolio fared? What does 'the other side' look like?

COVID survey results: All you need is LUV

Only 17% of our readers think we have seen a market bottom, and there's debate about the L, U or V shaped recovery. While most of the Government's actions are supported, checking has been lax.

Morningstar: Douglass interview, 29 top picks, corona research

Three Morningstar resources are available to Firstlinks readers to assist in the current market turmoil. A short Hamish Douglass interview, detailed US research into the virus and a special trial offer.

Latest Updates

Weekly Editorial

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 639

Thank you for the hundreds of responses to our Reader Survey and to maximise the sample size, we’re leaving it open until this Sunday. Here is an overview of the results so far.

  • 27 November 2025
  • 1
Investment strategies

Where to hide in the ‘everything bubble’

It might not be quite an ‘everything bubble’ but there’s froth in many assets, not just US stocks, right now. It might be time to stress test your portfolio and consider assets that could offer you shelter if trouble is coming.

Investment strategies

The ultimate investing hack: dividend growth stocks

Investors often fall prey to ‘amygdala hijacks,’ letting emotion trump reason. By focusing on dividend-growth with stocks instead of volatile prices, you can steady your mindset and let compounding do the work. 

Investment strategies

CBA or global banks?

CBA’s recent pullback highlights single-stock risk. Global banks trade at lower P/Es with rising earnings and dividends, offering investors both income potential and long-term value beyond the local market.

Investment strategies

Global dividends rising, but Australia lags

Global dividend growth surged in the third quarter, with median growth of almost 6%. Australia was a notable exception as dividends fell, thanks to flagging mining company payouts.

Economy

I called inflation's rise and fall and here's what's next

In 2020, I warned that surging US money supply growth would spark inflation. By early 2023, I said US money supply was dropping dramatically and that meant inflation would decline. Here's what happens next.

Superannuation

Are excessive super funds giving Australia “Dutch Disease”?

The irony is profound: a system designed to secure Australians’ futures may be systematically dismantling the economic diversity necessary for long-term prosperity.

Investment strategies

Could your children pass the inheritance ‘stress test’?

You devote years of your life working, saving and investing, striving to build a legacy that will outlive you. Before any wealth moves to the next generation, here are six questions every parent should ask themselves.

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