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Leisa Bell

Results: Factfulness of Australians and Cuffelinks readers

We had an outstanding participation rate for the Factfulness quiz. Our readers did well compared with Australia and the rest of the world, but perhaps not as well as expected.

HILDA Survey: Cuffelinks readers smart, perhaps too smart

Last week, we asked 'Are Cuffelinks readers smarter than average?'. Turns out the answer is a firm YES, but we also learned how often financial matters can be open to interpretation.

Are Cuffelinks readers smarter than average?

The 2018 HILDA Survey included five questions aimed at measuring financial literacy. We have replicated these in Cuffelinks' own quiz to compare our readership's results with that of the rest of Australia.

Survey results and your views on the outlook

When readers responded to our questions about where the market might be heading over the next 2-3 years, there were more pessimists than optimists.

Reader feedback from 2017 Survey

An excellent 2,135 responses to the Survey. Most readers are in older age brackets, usually with an SMSF, about 30% are market professionals, and they value our independence and lack of product flogging. 94% say they already have or are likely to recommended Cuffelinks to a friend.

Watch premiums and discounts in LICs

Independent Investment Research has released its December Quarter 2016 review of the performance of the 34 LIC's under its coverage. Understand the premiums and discounts to NTA before investing.

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Investment strategies

Building a lazy ETF portfolio in 2026

What are the best ways to build a simple portfolio from scratch? I’ve addressed this issue before but think it’s worth revisiting given markets and the world have since changed, throwing up new challenges and things to consider.

Investment strategies

21 reasons we’re nearing the end of a secular bull market

Nearly all the indicators an investor would look for suggest that this secular bull market is approaching its end. My models forecast that the US is set for 0% annual returns over the next decade.

Property

13 million spare bedrooms: Rethinking Australia’s housing shortfall

We don’t have a housing shortage; we have housing misallocation. This explores why so many bedrooms go unused, what’s been tried before, and five things to unlock housing capacity – no new building required.

Investment strategies

Market entry – dip your toe or jump in all at once?

Lump sum investing usually wins, but it can hurt if markets fall. Using 50 years of Australian data, we reveal when staging your entry protects you, and when it drags on returns. 

Investment strategies

The US$21 trillion question: is AI an opportunity or excess?

It has been years since the US stock market has been so focused on a single driving theme, and AI is unquestionably that theme. This explores what it means for US and global markets in 2026.

Economy

US energy strategy holds lessons for Australia

The US has elevated energy to a national security priority, tying cheap, reliable power to economic strength, AI leadership, and sovereignty. This analyses the new framework and its implications for Australia.

Strategy

Venezuela’s democratic roots are deeper than Trump knows

Most people know Maduro was a dictator and Venezuela has oil. Few grasp the depth of suffering or the country’s democratic history - essential context as the US ousts Maduro and charts Venezuela’s future. 

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