5 November 2026

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Home / Author: Michael Mcalary

Michael Mcalary

Concerns about China's rise to power seem overblown

China has always managed its affairs in a very different way to Western countries and empires. For those concerned about China's rise as a global power, the big question is whether this approach could change.

Michael McAlary
11 June 2025
9

Do sanctions work?

Sanctions are losing effectiveness due to increasing economic polarisation, with many countries increasingly circumventing restrictions. Examples include China, Iran and Russia, whose industries have adapted despite sanctions.

Michael McAlary
2 October 2024
4

9 ways that global markets are changing

Australia's economy is in good shape after the extraordinary shift in global markets over the past 12 months, but here are nine macro and geopolitical factors for investors to check in a rapidly-changing world.

Michael McAlary
1 February 2023
2

Bank dominance causing a misallocation of capital

One-third of Australia’s top 30 companies are financial institutions, much higher than other comparable countries. In the interests of our future economic growth, it will need to change.

Michael McAlary
28 March 2014

QE causes currency and fiscal impotence

Quantitative Easing has been the order of the day for most of the major global economies. Increasing bank liquidity is meant to stimulate consumer and business lending. But for the US, things haven't quite gone to plan.

Michael McAlary
29 November 2013

The financial life cycle paradox

Living longer does not necessarily translate into financial freedom. The hope is that you can work longer and therefore have more savings for your retirement, but people have less income-earning years.

Michael McAlary
27 June 2013
3

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Latest Updates

Superannuation

Superannuation’s structural failings

Politicians are fighting over access to super, but they may be arguing about the wrong thing. The system’s three fundamental flaws have been hiding in plain sight for decades, costing Australians far more than they realise.

Ron Bird
4 November 2026

Planning

The great wealth transfer myth

Why do some families preserve wealth for generations while others struggle to? As the great wealth transfer unfolds, the determining factor is often not the structure of the estate, but the preparation of those who will inherit it.

Peter Roach
4 November 2026

Investment strategies

What comes after bank hybrids?

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What happens when knowledge becomes a commodity? The latest themes emerging from the US tech sector suggest AI could reshape company moats, disrupt incumbents and create winners and losers in unexpected places.

Emma Fisher
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Investing

Can Berkshire thrive without Buffett?

Warren Buffett's departure marks the end of an era. But the more important question for investors is whether Berkshire's culture, discipline and capital allocation framework can survive without the man who built them.

Jason Pohl
4 November 2026

Retirement

The Bengen 4% Rule: Lost in translation

For years, retirees have been told to focus on withdrawal rates. But the real question is far simpler: how many dollars can you safely spend? The answer may be very different from what conventional retirement wisdom suggests.

Jeremy Duffield, Mikhail Walden
4 November 2026

Interest rates

Super low interest rates came with side effects

For more than a decade, investors lived through an era of near-zero interest rates. With bond yields now surging, it's worth asking whether cheap money solved economic problems, or introduced a much larger set of risks.

Michael Collins
4 November 2026

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